Blake’s 7 man of iron

A script by PAUL DARROW

1. Seashore sand dunes

(The camera sweeps slowly from the shoreline to reveal sand dunes, gullies and occasional rocky outcrops. It comes to rest on the crouching figure of AVON. He is very still – armed with a gun not dissimilar to a modern pump-action shotgun. He moves out of his place of concealment and runs across the dunes. We pick him up again as he comes over the top of a dune and, yet again, as he ascended a steep gully. At all times he is very wary. Soon he is faced with a flat reach of sand that he must cross. He moves forward very quickly. Halfway across, he stumbles and falls then rolls quickly to one side and fires his gun. On a ridge in front of him we see what appears to be a HUMAN FORM explode at the impact of Avon’s shot. AVON leaps to his feet and runs on. Where the human figure was lies a jumble of metal. AVON looks back. Pursuing him are two other HUMAN/ROBOTS – fit and athletic, these mute warriors follow remorselessly as AVON runs on.)

2. Space

(The Scorpio orbits the tiny planet of Epsilon.)

3. Scorpio flight deck

(The flight deck is dark and dimly lit. VILA is alone at the flight/communicator console. SLAVE is functioning.)

VILA: (into communicator) Avon? Avon...

(He sighs when there is no reply. SLAVE’s lights blink agitatedly.)

4. Woods

(AVON has now left the sea shore and sand dunes, and moves swiftly through a sparsely-wooded area where the earth is soft underfoot. He enters a clearing and suddenly falls into a grass-covered pit. Looming above the pit is a HUMAN/ROBOT. AVON fires his gun and, above him, the ROBOT explodes. Metal from its workings fall on AVON in the pit. AVON scrambles out of the pit and, after a quick look round, speeds away. We see that his communicator bracelet lies at the bottom of the pit. Close in on the bracelet.)

VILA: (vo) Avon? Avon...

(Two expressionless ROBOTS appear at the top of the pit. Ignoring the sound from the bracelet they move off in pursuit.)

5. Scorpio flight deck

(As before.)

VILA: (into communicator) Avon! Avon, where are you? Avon – respond!

(There is no reply.)

SLAVE: Excuse me, sir?

VILA: What is it?

SLAVE: My abject apologies of course, but Scorpio is very low on fuel, and if you cannot contact the Master, might I suggest we return from whence we came?

VILA: No.

SLAVE: Oh dear, I thought you might say that...

VILA: Machines can’t think.

SLAVE: Merely a figure of speech.

Vila: (into communicator) Avon? Avon...

(Again, no reply.)

VILA: (muttering to himself) It’s no good.

(Vila flicks two alternative switches on the console.)

VILA: Tarrant? Come in, Tarrant.

(After a pause, TARRANT responds from Base.)

TARRANT: (vo) What’s your problem, Vila?

VILA: I’ve lost Avon!

TARRANT: (vo) Now tell me the bad news.

VILA: That’s not funny.

TARRANT: (vo) It wasn’t meant to be.

VILA: What shall I do?

TARRANT: (vo) What do you want to do?

VILA: Stay here and wait for him?

TARRANT: (vo) What’s you fuel situation?

SLAVE: I’m glad he asked that.

VILA: Not good.

TARRANT: (vo) Get back here.

VILA: What about Avon?

TARRANT: (vo) What about him? If the positions were reversed he’d leave you for dead.

VILA: I’m not sure he would.

TARRANT: (vo) I’m sure! Get back here, Vila! We need that spacecraft more than we need Avon.

VILA: I must give him more time!

TARRANT: (vo) Now, Vila! Get back here now!

(A pause.)

VILA: Slave!

SLAVE: Yes, sir?

VILA: Set course – three two zero. Right lateral thrusts. Return to base.

SLAVE: An excellent decision, if I may say so!

(There is the background roar of Scorpio’s engines.)