back to article Microsoft to fund Blake's 7 return as Xbox Live exclusive

Microsoft is reportedly backing a reboot of Blake's 7, the seminal British science fiction show. The Finanacial Times' reports Microsoft feels Blake's 7 is just the kind of content it needs to encourage Xbox owners to deploy the device as an entertainment hub that deposits rivers of subscription revenue into Redmond's coffers …

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  1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
    WTF?

    Nooooooo

    This show (if it gets made) will be nothing more than a series of product placement ads for Microsoft.

    There is no way that any XBox or surface can replace ORAC.

    Shame on you MS. Things must be getting rather desperate over there in Redmond.

    1. LarsG
      Meh

      Re: Nooooooo

      They will kill it with a sanitised script acted out by Americans. Could not be worse.

      1. jacobbe
        Happy

        Re: Nooooooo

        who would not want to see this epic adventure acted by beautiful and handsome americans with their perfect white teeth and bronze Californian tans?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Nooooooo

          "perfect white teeth " - most Americans have terrible teeth - dental care isn't free in the colonies...

      2. hplasm
        Happy

        Re: Nooooooo

        Nobody in the UK, or the non-US world will see it, don't fret.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Nooooooo

        This will be a massive hit. Provided they don't involve any Americans....

    2. Roger Greenwood

      Re: Nooooooo

      ORAC was the only good thing about that show - I spent hours trying to get my BBC micro to make the same noise. There's probably an app for that now.

      1. davidp231

        Re: Nooooooo

        "I spent hours trying to get my BBC micro to make the same noise. There's probably an app for that now."

        Should write to them.. I mean they used a Beeb for most of the sound effects and graphics for series in that time. Dr Who being a prime example.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Just realised

      There are an awful lot of old farts on here that remember the series.

      1. Sir Runcible Spoon

        Re: Just realised

        "There are an awful lot of old farts on here that remember the series."

        What are you talking about 'remember'. I have all four series and watch them back to back around once a year (with the wife - who is a B7 convert! - so much so she is the one that usually gets them out of the cupboard).

        There is no way they will be able to write a script that will match the original. The special effects may have been crap, the acting a bit dodgy, but the characters and their inter-play were second to none.

        Oh how we love to hate Blake.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Nooooooo

      > There is no way that any XBox or surface can replace ORAC.

      In the first episode ORAC just sits there silently watching everything in a slightly creepy way, he throws up an error message after 20 minutes because he can't find the internet, then a red ring appears on his front and he isn't in the rest of the series.

    5. Steve Evans

      Re: Nooooooo

      Remakes of 80s shows are nearly always dire.

      US remakes of popular UK shows always are dir.

      That's dire ^2

      Be afraid.

      The daft thing is there are actually some good original US TV series... They could do worse than resurrect Push Daisies which got chopped before its time thanks to the writers strike, maybe Ned could touch Windows RT?

      1. AndrueC Silver badge
        Unhappy

        Re: Nooooooo

        Pushing Daisies

        Better off Ted

        Dead Like Me

        All gone before their time.

        1. MJI Silver badge
          Unhappy

          Re: Nooooooo

          I liked Pushing Daisies, another series which required TBPTV due to shITV removing episodes

          1. MJI Silver badge

            Re: Nooooooo

            TPBTV sorry

    6. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Blakes 8

      Cue the usual boring register suspects vowing never to upgrade from Blakes 7 to 8.

      1. AndrueC Silver badge
        Joke

        Re: Blakes 8

        Cue the usual boring register suspects vowing never to upgrade from Blakes 7 to 8.

        It'll be fine as long as they don't get rid of Orac's start button.

    7. Amorous Cowherder
      Facepalm

      Re: Nooooooo

      Oh no, here we go another lot of people complaining that "They'll kill it!", "They're ruining my memories.".

      Listen, they're not making it for your benefit, you have the original series to be fond of, they don't give a rat's arse about the fans of the original series. They're making it for a new, younger audience who have never seen it and wouldn't, in a million years, bother watching the original.

      Yes before you start calling me a whipper-snapper, I do fondly remember the original as a kid born at the start of the 1970's, to the point that my Mum and I named our dogs ORAC and ZEN in honour of the show!

