Message-ID: <194@spock.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Feb-85 14:11:12 EST
Article-I.D.: spock.194
Posted: Wed Feb 20 14:11:12 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 26-Feb-85 05:36:57 EST
Organization: Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT.
Lines: 48
Xref: watmath net.sf-lovers:6369 net.tv.drwho:908

(If this note is a duplication or a variation, then I apologise.)
While, at the best of times, our link to the network is poor and inefficient,
unfortunately, we haven't been able to get into the new "net.tv.bbc" 
inews tells us it doesn't exist.

Were I able to discourse about any British T.V. program, my two
favorites not discussed here on net.tv.drwho would be "Blake's 7" and
"Sapphire and Steel."  To avoid numerous "What is" notes, I will explain
in the least SPOILER way I can about them...

Blake's 7:  In this interesting story, a group of prison convicts escape
and take over an alien spaceship which proves to be their salvation.
They are led (Sort of) by Roj Blake, who leads them, reluctant, into battle
with the Galactic Federation.  The central focus of the story is the conflict
between the elements of the group who just want to leave Blake behind and
take over the ship to carry on criminal activities, and those who really want
to destroy the semi-evil federation, led by Servalan. (It has been said
that if Servalan and Darth Vader were in the same galaxy, he would end
up working for HER.)  The actress and actor who play the major characters
Servalan and Avon (A man, not a makeup company) appear on Doctor Who in 
"The Two Doctors," and "Mark of the Rani," respectively.  Paul Darrow, who
plays Avon, also appeared in the "Silurians" classic as Capt. Hawkins.
Blake's 7 is highly dramatic, ending each season on a cliffhanger and killing
off regular characters with great ease.  Unlike most science fiction series,
it ends- dramatically and finally.  It was founded and (at first)
entirely written by Terry Nation.  Then other authors took over.
Dr. Who director David Maloney (Talons of Weng Chiang, Deadly Assasin,
and others) produced from the second season on, and Dr. Who writer Chris
Boucher, (Face of Evil, Robots of Death, Image of the Fendahl) script-edited.

Sapphire and Steel: A very tense, mature show about ghosts.  (Can't get
more mature than a ghost, can you?)  Sapphire (A woman) and Steel (A man)
are assigned to Earth because time, greedy and trying to break into the
physical world, is sending ghosts into our time zone.  Unfortunately, 
this show didn't last more than three seasons because often it was pitted
against Dr. Who reruns, and thus suffered the fate of "Buck Rogers,"
"Man from Atlantis," and others pitted against Dr. Who on ITV.  Nothing
can compete with the Doctor!  Like Blake's 7, this show ENDS, dramatically.

Both these shows were pedalled over here by Lionheart and earlier
Time-Life, before they stopped handling Dr. Who and before it was a
success (Dr. Who, I mean)  Lionheart thought they'd have better luck,
seeing as Dr. Who was such a runaway success, but it seems not.  Perhaps
stations are spending so much $ on Dr. Who that they can't afford anything
else.  (Whatever happened to K9 and Company, anyway?)

Charles Kupperman,
"A long-shanked rascal with a mighty nose."