The War That Almost Broke a Classic Fandom
The main cast of the third season of Blake’s 7: actors (from left to right) Steven Pacey, Josette Simon, Paul Darrow, Jan Chappell, and Michael Keating.
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It was the tail end of 1988, and the letter addressed fans of the British sci-fi show Blake’s 7, which had gained a cult following in the United States. Printed in a popular letterzine, it concerned rumors that the show’s actors, who had been appearing at fan-run conventions on a largely volunteer basis, would deliberately switch over to professional conventions to milk money out of fans.
The letter singled out an unnamed prominent Blake’s 7 actor who was trying to launch a pro con for himself, along with scandalous “quotes” about how he didn’t want to spend time with fans, how he wanted to run fan cons out of business, and how he wanted to control the sale and content of fannish literature.
