#dayna mellanby

[thespianwordnerd]

Uh oh! You've been dropped into a random situation....luckily, you get some help from a Blake's 7 character. What could possibly go wrong?

[oxideblack]

[seapotty]

Nerd from prison who we all hate

[fancy-a-dance-brigadier]

Dayna Mellanby in every Blake's 7 episode: S03E01 - Aftermath

[mxtheo3]

A nice family activity

They are watching Star Trek

[jaelijn]

DAYNA: Don't you ever get bored with being right? AVON: Just with the rest of you being wrong.

- Blake's 7 S4 E01 "Rescue"

[thethirdromana]

Dayna's costumes, rated

It's been ages since I did a Blake's 7 costume rating post. Let's fix that!

(Previous editions: Avon, Servalan, Jenna, Blake)

Screengrabs from here (they prefer their images copied, not linked) and record of what Dayna wears when from here.

As seen in Aftermath and Powerplay.

What a strong opener. Dayna is channelling pure Amazon chic here (that is, the warriors, not the rainforest or the exploitative e-commence site). She could have fallen right out of Themyscira. I rather suspect that a flowy white asymmetric tunic is perhaps not the most practical outfit for romping around with a bow and arrow, but who cares, it looks fabulous. 8/10.

As seen in Aftermath and Children of Auron.

It's a perfectly fine jumpsuit in many ways (miraculous, really, that Dayna still looks good even in the world's worst lighting here) but I can't help but think how uncomfortable the bra situation must be, how annoying it must be to go to the loo. And coming straight after the Amazonian tunic, I am ever so worried that her left arm is cold. 3/10.

As seen in Volcano.

Here we see Dayna wearing one of those emergency tourist ponchos, but make it fashion, under which her baby pink romper suit appears to have been shrink-wrapped to her by someone who didn't remember to press all of the air bubbles out first. Everyone else is dressed in sensible fabrics but Dayna looks alarmingly flammable. 3/10.

As seen in Dawn of the Gods.

I struggle to know what to say about this one, because it's objectively not a bad outfit. It's a good colour, the cut is nice, it's flattering... but you know, if I turned up to work in this no one would bat an eyelid and that, frankly, is not what Blake's 7 costumes are for. Where's the drama, where are the absurd sleeves, where's the skintight leather? 6/10.

As seen in the Harvest of Kairos and Moloch.

What is it with 70s BBC sci-fi shows and wanting to dress their gorgeous female leads on a theme by Andy Pandy? I'm going to assume it's for some bizarre Freudian reason that's best not explored further. Doctor Who did it with Sarah Jane Smith, now Blake's 7 does it here with Dayna. Except in Dayna's case it's Andy Pandy plus a little bit of red bra showing at the ill-fitting neckline. Did no one have a safety pin to hand? It feels insulting to make a woman as beautiful as Josette Simon wear this. 0/10.

As seen in City at the Edge of the World.

Ruining my theory that maybe Dayna is just inclined to overheating in her left arm only, this time it's her right arm that has to be cold. This looks fabulous and swashbuckling from the tits up, but the weird buttoning around her waist isn't doing it for me. It looks as if she had a first crack at the outfit from Ultraworld (below) but only had five minutes with the dressing-up box. 5/10.

As seen in Children of Auron.

Taken on its own, this is a great outfit. I love that the costume team keep putting Josette Simon in these rich, deep colours. But I am starting to become uncomfortable with how Dayna keeps being dressed for a fully different climate from everyone else. I don't know if it's a race thing or an eye candy thing but it starts to feel like some kind of a thing, anyway. 8/10 for the outfit itself.

As seen in Rumours of Death.

It's particularly unfortunate that this screengrab includes one of Avon's better outfits, while Dayna looks like she's wearing a hospital shower curtain that's been through the wash too many times. Salami pink is a colour I like less the longer I look at it. And I can't help but think that the middle seam on that jumpsuit must be giving her a dreadful wedgie. 3/10.