    8. GitMeMyShootinIrons

      Re: Nooooooo

      Zen.exe has caused a General Protection Fault....

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Stop mucking abaat...

    ...and show us the feckin originals already. Mmm, Jacqueline Pearce.

    Mmmmmmmmm.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Stop mucking abaat...

      I started watching the originals again a few years ago after *cough* obtaining a copy.

      To be honest, they are sadly unwatchable :-(

      Wobbly sets, slow pace, very little story, no movemebt to an overall story arc, very poor graphics.

      I really enjoyed it at the time, but it has sadly not aged well.

      1. Dave Bell

        Re: Stop mucking abaat...

        I was a fan back in the day. There were good bits, but I can see the flaws you mention. Some were typical of the time, such as the wobbly sets and poor graphics. Maybe, in those ancient days of no repeats, and home video still being new, TV pacing was different.

        A "reboot" makes more sense than for Star Trek. The Trek franchise is full of new starships and new captains. There's nothing in B7 that could support a Next Generation, but the basic plot of a dissident, framed for a horrible crime, who escapes and fights back, it could work.

        Would it be worth the effort? That's the same question you can ask of any new TV series.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        R4Extra - Blake's 7: The Early Years

        Not really a fan of the tv series,

        but the radio adaptation has been listenable so far.

        Currently running the prequel -

        Blake's 7: The Early Years

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sp6cg/broadcasts/2013/08

        Followed next week by -

        Blake's 7

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00d28pd/episodes/guide

        1. Anonymous Custard

          Re: R4Extra - Blake's 7: The Early Years

          @Elmer Phud (and other Jacqueline Pearce fans) - may I recommend the film "White Mischief"?

    2. Elmer Phud

      Re: Stop mucking abaat...

      " Jacqueline Pearce"

      But who could play that part?

      Uma Thurman?

      To be honest all the 'goodies' were rubbish -- or is it the leather that reminds me of the series?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Stop mucking abaat...

        Tilda Swinton would be great at it.

        Or (because she's brilliant in everything) Jodie Foster, and she's just had a practice run in 'Elysium'.

    3. MJI Silver badge

      Re: Stop mucking abaat...

      Servilan did nothing for me.

      I prefered Jenna Stannis / Sally Knyvette, Cally / Jan Chappell, and of course Soolin / Glynis Barber

  3. Da Weezil

    Oh FFS leave it alone, it belongs as it was done - a low buck turn of a decade Sci Fi romp that was suitable for early evening viewing. Avon has been done already a perfect study in a cold devious anti-hero. No one could top that interpretation of the role.

    (I always thought Blake was a bit of a wimp - Avon was much cooler!)

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Liberator: "Sorry but my SkyDrive based star charts are currently offline, no information is available for reconnection time"

    1. MrT

      "Zen...

      ...set course and speed: Cygnus Alpha, time distort 12"

      "Unable to comply. All speeds above time distort 4 are only available if you upgrade your Liberator account from Standard to Gold. Please provide a valid credit card number to authorise this transaction."

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The Liberator's progress-through-space bar will be hilarious.

  5. Sartori

    Blakes 7 was without doubt my favourite SciFi as a kid, if it's a really good remake then I will be very happy. What are the chances of that though? I hope it's good but can't help getting that sinking feeling it will be really and truly shockingly awful.....

  6. Richard Wharram

    I'll believe it when I say it.

    They've been talking about Blakes 7 reboots for 15 years or so. It won't happen.

    And let's face it, if they have an Avon that isn't Paul Darrow it will be shit.

    And the real Paul Darrow is too old, see Law and Order: UK.

    1. Aqua Marina

      Re: I'll believe it when I say it.

      Darrow's involvement might be enough to get Avonism's into the new actor. He own the rights to B7.

  7. Dave Bell
    Coat

    How to restart Blake's Seven

    Avon walked out of the shower, bare skin glistening with droplets of water, and reached for his hair-dryer...

    (The one with the teleport bracelet in the pocket

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: How to restart Blake's Seven

      "Avon walked out of the shower, bare skin glistening with droplets of water, and reached for his hair-dryer..."

