Blake's 7: Revenge of the Mutoes & Other Stories

Terry Nation was born in Llandaff, near Cardiff, in 1930. He developed a love for reading and storytelling in his youth, and after leaving school, he became involved in the theatre, writing and performing in plays for his local theatrical society.

In the early 1950s, Nation moved to London, where he initially pursued a career in stand-up comedy. Finding that performing wasn’t his strength, he shifted to writing comedy scripts. An agency recognized his talent, leading to his first writing job: a 13-week radio show titled All My Eye And Kitty Blewitt. This marked the beginning of his prolific writing career, during which he penned over 200 scripts for prominent comedians throughout the 1950s.

His television career took off in 1963 with his work on Tony Hancock’s ITV series, Hancock. In the same year, he was commissioned to write the second serial for the newly launched BBC science fiction series, Doctor Who, which introduced the iconic Daleks.

Nation’s inspiration for the Daleks came from observing the Georgian State Dancers. He sought to create a truly alien appearance by removing legs, realizing that floor-brushing skirts and tiny, gliding steps could achieve a non-human movement. While he once claimed the name “Dalek” originated from an encyclopedia, he later admitted this was a fabrication to satisfy journalistic curiosity. He attributed the Daleks’ immense popularity to children’s enjoyment of being frightened.

He continued to write several more Doctor Who serials featuring the Daleks, including “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” (1964), “The Chase” (1965), “The Daleks’ Master Plan” (with Dennis Spooner, 1965-1966), and “Genesis of the Daleks” (1975). He also contributed non-Dalek episodes like “The Keys of Marinus” (1964) and “The Android Invasion” (1979).

Beyond Doctor Who, Nation’s television writing credits include The Saint, Department S, The Persuaders, and The Avengers.

He also created two other influential science fiction series. Survivors, initially a novel published in 1970, was adapted into a television series that ran for three seasons from 1975 to 1977, with a remake broadcast in 2008. Blake’s 7, which Nation described as “Robin Hood in space,” achieved international success across its four-season run from 1978 to 1981 and maintains a dedicated fan base.

Terry Nation passed away in Los Angeles in 1997.

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