Blake's 7 is latest sci-fi series to be revived

Sci-fi series Blake's 7 is being remade 30 years after the original first hit TV screens.

The cult hit, written by Terry Nation, ran for four seasons on BBC One from 1978 to 1981. The series, which recently topped a British Film Institute poll of the UK's favourite TV shows, is being remade by Sky One.

The original, made in the wake of the success of Star Wars and Star Trek, followed a band of rebels in their fight against the totalitarian Federation that ruled the galaxy.

The remake, which will have the technology and budget to avoid the shaky sets of the original, follows revivals of sci-fi shows Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica and Bionic Woman.

Elaine Pyke, drama commissioning editor at Sky One, said: "At a time when science fiction shows often discard good story-telling for overblown visual effects - and following the lead of Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica - the time is ripe for a revival of a show that represents the best traditions of the genre, not to mention one of the best-loved and most successful dramas of all time."