      If my memory of what the guns looked like on the liberator, he probably then shot himself in the head while trying to dry his hair.

  8. Dave 126

    There is hope

    Martin Campbell directed the 1985 BBC series Edge of Darkness, which was apparently well thought of.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_of_Darkness#Broadcast_and_critical_reception

    Continuing with the optimism, Battlestar Gallactica was well served by a remake.

    I'm not putting money on this new Blake's 7 being great, but thought that I might try and balance some of the negativity here!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: There is hope

      The BG reboot was zero risk - there was no horde of hardcore fans to care if it had been a massive fail. B7 is a totally different proposition.

      1. Simon Harris
        Unhappy

        Re: There is hope

        "The BG reboot was zero risk"

        Good for a while, ballsed up in the last season!

  9. Cthonus
    Thumb Down

    "this handsome ex-soldier sits up, and looks at a photo of his wife Rachel. Beautiful. Deceased.”

    Another tired old cliche. Why does he have to be handsome and why does she need to be beautiful?

    Has no one quite realised why most American SF shows just fade away after a season or two? All lip gloss and no substance. Perfect teeth isn't a substitute for a decent plot and good actors.

    Remember "Murder One" with the mesmerising Daniel Benzali? Not pin up material, so after the success of S1 they replaced him with a "more" camera-friendly version. Show cancelled...

    American remake of Red Dwarf: remember what they did to the character of Lister? Show cancelled...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Did they really make an American version of Red Dwarf? sacrilege Americans don't eat curry so they probably substituted it for tortillas.

      1. dorsetknob
        Facepalm

        I'm feeling a little suicidal this morning can you provide links to the American remake of Red Dwarf

        1. Michael 28
          Coat

          Tit for ..er... tat?

          How about a Star Trek spinoff, with ships solely piloted by Mancunians or Liverpudlians?

          You could also have one with Glaswegians, vs er.. people from Edinburgh?

          Any other suggestions?

          1. Ian Bremner
            Happy

            Re: Tit for ..er... tat?

            What? You mean like this?

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khrpy4V0-U4

          2. ISP
            Thumb Up

            Re: Tit for ..er... tat?

            Been done by the Chewin the Fat gang, see here:

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcPgsMqPQpI

        2. Captain DaFt

          can you provide links

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1uTqA9jWWE

          Part one of 'Red Dwart USA'... You watch it, I wanna liiive!

  10. Zot

    The original started surprisingly raw and gritty.

    The new one will have young dimwits having 'issues' and dumb grievances that are easy to write and understand by the sober and inexperienced suited guys who don't know what they are talking about.

    It will.

    1. AndrueC Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: The original started surprisingly raw and gritty.

      The Federation is ebil! They blocked Facebook and Twitter. Dude!

  11. Phlebas

    Sequel Script, Page 1, Line 1:

    And then Avon woke up and Blake was in the shower.

  12. TRT Silver badge

    Blake's 7 post-liberator is like...

    Microsoft Office.

    "One humbly observes, sir, that you might be attempting to navigate a course through the Magellan dust cloud. Would you like some help with that?"

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A disaster

    We are naming our new systems after Blakes 7, zen, orac, liberator etc and they are all based on Linux.

    Looks like we will have to port to MS Windows.

    Disaster!

    1. Simon Harris
      Happy

      Re: A disaster

      When you get as far as Slave (Scorpio's computer) I do hope that you'll be networking an Acorn System 1.

      Linux on a 6502 in 1K might be a bit of a squeeze though.

  14. MerseyMal

    Big Finish who do Doctor Who audio plays on CD/Download also started doing Blake's 7 ones recently with people from the original show. Think I'll stick to those.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    At the risk of mixing mythologies ...

    ... I've got a bad feeling about this.

  16. Anonymous Custard

    Firefly

    If they Americanise it too much, at best it'll end up being along the same lines as Firefly. Which was of course excellent, but also sadly was binned despite its decent cast and crew. OK so it spawned the Serenity film as well to close things off, but it still didn't last long overall.

    It's arguably not sanitised and feel-good enough to make it past a season or so in the current market.

