It's pretty obvious when you watch a some of the most successful modern science fiction that the characters and plots had been done before. Blake's 7 was a knock-off of a lot of American shows — it wanted to be both [Star Trek and Star Wars] but they barely had enough budget to get decent haircuts. The story of a bunch of people who don't necessarily get along very well in a dirty, miserable future has ben done to death now. It's very basic, but there are some fantastic characters: Servalan is one of the best villains to ever appear on screen. Watching her walk across a battlefield wearing a white evening dress like she-just-don't-care ... and Avon was the best anti-hero.
It was silly and very very like Doctor Who in terms of production (they shared a lot of kit) but this is the show which defined my childhood, and I see echoes of it everywhere. Plus, it has one of the best endings of any show ever.
