Entertainment
The Must-See 1970s Series Responsible For Modern Sci-Fi And Marvel's Best Movies
By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
The two most popular sci-fi franchises in the world, Star Trek and Star Wars, tackle the genre from opposite directions; the former envisions a utopian future, while the latter is more of a fantasy, but both include clear distinctions between good and evil.
A third way emerged thanks to the influential British series, Blake’s 7, which made the heroes criminals and rough around the edges, showing a sci-fi universe in which the line between good and evil is blurred. With a focus on multi-episode storylines and a dark, gritty tone to its world, the BBC series also laid the groundwork for later shows like Babylon 5, Firefly, Farscape, and the Battlestar Galactica remake.
Not Good Guys, Not Bad Guys
The Blake of Blake’s 7 is Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas), leader of the rebellion against the Federation, brainwashed, unbrainwashed, and then framed for crimes he didn’t commit and sent to a prison planet. A born leader, Blake helps other prisoners escape by commandeering The Liberator, a mysterious vessel run by an advanced A.I. computer named Zen. The thing is, though Blake is the Captain by default, he has his hands full keeping his rowdy compatriots in line as they try to take down the Federation.
Alongside Blake are Avon, the computer genius who lives by a code of logic and reason, which sounds Spock-like, except he’s also greedy and willing to sacrifice his shipmates to save his own skin, Vila, the cowardly thief with a fondness for booze, Jenna Stannis, a smuggler and skilled pilot, is the closest thing to a loyal crewmember, and even that takes a few episodes.
The other half includes Cally, a telepath with a death wish, Olag the giant bruiser with a device implanted in his brain to keep him calm and docile, and Zen, the sentient computer. The crew in Blake’s 7 would never be confused for the officers of the Enterprise, or even the Rebel Alliance, but they are, arguably, a precursor to the crew of the Moya in Farscape.
Laying The Groundwork For A New Way Forward
Blake’s 7 follows the usual format of British television, with four shortened seasons of 13 episodes each, but in an unusual twist for sci-fi, the entire first season was written by the show’s creator, Terry Nation, a feat that would not be topped until J. Michael Straczynski wrote Babylon 5. The first two seasons play out like the precursor to another modern classic, Battlestar Galactica, with the Federation constantly at the heels of The Liberator and the ragtag crew dealing with a foe that has them outnumbered and outgunned. This is why, even though the British series debuted in 1978 with a budget that would today be considered nonexistent, it’s still a beloved fan favorite hailed as decades ahead of its time.
Watch 30 seconds of the show, and you can tell that it had no budget, but it did have a strong sense of its characters, putting the emphasis not on spectacular special effects, but on how all seven abrasive personalities bounce off one another in different combinations to the point where it seems every few episodes, someone threatens to leave the Liberator for good.
Terry Nation wrote a space opera about horrible people, steeped in the same cynicism and anti-government attitude roiling England during the 70s, and yet it manages to retain a sense of fun throughout. No matter the decade of its release, Blake’s 7 would be hailed as a creative, bold new take on sci-fi.
The most impressive part of the show is how it pulls everything together for one of the most jaw-dropping finales of any series. In a world with shows that end on cliffhangers and others that are set up to launch spin-offs or revivals, it’s refreshing to know that Blake’s 7 finishes the story.
If you’re bored with Star Trek’s Federation and have seen too many Star Wars characters whoa re supposedly the worst of the galaxy turn out to be teddy bears, then it’s well worth your time to fire up Britbox (available on its own or as part of Amazon Prime Video), and enjoy a sci-fi series that broke the mold and proved to sci-fi fans there’s more than one way to explore a glaaxy far, far away.
Entertainment
How to watch Verona vs. AC Milan online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Serie A showcases a number of interesting matchups this weekend, including Verona vs. AC Milan. These teams are at either end of the table, so most fans will be expecting a comfortable victory for the visitors. There’s always the possibility that the slim chance of survival will drive Verona on to do something special at the Marcantonio Bentegodi.
If you want to watch Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Verona vs. AC Milan?
Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A kicks off at 9 a.m. ET on April 19. This fixture takes place at the Marcantonio Bentegodi.
How to watch Verona vs. AC Milan for free
Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
Mashable Top Stories
BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Verona vs. AC Milan for free by following these simple steps:
-
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
-
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
-
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
-
Visit BBC iPlayer
-
Live stream Verona vs. AC Milan for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Verona vs. AC Milan without committing with your cash. This isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream select fixtures from Serie A before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
-
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
-
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
-
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
-
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
-
Up to 10 simultaneous connections
-
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A for free with ExpressVPN.
