The Liberator Chronicles – Simon Guerrier ,Nigel Fairs ,Peter Anghelides Free Audiobook

Written by Simon Guerrier ,Nigel Fairs ,Peter Anghelides

Big Finish are certainly the most qualified company these days to `resurrect’ Blake’s 7. I am so pleased that here, three of the key and most interesting characters are available.

These readings/plays are somewhere between a book reading and a full cast play. They are two handers and with simple electronic effects, any of the actors can be Zen too.

This set is very much early (season 1) Blake’s 7, where Commander Raiker and Cygnus Alpha are recent events. If you are fresh from the TV series then Darrow’s and Thomas’s voice have changed slightly, Keating is very similar to the late 1970s.

Blake’s 7 is my second favourite programme after Doctor Who; has been since the compiled VHS releases late 1980s and will always be highly regarded for me. The 52 episodes therefore have never been enough. We have had The Sevenfold Crown and The Syndeton Experiment on audio which helped. The Kaldor City range helped too although Paul Darrow was a different character. We had the remake with an entirely new cast, which as good as it was, is not what I personally want. Now at last we have the original actors again. Sadly Gan and Zen/Orac actors are no longer with us, and I am sure some of the actors will not want to participate now; but what a brilliant start for Blake’s 7 fans to have Blake, Avon and Vila played by original actors.

The plays are 60 minutes in length and “two-handers” i.e. performed only by two actors.
1.1 The Turing Test – Paul Darrow, Michael Keating
1.2 Solitary – Michael Keating, Anthony Howell (Foyle’s War)
1.3 Counterfeit – Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow

Each one took me a few minutes to get used to, and then I settled down and enjoyed each, probably the first and the third more so. There are lots of truly Blake’s 7 moments again particularly in the first and third as they are more conventional stories. The writers have caught the flavour of the show and the first season in particular. In fairness to Solitary it does showcase Keating very well, and is very Vila-esque. I certainly feel that each of these stories contributes to the Blake’s canon.

Comparing to the Doctor Who ranges, The Liberator Chronicles vol 1 is just like having 3 Companion Chronicle stories. I got a lot of pleasure out of listening to these and I am already looking forward to my next listen as well as the next boxset. Well done Big Finish.