Avon and Vila teleport down to the planet Fosforon to make contact with Tynus , a former criminal colleague of Avon who has access to Federation codes . On board The Liberator Cally senses danger aboard an ancient space vessel approaching the planet and Blake teleports down to find out what could possibly be on the vessel
As anyone who has watched the show will soon realize BLAKES 7 is not a children's television series . But neither is it trying to be a kind of horror series that DOCTOR WHO often got in to trouble for from concerned parents . This is write'sr Robert Holmes debut script for BLAKES 7 who'd been the script editor of DOCTOR WHO in the mid 1970s and who with producer Phillip Hincliffe saw the show attract 13 million viewers a week with dark tales inspired from the very best horror films that pushed the boundaries of the show constantly . DOCTOR WHO saw much critical acclaim but also suffered constant and loud complaints from parents complaining the programme left their kids traumatized . When Holmes and HIncliffe left the show was never the same thing again
Killer is one of the few episodes that resembles mid 70s era DOCTOR WHO and with the exception of the season two conclusion Star One is the nearest the show ever got to a horror story . The most memorable aspect of the episode is the pathologist carrying out an autopsy on the centuries old cadaver only to have it come to life , kill the pathologist and have it spread an alien engineered virus that starts infecting the population of Fosforon . It also contains some very character interaction between Avon and Vila and it's clear that Homes enjoys writing for the duo . In a Chris Boucher scripted episode the supporting characters are the focus . In a Holmes episode Avon and Vila take centre stage
Where the episode is less successful is where the characters refer to things that will be seem unlikely thousands of years in the future . Sandwhiches , pickle barrels for example and Blake having knowledge about smallpox and Lord Jeffrey's use of it in 18th Century North America . It is stated in previous episodes that Blake has a knowledge of classic history but his knowledge does seem contrived . Open to ambiguity is the costume design which leads to some surreal moments as some fireman try to battle a blaze dressed as what can only be described as white tortoises
As anyone who has watched the show will soon realize BLAKES 7 is not a children's television series . But neither is it trying to be a kind of horror series that DOCTOR WHO often got in to trouble for from concerned parents . This is write'sr Robert Holmes debut script for BLAKES 7 who'd been the script editor of DOCTOR WHO in the mid 1970s and who with producer Phillip Hincliffe saw the show attract 13 million viewers a week with dark tales inspired from the very best horror films that pushed the boundaries of the show constantly . DOCTOR WHO saw much critical acclaim but also suffered constant and loud complaints from parents complaining the programme left their kids traumatized . When Holmes and HIncliffe left the show was never the same thing again
Killer is one of the few episodes that resembles mid 70s era DOCTOR WHO and with the exception of the season two conclusion Star One is the nearest the show ever got to a horror story . The most memorable aspect of the episode is the pathologist carrying out an autopsy on the centuries old cadaver only to have it come to life , kill the pathologist and have it spread an alien engineered virus that starts infecting the population of Fosforon . It also contains some very character interaction between Avon and Vila and it's clear that Homes enjoys writing for the duo . In a Chris Boucher scripted episode the supporting characters are the focus . In a Holmes episode Avon and Vila take centre stage
Where the episode is less successful is where the characters refer to things that will be seem unlikely thousands of years in the future . Sandwhiches , pickle barrels for example and Blake having knowledge about smallpox and Lord Jeffrey's use of it in 18th Century North America . It is stated in previous episodes that Blake has a knowledge of classic history but his knowledge does seem contrived . Open to ambiguity is the costume design which leads to some surreal moments as some fireman try to battle a blaze dressed as what can only be described as white tortoises