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon

      Re: Firefly

      If they get Joss to write it, I will even stump up cash to make sure it happens!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Firefly vs. B7

        Firefly Joss? Too lightweight mate. But if Chris Nolan took it on, having English / US roots and Memento / Inception / Batman talent... Well that would be a thing to behold...

        1. Sir Runcible Spoon

          Re: Firefly vs. B7

          I was thinking more along the lines of being able to write a script for over half a dozen characters and make them all seem important.

          Apart from Gan.

    2. Gordon 10
      FAIL

      Re: Firefly

      Err Game of Thrones, Borgia's etc etc

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "MICROSOFT TO FUND BLAKE'S 7 RETURN AS XBOX LIVE EXCLUSIVE!"

    Yeah, well that's going to be shit then isn't it?

    Might be interesting to see how they manage to work over-bearing DRM as a good thing into the plot.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "MICROSOFT TO FUND BLAKE'S 7 RETURN AS XBOX LIVE EXCLUSIVE!"

      Overbearing DRM = The Federation.

      Simple ...

      1. Bod
        Joke

        Re: "MICROSOFT TO FUND BLAKE'S 7 RETURN AS XBOX LIVE EXCLUSIVE!"

        I'd see Microsoft as a member of the Federation with Apple as the core ('core' - geddit?) with Steve Jobs, were he still about, as Servalan / the guy from the patent office.

        Google are the loose group of freedom fighters. Or maybe that's Samsung, flying around the galaxy stealing ideas for their next phone, and Avon is their lawyer.

  18. graeme leggett Silver badge

    Reboot already done

    The audio version as broadcast on BBC radio from time to time, and its Early Years backstory episodes (one was on Radio 4 Extra earlier this week)

    teleport was junked which was probably for the best, but the Liberator and Zen is a much more darker thing.

  19. Simon Harris
    Unhappy

    Can't help thinking...

    this would be everything Blake would be fighting against!

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This is the future of TV. Buy an overpriced games console just so you can watch your favourite shows.

  21. MJI Silver badge

    IF............

    It is NOT full of irritating Yanks I will have a look when it hits TPB

  22. TheOtherHobbes

    Are they going to call it Blake's 8.1?

    1. Stoke the atom furnaces

      Is every other episode going to be a piece of crap?

  23. Matt 116

    Did anyone see the web series they did for Halo? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfJVgXBfSH8

    I thought they did a really good job of that.

  24. smartypants

    I liked the wobbly sets

    And, of course, Servalan and all the other characters.

    It's the story that matters, and watching the old series is good fun in the same way as it's good fun to watch 'tales of the unexpected' to see life in the 1980s again.

    I find it far harder to watch modern series which paint a future stuffed with anodyne californians. Yuck!

  25. Vociferous

    A remake makes sense, but...

    I loved the original series, but am not as invested in it as some, so I'd love to see a remake/prequel/sequel/reboot/mash-up/banana milkshake.

    Just like contemporary Dr Who the script was dubious, the acting hammy, and the sets and special effects below what you'd expect from a present-day high-school play, BUT the characters were interesting and charismatic. A syfy remake is likely to be cheesy, but at least there's hope.

    Sadly, since it'll be a Windows Live exclusive I will never ever see it.

    1. Simon Harris
      Coat

      Prequel...

      Just so long as it's not Blake's Vista.

  26. Frumious Bandersnatch

    What's this?

    Microsoft implicated in a reboot? I'm shocked, I tell ya!

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Jacqueline Pearce

    I remembering spluttering my drink out when I heard Jacqueline Pearce say this quote in an interview... Lovely woman!

    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0668940/bio

  28. Arctic fox
    Unhappy

    I have been wanting to get this off my chest for years.

    My lady and I loved B7. However, the way they chose to end it with Avon killing Blake believing he had betrayed them frakked us off so much that I cannot begin to describe how we felt about that grotesque piece of piss-taking by those responsible for the series. I hope they rot in.............ahem, excuse me but that really got up our noses.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I have been wanting to get this off my chest for years.

      I'm a tech but I'm also trained screenwriter with a dozen features that never got made. Endings are always difficult. Take the non-ending 'ending' of the Sopranos for instance... Talk about a cop-out....

