After meeting Burnside and the rest of SIS in Series 1 of The Sandbaggers, we had just about got to grips with the many acronyms of Whitehall and were soon ready to delve into Series 2. I rejoined Spybrary host Shane Whaley and fellow fans Jeffrey Westhoff and Peter Newman to discuss more on The Sandbaggers. …
First broadcast: 20th December 1970 on BBC-1 This was my favourite episode I’ve seen so far. The Goodies decide to take advantage of the recent introduction of commercial radio licences – at least that’s how it appeared to me. My knowledge of the history of commercial radio is slim but nonetheless, 1970 seemed a tad …
There have been some strange episodes of Blake’s 7 up to this point but Sarcophagus takes the trophy. It’s not unusual for there to be some mystery about where an episode is going but I spent almost the entire of Sarcophagus absolutely baffled. I struggled, got bored and walked away slightly disappointed with the story. …
Cecily First broadcast: 13th December 1970 on BBC-1 The Goodies are struggling to find work and one does wonder whether ‘anything any time’ is just too vague for the general public. McCall’s newspaper advert in The Equalizer is similarly brief but at least he narrowed it down to helping people that had a problem with …
Rumours of Death feels like a rare privilege to learn more about Avon’s emotional past, and I daren’t look away in case we never get such access again. It’s another strong character piece from Chris Boucher, whose scripts have been my favourites in Series C so far. The opening scene had me gripped from the …
Gender Education My next episode of The Goodies moves us swiftly further along to series 2, episode 11. At the Goodies’ headquarters, a well-turned-out, mature woman with glasses sneaks up on Tim and Graeme. She’s instantly recognisable as a faux-Mary Whitehouse and I must admit I was surprised that I saw this so quickly, yet …
I find it fascinating when programmes reflect contemporary events or appear prescient of future ones, either by intent or sheer coincidence, but I haven’t had that with Blake’s 7 – at least I haven’t noticed it. One attractive element of the series is that its setting makes it somewhat timeless. 40 years on, film-making techniques …
I first watched The Goodies without realising. In my early forays to YouTube, I was searching for Doctor Who content when I came across something featuring Patrick Troughton up against three other blokes. Split into two videos, there were no titles and when it finished I still I had no idea what it was but …
Spybrary‘s focus has always first and foremost been spy books, but the podcast has also explored the exploits of real-life spies, as well as espionage in film and television. Having collaborated on undercover operations with Shane Whaley in the spy hot-spots of London and Berlin, I knew he could be trusted and I had no …
After being disappointed by Harvest of Kairos, I was just hoping to find City at the Edge of the World less dull. The title got me thinking about the other cities we have encountered with Blake’s 7 – Space City and Freedom City, but this one turned out quite different. I deployed some expletives exceptionally …
