David Tennant’s Favorite Sci-Fi Show Is Getting A Reboot

Doctor Who’s David Tennant shared his favorite sci-fi TV show at Denver Fan Expo 2026, and a reboot of the underrated British series was announced earlier this year. ScreenRant was Denver Fan Expo’s official media partner this year, and I attended on ScreenRant’s behalf. While I enjoyed most of the panels, one of the most interesting was “An Evening with A Legend: David Tennant” on Thursday. As a Whovian, I was thrilled to hear his anecdotes about Tennant’s best TV shows, especially Doctor Who.

However, the legendary actor had the opportunity to speak about other sci-fi as well. All legendary actors are influenced by other pieces of incredible media. When asked about his favorite sci-fi story besides Doctor Who, David Tennant gave two answers. He told the very sweet anecdote about his Aunty Mary taking him to see Star Wars, which he has shared many times. His other answer was this:

“Probably the only other sci-fi show that really gripped me though, was [Blake’s 7]…It was written by Terry Nation who created the Daleks and wrote many Doctor Who scripts. But Blake’s 7 was for a slightly older audience. Oh god, I loved it. It was great. And it did 4 series in that kind of late 70s, early 80s, I think.”

The engrossing TV show follows Roj Blake, a political enemy motivated to fight against injustice, and a far less noble group of criminals who travel together aboard the ship Liberator. Blake decides to wage a guerrilla war against the totalitarian, oppressive Terran Federation, and the others are reluctantly pulled into it.

Blake’s 7 might not have a mainstream global fanbase, but the IP is still seen as valuable. The rights have been shopped around since 2000, with folks planning everything from a TV movie set in the future of Blake’s 7 to an animated children’s show. Luckily, we finally seem to be on solid footing. Blake’s 7 is getting a reboot by The Last of Us and Doctor Who director Peter Hoar’s company, Multitude Productions. This will breathe new life into a beloved story that not enough people know.

The Blake’s 7 Reboot Could Bring The Classic Story To A Whole New Audience

The BBC’s macabre and dark space opera felt like it was the right show at the wrong time. The show broke space opera rules left and right. It also featured a dystopian, pessimistic tone, common in today’s sci-fi, with morally gray characters who put their own interests ahead of everything else. The story features extremely bleak storylines that will shock audiences. The Liberator crew is selfish and petty, yet lovable. They all have their own motivations for fighting the Federation, and Blake’s is pretty much the only one that comes from a place of righteousness. Each brings unique skills to the table, making them a bunch of eclectic misfits.

Had Blake’s 7 come out in the last decade or two, I’m positive that it would have gained a big fanbase on par with The Expanse. It doesn’t really matter that it has low-quality visuals. It has the messaging, character tropes, and tone that has dominated the science fiction genre since around the time of Battlestar Galactica.

However, as it stands, Blake’s 7 is deeply niche these days to the point that David Tennant wasn’t even confident audience members would know the show, though he thought some in the room might. He explained, “It didn’t quite travel the world in quite the same way as Doctor Who…It was around the same time, and it was another BBC sci-fi show, and it was made on a similar budget to some of the earlier Doctor Who. But that did not stop [it from being great].”

Tennant was right to question whether people would know and love Blake’s 7. I was lucky enough to have a father who exposed me to all forms of sci-fi, from the popular to the extremely obscure. Still, many of the most fervent sci-fi fans outside the UK don’t even know the underrated sci-fi show exists. Luckily, the reboot is putting a new spotlight on the old show for people who enjoy classic sci-fi TV. Plus, the upcoming series will reintroduce the fantastic story to new and old audiences alike. It’ll be interesting to see how fans of the original, like David Tennant, react to the reboot. If they do the original justice, the Blake’s 7 reboot could become the next big thing.