10 Episodes of Blake's 7 that are worse than Animals - and why...

1. Breakdown.

I once edited some plot synopses which a friend had written for a potential book on the show. He had religiously written out what happens for just about every minute of screen time, and was way over word count. So I went at it with my little red pen, and found that I was able to reduce the page count of Breakdown from five to two. This was by cunning use of the sentence: 'They go into a vortex - and then they come out.' Twenty minutes of television...

2. Deliverance.

The only thing missing is Raquel Welch, which some people might argue would actively improve it.

3. Redemption.

I hate this episode with a profound and almost physical loathing. It is cheap and it is nasty. The Altas are corny and their costumes are horrid. This is the episode which stopped Matthew from buying and watching any more Blake's 7: after the run at the end of the first season plus this one, he was convinced it just wasn't going to get any better. Which is a shame, when you think what comes next.

4. Voice from the Past.

'Voice from the Arse, more like,' intones Matthew. The only purpose to it is that when you fork out £11.99 for tape 12, you don't have to sit through 50 minutes of empty tape between the BBC Globe and Gambit. 'I would prefer 50 minutes of Globe,' mutters Matthew.

5. The Harvest of Kairos.

It's not just the spider. It's not even the ape-man dialogue. It's the fact that anyone could have possibly thought that it was a good idea to make this episode at all. The third season has some of the best scripts and performances in the whole series, and this just spoils it.

6. Children of Auron.

That bit at the end where they all laugh and we all cringe. Need I say more?

7. Rumours of Death.

OK, this one is just a tiny bit controversial, and I actually love it. Over to Matthew, the little friend of all the world: 'Bad plotting is disguised by even worse acting. It doesn't even feel like B7, and it is only saved by the fact that the plot holes are so large, fandom has taken the opportunity to fill them up and turn it into something that it never was on screen. I like Forress and Grenlee, though.'

8. Star Drive.

Space Rats.

9. Assassin.

Now this really is the worst episode of B7. Matthew: 'Apart from Headhunter, which is even worse, and doesn't make the list.' Una: No it's not. Matthew: 'Yes it is, it's in a special top ten of its own - the 10 Worst Episodes of Anything Ever. It occupies 9 out of 10 places, the tenth being reserved for all those season 2 episodes of Dr Who with Hartnell in them.' Una (wrestling back control of her own website): Assassin is the worst episode of B7 and Headhunter is great, so there.

10. Warlord.

More Max Factor Moments from Make-up with the Warlords. Pink wigs. The constant repetition of the phrase 'radioactive airborne virus'. Most of all, the fact that this piece of turgid junk is Servalan's swansong.

11. 'Headhunter'. Stoppit. 'Ouch!'

Una explains to a receptive audience why Animals is great.

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Mail me, and I'll explain why these are in fact the 10 best episodes of B7.