Woke up this morning to the news that an actor from one of my favourite TV shows died yesterday. I’m of an age now when a lot of people I remember from my childhood have died, but it’s always a bit of a shock.
I’ve always enjoyed the classic sci-fi shows (vintage Star Trek and Doctor Who, as well as their more modern revivals) but Blakes 7 was my favourite. It only ran for four years, had seemingly cheap (but not cheerful!) production, and sometimes seemed to lose its way a bit, but I still watch and enjoy it. Avon was my favourite character, so hearing of the death of Paul Darrow gave a sad start to my day. He portrayed Avon as cynical and sarcastic, but also oddly vulnerable and, at times, sympathetic. The snark is legendary…
As the series was made in the days when you couldn’t just google an episode to guard against continuity errors, it sometimes doesn’t quite hang together. The acting can be quite theatrical, the scenery in danger of falling over, and the dystopian universe doesn’t provide the feel good factor. The titular character (Blake) is only present for two series, and there never seems to be exactly seven in the crew, unless you include one or both computers – depends on who else is still alive at the time. Despite all this… watch it. You’ll be glad you did.
So, it seems that Avon is no longer with us (along with Blake, Gan, Orac/Zen and Servalan). Having originally seen the final episode back in the early 80s, and clearly remembering the shock and disbelief I felt then, I can only paraphrase a tweet I saw earlier in the day – “It occurred off camera. I choose to believe he made it out…”
Here’s a fan made music video I found on YouTube a while back. It seems appropriate.
I got the whole series on DVD a couple of years ago, so I can have a bit of a wallow in my childhood angst today. Anyone want to join me?
1000 Fields of Roses 