In 1996 it was revealed in the press that actor Michael French ( Then a well known face due to his role in EASTENDERS ) would be starring in a BLAKe`s 7 follow up . It had been rumoured for years there was going to be a follow up show to Terry Nation`s classic space opera and looked forward to seeing if the BBC could recapture the magic of the original series . Unfortunately the BBC released a press statement saying the French star vehicle wasn`t anything to do with BLAKE`S 7 but was a totally original SF drama called CRIME TRAVELLER
I would have preferred a B7 spin off because CRIME TRAVELLER is a totally lightweight show , and it`s more of a crime series written to appeal for the whole family rather than to a sci-fi audience . Remember in the classic Terry Nation show the eponymous hero was framed for child molesting ? , well there`s no such type of dramatic shocks here as the main character uses time travel to solve crimes in much the way as Jonathan Creek uses his knowledge of magic to solve mysterious deaths , though to be honest TIME TRAVELLER lacks the intelligence of the latter .
In fact it`s difficult to think of this show as sci-fi . There is a good point brought up that if you go back in time and buy a lottery ticket for a future winning draw the numbers will fade away when you return to the present and that`s the only real nod to the concept of the Blinovitch limitation effect , elsewhere the show just follows the formula of a lightweight crime series and it`s no surprise it just lasted one season
And has anyone else noticed how every " star " from EASTENDERS has always ended up in a crime show after leaving the BBC soap opera ? We`ve seen Tamzin what`s her name star in REDCAP , Martin Kemp star in an ITV series about two detectives who are brothers , that bald geezer starring in the show about a crime fighting SAS unit , and Mark Fowler now changing his name to Gabriel Kent and joining THE BILL along with several other actors . The lack of ideas on British television is indeed criminal
I would have preferred a B7 spin off because CRIME TRAVELLER is a totally lightweight show , and it`s more of a crime series written to appeal for the whole family rather than to a sci-fi audience . Remember in the classic Terry Nation show the eponymous hero was framed for child molesting ? , well there`s no such type of dramatic shocks here as the main character uses time travel to solve crimes in much the way as Jonathan Creek uses his knowledge of magic to solve mysterious deaths , though to be honest TIME TRAVELLER lacks the intelligence of the latter .
In fact it`s difficult to think of this show as sci-fi . There is a good point brought up that if you go back in time and buy a lottery ticket for a future winning draw the numbers will fade away when you return to the present and that`s the only real nod to the concept of the Blinovitch limitation effect , elsewhere the show just follows the formula of a lightweight crime series and it`s no surprise it just lasted one season
And has anyone else noticed how every " star " from EASTENDERS has always ended up in a crime show after leaving the BBC soap opera ? We`ve seen Tamzin what`s her name star in REDCAP , Martin Kemp star in an ITV series about two detectives who are brothers , that bald geezer starring in the show about a crime fighting SAS unit , and Mark Fowler now changing his name to Gabriel Kent and joining THE BILL along with several other actors . The lack of ideas on British television is indeed criminal