Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!
Chris Thompson is back for our second season finale, and if anything, this conversation goes deeper into the craft than the last one. We get into how the production pipeline for Series B differed from the blitz that was Series A, why 120 Liberator shots meant almost none were reused, and what it actually looks like when a special effects director is given creative freedom.
We also cover some of the specific shots Chris is proudest of from Series B, including the work on Redemption, Shadow, Hostage, and Killer, talk through how the new Andromedan fleet came together, and find out what it feels like to clock up over 2,000 special effects shots.
We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.
You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!
Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!
Series B of Federation Strike has come to a close, so we are taking stock of all thirteen episodes together, from how the writers built on what Terry Nation started to the moments that hit differently on a second watch.
The new visual effects and model work on the Blu-ray set continued to win us over as expected, and the extras on those discs changed how we see both Jacqueline Pearce and Brian Croucher. We also make a case for the character we think deserved more screen time this series.
To close out, we look ahead to Series C and share a few predictions for where the crew goes next.
And lastly, as Garry mentioned in the episode, a HUGE thank you to all of you who have listened to our podcast. Whether you've been with us from the beginning or hopped on for this series, you guys tuning in each week are what makes us want to do more content. So a big thank you, thank you!
We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.
You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!
Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!
This is it! Series 2 of Blake's 7 comes to an end with Star One, and neither of us quite got what we were expecting from this finale.
We spend a lot of time this week on the Blake and Avon relationship, which reaches a genuinely interesting moment here, and on what Jacqueline Pearce brings to Servalan when the character is under a very different kind of pressure than usual. There's also a proper look at the restored visual effects, which surprised at least one of us more than expected.
After some chat about David Maloney directing the whole thing without an on-screen credit (for which nobody seems to know exactly why), and Adam making an interesting Sally Knyvette observation in this episode, we give you our scores and thoughts.
Oh, and Terry Nation apparently wanted to put the Daleks in this episode, so... it's all going on!
P.S. It may be the last episode of Series B of Blake's 7, but it's not the end of our second season, as we have two bonus episodes for you! Next week is our Series B wrap-up episode, where we chat about the highs, lows and everything else. The week after is an interview with visual effects legend Chris Thompson, who dives into what into the new effects and model work, the differences from Series A to Series B, the challenges and more!
We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.
You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!
Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!
This week we're on the Series B penultimate episode, The Keeper and a strange one to find sitting in that slot. We debate whether it does what a penultimate episode should do, and whether that even matters when there's this much to enjoy.
We get into Bruce Purchase's Gola, Freda Jackson as Tara, the sibling dynamic between those two, the Vila moments that had us both pausing the episode, what Jenna finally gets to do this week, and the behind-the-scenes story of how this script ended up on screen.
We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.
You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!
Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!
This week we're reviewing Gambit, Series B episode 11, and we open with some sad news: the passing of Michael Keating, the man behind Vila Restal. Adam shares his memories of meeting Michael at conventions over the years, and we talk about what his performances have meant across the series and what still lies ahead for his character.
On the episode itself, we get into what makes Gambit so hard to pin down: a Freedom City setting that turns the camp dial past anything the show has reached before, a Robert Holmes script built almost entirely on double acts, and a Dudley Simpson-shaped hole where the score should be. We cover Avon and Vila's casino subplot, Servalan's convoluted masterplan, and why the Klute's speed chess scene would have been dead on its feet without Elizabeth Parker's last-minute musical rescue.
There's also a conversation about the new effects on the Blu-ray restoration, some unplanned on-set chaos involving a furry jacket that neither actor could get on during filming, and a few Doctor Who comparisons that turn out to have a real costume connection.
P.S. We record in advance, which is why you're only hearing us talk about Michael Keating's passing in this episode.
We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.
You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!
Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.