As seen in Sarcophagus.

I am conflicted. On the one hand, I think women should get to wear sensible outfits, as Cally is modelling. It's not visible from the photo, but Dayna is also in strappy little sandals that by the end of a long day of fighting oppression would need to contain more blister plasters than feet. On the other hand, friends, I am a mere mortal bisexual woman, and I am not immune to the perfect framing of Josette Simon's magnificent breasts. So, with apologies, 9/10.

As seen in Ultraworld, Terminal, and Rescue.

Yes! I love this one! I adore how it's consistent with Dayna's fashion taste to date, I love the colours, I love that she actually gets two (2!) sleeves, and above all I love the little stripey detail at the wrist. And it actually looks comfortable to wear, for once. 10/10.

As seen in Death-Watch.

Banger after banger! Another great colour, more fabulous sleeves, and this one looks comfortable too. She even gets proper shoes. 9/10.

As seen in Rescue, Power, Traitor, Stardrive, Animals, and Headhunter.

Well, it was nice while it lasted. This isn't a fun outfit, this is a uniform - I'm thinking upmarket motorbike courier? I could see her whizzing between hospital with emergency blood supplies in this. In comparison with the usual Blake's 7 tendency to enormous sleeves or massive shoulders, it's also quite form-fitting, which makes Dayna look small. And she wears this for six episodes. 1/10.

As seen in Traitor.

It's cosplay day on the Liberator! Tarrant has come to work dressed as Avon and Dayna has come to work dressed as Blake. These are not looks that suit either of them. Brown isn't a great colour on Dayna, though I do enjoy that the Blakesque layers of quilted sleeves mean that a) she gets to take up a bit more space, costume-wise, and b) she must be toasty warm. 4/10.

As seen in Assassin, Games, Sand, Gold, Orbit, Warlord, and Blake.

If Dayna has to stick to one outfit for - count 'em - seven whole episodes - then there are worse outfits that it could be. I like how this is a little bit military, a little bit sci-fi, and a little bit sexy, which all feels very appropriate for Dayna. The wide shoulders mimicking epaulettes are a fun choice, I love the gold, but it looks practical too. I'd like this better if it was in a deeper purple since we know rich, deep colours really work on Dayna, but all in all, if you're going to wear one outfit for days on end, we've already seen that it could be a lot worse than this. 7/10.

[familyparadox]

Why they playing Monopoly!

It’s the 3rd century of the new calendar. Are you say that all that survives of the modern era into this future is Monopoly and bad sweater vests? God this really is a dystopia.

[dracfields]

blake's 7 as salivasisters's tweets

[rebelsandfools]

1 month!

Look at all our lovely B7 fanzines! Want to be part of the project? Submit something to our 7th issue!

We've officially entered the final month until the deadline for Rebels and Fools Issue #7:

August 1st 2023!

The first submissions have started coming in, so don't hesitate to submit early or get in touch if you have any queries!

And if you're currently busy working away on your submissions, enjoy and we look forward to receiving them by August 1st!

[thespianwordnerd]

Didn't go off 😦 😅

[seapotty]

The scene in the Blake's 7 finale when they all got into the chrysler speeder made of cardboard

[fancy-a-dance-brigadier]

Dayna Mellanby in every Blake's 7 episode: S03E02 - Powerplay

[mxtheo3]

It almost sounds emotional explaining this scene as Tarrant seeking Avon approval for his action and getting ignored

But then if we add that context

Avon is ignoring Tarrant to nerd over some rock

[athelind]

For those who have never seen BLAKE'S 7, she's the one on the right.

The other two gents are:

Vila Restal, played by Michael Keating

Kerr Avon, played by Paul Darrow

Dayna was a regular for series (seasons) 3 and 4; Vila and Avon were the only cast member who were regulars for all four seasons.

Josette Simon as Dayna Mellanby on the TV Series BLAKE’S 7 – 1978 - 1981

Source: framecaplib.com