I know this is tangential to DW but there’s often a good deal of overlap in fandom (and classic production teams/scriptwriters). Anyway, I’ve not seen this mentioned elsewhere but I’m so delighted to see that Blake’s 7 is getting the collection treatment, starting this November.
https://gizmodo.com/blakes-7-blu-ray-remaster-doctor-who-bbc-terry-nation-2000489914
This looks absolutely wonderful, and I’ve added it to my ever-growing list of essential Blu-ray buys (why do they release so much good stuff in the Autumn?). I’m really intrigued by the updated special effects. The updated Doctor Who Blu-ray releases have shown great restraint with this kind of thing, which is commendable. Yes, the effects are improved, but not polished so much that they appear ‘spliced in.’ They keep to the spirit of the story, if you know what I mean.
This looks to be a great release and I look forward to more.
It did come up in the Free for All Chat but a dedicated thread is a great idea because, as you say, there is a lot of overlap between this and our favourite show. I’ve put this on my Christmas list - have just watched Series 1 and 2 with my eldest so I’ll be fascinated to see all the new effects and various documentaries. Ironically, I’ll probably end up watching some of this before I ever get round to my growing collection of Doctor Who Blurays!
Very excited by this news. I love Blake’s 7 almost as much as I love Doctor Who. In many ways, although there was never a direct link between the two series, B7 was the Torchwood of its day, inasmuch as it told grittier stories and very much appealed to many of the same people.
Yes, as @Napp says, the new effects interest me greatly. I adore B7 but it has to be said that, as a series where pretty much every episode involved shots of planets and spacecraft, the effects were often even more ropey than on DW (some of those shots of the Liberator in flight were… less than impressive shall we say). I think a spruce up and the option for new effects is exactly what this wonderful series needs.
Roll on November 11th!
So, here’s a question for fans of DW and B7. In your mind, although they never crossed over on screen, do DW and B7 exist in the same universe? They do for me. If so, which DW stories might conceivably take place during the same period (without bringing the Doctor into contact with the conflict between the B7 team and the Federation)?
The expanded Whoniverse has already made them part of the same universe via Chris Boucher’s novel Corpse Marker which features the character of Carnell from Weapon (the marvellous Scott Fredericks).
Carnell also appears in the Kaldor City audios which also include a character who may or may not be Avon operating under a pseudonym…
So, for me, they are definitely connected.
So in answer to your question about which stories take place in the same period, The Robots of Death for definite along with all the associated tales like Kaldor City, Robophobia and BF’s The Robots spin off.
TARDIS wiki has a section on mentions of Blake’s 7 in Doctor Who such as Gauda Prime being referenced in the 10th Doctor novel Prisoner of the Daleks.
You know, I’d completely forgotten about the Kaldor City link. Yes, you’re quite right! Carnell was a fantastic character in B7 and fits right in.
Kaldor aside, I"ve aleays had a feeling that “Nightmare of Eden” fits as well.
I’ll have to look into the links you’ve given. Thank you!
From TARDIS wiki: “Tom Baker and Gareth Thomas, who played Roj Blake, thought it would be amusing for their characters to meet for a few seconds in a hallway on either show. However, both times the proposed connections were overruled by the producers and script editors”
I remember reading something about this. Perhaps that’s why I get the feeling the Nightmare of Eden fits so well? I could imagine Blake briefly on the Empress.
I dearly wish they’d done this. I can kind of see the production teams’ desire to keep their shows distinctive, but it would have been a lovely throwaway moment that would have meant a lot to respective fans and wouldn’t really have needed any explanation. Just a cheeky little in-joke. It’s the sort of thing I can inagine RTD or Moffat agreeing to in a shot. Not sure about Chibnall. In series 11 he was very keen to make his DW stand out on its own but maybe in series 12 or Flux?
Which B7 episode might the Doctor have appeared in, though? I’m guessing a series 2 episode and would propose Gambit would have been a great fit given the culturally eclectic Freedom City setting. I can see Baker’s Bohemian style fitting in as a bit of background colour there! 
Also, does the guy at the back (Cevedic) remind you of anyone, @BillFiler ? 
My goodness, the universe is filled with Colin Baker clones. Not that I’m complaining LOL.
Why it is like looking into a mirror 
I have recently started watching B7 for the first time and have a decision to make, do I continue to watch it now “as is” or wait for the Collection in November?
(Yes this is very much a “first world problem” )
I hesitate to tell anybody to hold back and wait to watch B7, but that upscaling and the new effects could really enhance the experience. Season 1 is an absolute joy, but it looks quite ropey. The upscale has been long overdue and those effects look… so good. Thing is, every episode features views of planets and at least one spacecraft (usually more). The original budget was sorely stretched and they could only achieve so much. I’d genuinely be tempted to wait. I think it’ll be worth it!
Of course! Who could forget Bayban the Butcher?
City at the Edge of the World is a fine fine story. Aesthetically, this one feels like classic Star Trek meets DW in the world of B7. Or is it just me?
