Chrismas Eve. You'd think for someone with a not inconsiderable talent with paper would be OK at folding, but I'm appalling like you wouldn't believe.

Blake's 7 is still on the brain - which is good, as far as I can tell, because at least I'm not thinking about Doctor Who. That seems very unreal right now. I've been trying to write about it for months now, but the post keeps spiralling out of control and into spoilers. So I've done a quick list summarising what I'm trying to say:

1. Great script. The amount of zingy one liners is incredible. It acts as a sort of smokescreen for the plot - even if the storyline is average or something you've seen before, the episode will be packed with so many character moments or witty comments you don't really notice. "I think we make a good team." "Well, hurray for us..." You'll just have to imagine that dripping with sarcasm.

2. Internal consistancy. A lot of sci fi shows just whip out the technobabble and brush over the specifics. I'm not claiming that B7 never does this. But things are grounded in a very solid reality. All the tools seem to do things - machinery takes time to mend. No sonic screwdrivers here! A detailed focus on the process of doing things, whether it's operating the spaceship or springing locks gives it an earthy versimilitude. Much like the script, this is a secondary smokescreen. It draws tension out of anything - situations which could be shrugged off in a moment are turned into episode-spanning dilemmas. But it also makes the world feel very real, and that's packed out by nice functional design.

3. Glum As Anything
"Where are all the good guys?" "Could be looking at them." "What a very depressing thought." Morally gray doesn't even begin to cut it. It's not just that this show is dark - it's the way it keeps you off kilter until you genuinely don't know where to stand. The chief antagonist is not only murderous and evil, but heroic and cares about his friends. The central characters are at best antiheroic, and at worst prone to selfishness, hubris and sheer human fallibility. Often, we are not given much help in knowing who is in the right. Even the ruthlessly evil Federation contains otherwise sane figures who sincerely believe the Federation is a force for peace. In short, it's British. The first time the central characters get trapped in a room together they - what else - start to squabble. Here's the edited highlights

B -"Not until free men can think and speak! Not until power is back with the honest man!"
A -"Have you ever met an honest man? Listen to me. Wealth is the only reality. And the only way to obtain wealth is to take it away from somebody else. Wake up, Blake! You may not be tranquilized any longer, but you're still dreaming."
J - "Maybe some dreams are worth having."
A - "You don't really believe that."
J - "No, but I'd like to."

"No, but I'd like to". And in five words, that is the show.

Sweet dreams, kids.