Entertainment
Meta finally adds direct messages to the web version of Threads
Meta is adding a feature to the web version of Threads that, honestly, probably should’ve been there a while ago.
As spotted by Engadget, Threads executive Connor Hayes posted an image showcasing a new redesign for the web browser version of the Twitter-like social network. It’s a pretty substantial redesign, including a bunch of new elements on the left sidebar such as the ability to easily switch between different feeds. Eagle-eyed viewers will also undoubtedly notice the addition of a direct message inbox. That feature has been available in the Threads mobile app since last June, but web users have been without it for almost an entire year. That, seemingly, will change soon.
Mashable Light Speed
Hayes’ post didn’t include a specific timeframe for when this new redesign will go live, so don’t get too excited just yet if you’re a web-based Threads user who wants to send and receive DMs. The only hint Hayes gave is that users can expect to see some of these updates “in the coming weeks.”
Longtime social media users might find it strange that there has been such a massive gulf in feature availability between the mobile and web versions of Threads, but it makes a certain amount of sense. Threads has actually become pretty popular, but largely on mobile. X is still the preferred microblogging service on web browsers, at least going by user count. Meta is just operating where its bread is buttered. At least now web users can rest assured that they haven’t been forgotten.
Entertainment
At BookCon 2026, Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid and show creator Jacob Tierney sit down to talk about instant chemistry and whats next for the show
The first panel at BookCon drew lines of fans an hour before its start. Fans have shown up in style. I spotted dozens of iterations of t-shirts with the faces of actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storie plastered on them. Boston Raiders, Montreal Metros, and New York Admirals jerseys are in abundance, too. 3,000 fans are here, waiting to see Rachel Reid and Jacob Tierney in conversation for the first time.
But while this may be the first public conversation between the Heated Rivalry author and show creator on a grand stage, it’s clear that these two have been in perfect sync since their first Zoom call. Moderated by former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Versha Sharma, Reid and Tierney took to the stage at BookCon for a session called “Game Changing TV: Heated Rivalry.” The conversations spanned across their entire collaboration, from their very first DM to the music that makes the show, to how their lives have changed since the show aired.
Tierney, whose knack for comedy shines through, discussed how the show moved at a lightning pace. The adaptation kicked off in August 2023, with the first episode airing on November 28, 2025. Heated Rivalry’s inception and creation happened at lightning pace for television. Tierney, who was the co-creator and director of Letterkenny, said that, rather than the show being slowed down by roadblocks, at every turn it appeared to accelerate instead. The show was sold to HBO before it was even finished, with episode six only finishing four days before it aired.
Reid, who has penned six novels in the Game Changers series, has been involved in the journey since the beginning, first meeting Tierney over Zoom. The author said that throughout the process, she felt respected and involved in reading script drafts and audition tapes.
Mashable Trend Report
While the show’s leads, Hudson Williams, who portrays Shane Hollander, and Connor Storie, who portrays Ilya Rozanov, weren’t physically present at the panel, both asked questions on behalf of the pair. Storie’s question was apt, asking the pair what made them such a mutually good fit for this adaptation. The pair said that their visions have felt instinctively aligned, with Reid noting that, as she wrote the infamous kiss between Scott and Kip depicted in episode 5 of Heated Rivalry, she had an image of the cinematic version, which Tierney was able to bring to life.
The show, which has become known for its intimate and plentiful sex scenes, is not there just for the sake of it. Tierney said he wanted to make a show with queer joy and a horny show at that, but more so, sex is a vehicle for the show’s characters to be honest and vulnerable with each other.
Music also came up, with the show’s needle drops, including Tatu’s “All The Things She Said” and Wolf Parade’s “I’ll Believe in Anything,” having a renaissance two decades after their release. There’s no formal equation to the music; instead, they let the songs be like casting the right actor, with Tierney noting that songs should serve a “specific task.”
Tierney is in the midst of writing season two of Heated Rivalry, which takes on Reid’s sequel, Long Game. The writer and director called Long Game “an emotionally sophisticated book” and said that parts of Reid’s Role Model will find their way into season two. For Reid, a new book in the Game Changer series, Unrivaled, is due for a 2027 release. The author is still in the writing stage, mentioning that while she felt pressure writing Long Game, the previous book in the series, Unrivaled presents a whole new challenge because of the show’s massive popularity.
Fans in the room seemed alight, hearing first-hand from the author and creator of Heated Rivalry, basking in an hour dedicated to a show that set the internet and book world ablaze. Moderator Versha Sharma ended on the sentiment that the whole room could agree on: “Rachel Reid’s universe is the world as it should be.”
Jalen Green, Suns shoot past Warriors, charge into playoffs
Jake deGrom, Rangers extend Mariners' skid in shutout
