Worlds of B7 Avalon Vol 2 Out Now (Spoilers OK)

As a kid, I always liked Blake's 7 a lot but found it kind of po-faced. I didn't see much humour in it, just people being horrible to each other! So it surprised me when characters like Bayban stepped onto the scene. Never a comedy character, Bayban was nevertheless very arch and deliberately tongue-in-cheek. Strangely enough, he worked in the series very well, so it's always been a bit of dream that he - and Colin Baker, of course - should be brought back.

True to form, Avalon has so far been pretty serious stuff too with scant room for jokes. I enjoyed the first box set hugely. Without any messing about, Set Two features the returning favourite. Lock up your more fragile relatives - Bayban's back!

He's still dishing out the threats like lesser mortals dish out greetings, and his displeasure 'is the stuff of legend.' A big, barking BRIAN BLESSED-type telling everyone about the terrible things he's done. Enlisting him to help on a mission may not be Avalon's greatest idea. Bayban is very much as he was in City on the Edge of the World - a cackling, bombastic pirate - but with a few extra intriguing dimensions added to him. We didn't really know him on television, but we get to find out more here, and its fascinating adding flesh to the bones and rounding out the character nicely. Centre-stage at times, he's very entertaining.

The score is very good and reminds me in part of the haunting musical motif given to Dorian in the televised story Rescue.

I enjoyed the first set of Avalon because it gave Blake's universe a slightly different spin, bringing new situations and characters and adding extra interest to the originals. On the basis of Bayban’s Bounty, Set Two is about to do the same. I have no problem with that!

Funny I should mention the lack of humour in Blake's 7 in my previous post (not a criticism, by the way), because the second story of this set Mercenary drifts quite close to that on occasions, at least initially. Noticeably, Cliff Chapman's Madison could almost be saying Vila's lines at some points (again, no criticism there - Madison continues to be a delight). Ever cautious, he is a restraining force on the impulsive Avalon. Working unwillingly with 'an old friend' has echoes of the previous tale, but produces some nice dramatic moments and tension. Less bombastic and arch this mix may be, but there are some interesting character developments. Tarrant too, provides a valuable contribution. Sowing seeds of doubt has not often been done with such relish.

In the hands of writer Christopher Cooper, the story subverts expectations and succeeds in producing moments of true, often diabolical, drama. I'm really liking this new foray into Federation territory, and Mercenary continues a very strong run of stories - here, with an unexpected ending.

And yes, the theme music has grown on me also, both epic sounding and melancholic too. Very much looking forward to Heart of Ice tomorrow.