Edited highlights of the web chat with Brian Lighthill.
(The full transcript is at http://www.chat.beeb.com/chat/transcripts/990414_blakes/).
| Who | Text |
|---|---|
| Brian Lighthill | You're going to hear this first today. Paul Darrow (Avon) - as if you didn't know - and I are develloping a TV movie which we are targeting for Autumn 2000. Paul is signed up for his role as Avon but you're not going to get very much more info on the plot from me except to say that things are looking good for the project. |
| Emma | when do we get to see this new TV adventure?
|
| Andrew at beeb.com | Hopefully, Autumn 2000. Stay tuned for more news. |
| Brian Lighthill | right this minute I cannot divulge who the writers are, but what I can tell you is that the idea for the TV movie came from Terry Nation shortly before he died. |
| Brian Lighthill | I would hope that I can raise the money so that any effects that are in the TV movie are state of the art. Of course the script will be character-led but there are bound to be some effects needed. |
| Chris_From_Uk | Who will be in the TV movie? |
| Brian Lighthill | Chris, the only person signed up is Paul Darrow himself who will be recreating Avon and will also have an Associate Producer role. |
| Ewen | Brian, is this being done under the auspices of the BBC or is it an independent production? |
| Brian Lighthill | Ewen, at this stage this is an independent production. |
| Brian Lighthill | I didn't say there would be no Vila, I'm just holding my cards close to my chest. However, only Avon was left alive at the end of Series 4 - they were all killed ... or were they? |
| Brian Lighthill | A full treatment has been written, but we're not telling you what it's about! |
| Harriet M | Character aspects which worried me in the last play: - I couldn't believe in Avon visiting a nightclub called The Purple Nightingale on a regular basis, and I certainly couldn't buy his remark about enjoying the infliction of pain. Not bothered about killing when it was necessary, fine, but enjoying it? I never saw any evidence of that. Couldn't a script editor who's really familiar with the series - ie Chris Boucher - have a go at sorting this out a bit? |
| Brian Lighthill | Harriet, I think it's quite possible that Avon does enjoy killing people. In fact, in conversation with Paul Darrow he always has said to me how he likes Avon to be really really hard. It's always difficult to get all the previous four series into some form of continuity with a new production. The fan club provided Barry Letts and myself with a bible of Blake's 7 terms. We followed those faithfully. But, times move on and we don't want Blake's 7 to be a fossil. We have to move on both from the actors point of view and from the point of view from attracting new audiences. |
| Harriet M | I happily concede Paul Darrow was a lot better in Syndeton than Sevenfold - less of that growly he-man stuff that always got on my nerves. When he's on form, he's a delight. |
| Brian Lighthill | Harriet M, you could be right there but I think Paul is always good. I might concede that The Syndeton is a better script than The Seven Fold Crown. |
| Harriet M | Is there any more material on The Syndeton CD than the broadcast version? A friend told me hers ran to more than an hour, whereas the broadcast was just under (allowing for the News bulletin at three o'clock). |
| Brian Lighthill | Harriet M, thanks for your question. YES, the CD has unbroadcast material on it. It is a special unheard before production. |