      I hated the B7 ending at first, so I get what you're saying, but now I've gotten used to it. The worst ending of all time was the original Italian Job (1969). Talk about frustrating. What a tease! But now, years later, I love it and its in my fav collection of al lime.... But endings are the hardest.. No wait, the second act is....

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    'epic adventure acted by americans with their perfect white teeth and bronze tans'

    Anyone remember the 'New Professionsal'. No? Thought not!

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: 'epic adventure acted by americans with their perfect white teeth and bronze tans'

      No but I watched the original series a couple of years ago on an ITV channel

  30. This post has been deleted by its author

  31. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Was B7 a Fluke?...

    Michael Caine always asks: 'Why do they remake successes? They should only remake the failures'.... I was disappointed when the man himself Paul Darrow said the new B7 series had already been remade.... as Firefly / Serenity. Sure, the latter show is jovial but hardly epic .... B7 was probably a fluke. Gareth Thomas wanted to leave and that created a gripping nexus. The BBC remastered series has some fascinating insights... The show's script doctor kept having to rewrite over the cracks. He's an underrated genius IMHO...

    1. Bod

      Re: Was B7 a Fluke?...

      Gareth Thomas was right to leave as the show early on lost its roots and descended into standard sci-fi fighting aliens insetad of fighting the federation. Though I still loved it despite the flaws.

      I've always hoped a remake would go back to the core principles, and it should remain bleak with conflict between central characters, and possible bleak ending. So that rules out any US involvement, which means no money (given the BBC couldn't give a rats about it, not that they can afford it either), whcih means it will never be made.

      I was dubious about the remake announced last year and now if it's come to this there's no hope for it. Sounds worse than a straight to video.

      1. Sir Runcible Spoon

        Re: Was B7 a Fluke?...

        Was that "Gareth Thomas" the farmer? Coz that's how he looked and acted.

        1. Demosthenese

          Re: Was B7 a Fluke?...

          While I was wondering when Blake would return to the show, I went on a school trip to the RSC to see Twelfth Night. Disappointed to realise that Gareth Thomas was unlikely to give up his RSC gig to go back to a sci fi show. Cherie Lunghi was in the performance too, so it wasn't all bad.

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    'Microsoft to fund Blake's 7 return as Xbox Live exclusive'...

    Makes sense as MS are 'The Federation'.... No, wait, today that's Google....Or Facebook.. Or the USNSA... How can I decide?... They're all the same. Just monitoring outsourced to the private sector, an extension of the USNSA!

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Misread The Title

    I misread the title at first as Microsoft Funds Windows 7 Return.

  34. mark l 2 Silver badge

    MS seem to be gearing the XBOX1 up as a sort of all in one home entertainment system but its way too expensive if your not a hardcore gamer to buy one to just to watch online TV compared to £50 Android tablet or dongle that can run lovefilm or netflix and be connected to a TV via HDMI or even a £99 Apple TV for that matter. And no doubt you will need a gold subscription as well to get shows like Blake 7 so this adds onto the overall cost.

  35. unwarranted triumphalism

    Oh God Why

    I love B7, but this... please, no.

  36. Benchops

    The year is 2136,

    and yet again someone is talking about a Blake's 7 reboot

    I'll wait for Blake's 9 for more HTML5 compatibility

  37. Green Nigel 42

    X B7 live?

    Requires XBox live, so B7 remake will comes with strings attached in the fine tradition of the original

  38. Anthem

    Listen To Yourselves

    Give it a chance.

    If it happens and enough people enjoy it, then it has succeeded. The potential audience for a new version of the show dwarfs the lone voices of dissent that frequent these kinds of forums. Millions of potentially appreciative fans who weren't even born when Blake and his crew first went on the run. For that reason alone these rumours, if true, should be welcomed.

    What happened to being positive. Until proven otherwise, let's simply hope that the team behind the production have ambitions on a par with those of Game of Thrones, Lost, Walking Dead and many other US drama productions.

    And wish them the best of luck with it...

  39. RealBigAl

    There's a Terry Nation authored book that follows on from the end of the series. It's been years since I read it by SPOILER ALERT, Avon survives, as does Villa.

    It's dire.

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