Creator / Paul Darrow

"I'm him for the rest of my life, and have been for the last twenty-five years since the show was on. I don't mind that."

— Talking about his continued association with the role of Kerr Avon from Blake's 7

Paul Darrow (2 May 1941 – 3 June 2019) was an English actor. He had a long career in British television, but is best remembered for playing the iconic anti-hero Kerr Avon in all four seasons of Blake's 7 from 1978-81.

Initially a supporting character in the first two seasons, he was elevated to the lead protagonist in the latter two after the original lead actor Gareth Thomas (who played the titular Roj Blake) left the series.

He later reprised the role of Avon in audio form, first for two BBC Radio plays in the late 1990s, then for Big Finish Productions from 2012 onwards in their Blake's 7 ranges: The Liberator Chronicles and The Classic Adventures. His final performance as Avon, in their Resoration boxset, was recorded in May 2019, just weeks before his death.

Darrow is also known to sci-fi fans for a memorably over-the top performance as guest villain Mailyn Tekker in the Doctor Who serial "Timelash".

His roles include:

Film

• Die Another Day (2002) — Doctor

Live-Action TV

• The Saint, "The Gadic Collection" (1967) — Omar
• Coronation Street, 2 episodes (1969) — Doctor
• Z Cars, 3 episodes:
  • "According to Plan": Parts 1 & 2 (1969) — Jerry Shand
  • "Pieces" (1973) — Trench
• Doctor Who, 2 serials:
  • "Doctor Who and the Silurians" (1970) — Captain Hawkins
  • "Timelash" (1985) — Tekker
• The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: "A Message from the Deep Sea" (1971) — Dr. Hart
• Dixon of Dock Green, 2 episodes:
  • "Cat-Walk" (1974) — Pearce
  • "Jackpot" (1976) — Tony Kinsley
• Hammer House of Horror, "Guardian of the Abyss" (1980) — Andrews
• Blake's 7, 51 episodes^{show list} "Space Fall", "Cygnus Alpha", "Time Squad", "The Web", "Seek-Locate-Destroy", "Mission to Destiny", "Duel", "Project Avalon", "Breakdown", "Bounty", "Deliverance", "Orac", "Redemption", "Shadow", "Weapon", "Horizon", "Pressure Point", "Trial", "Killer", "Hostage", "Countdown", "Voice From The Past", "Gambit", "The Keeper", "Star One", "Aftermath", "Powerplay", "Volcano", "Dawn of the Gods", "The Harvest of Kairos", "City at the Edge of the World", "Children of Auron", "Rumours of Death", "Sarcophagus", "Ultraworld", "Moloch", "Death-Watch", "Terminal", "Rescue", "Power", "Traitor", "Stardrive", "Animals", "Headhunter", "Assassin", "Games", "Sand", "Gold", "Orbit", "Warlord", "Blake" (1978-81) — Kerr Avon
• Emmerdale, 12 episodes;
  • 3 episodes (1991) — Patrick
  • 9 episodes (2009) — Eddy Fox
• Hollyoaks, 1 episode (2002) — Judge
• Little Britain, 1 episode (2004) — Conservative MP
• Law & Order: UK, 7 episodes (2009-14) — Justice Prentice

Audio Play

• Blake's 7:
  • BBC Radio: 2 episodes^{show list} "The Sevenfold Crown", "The Syndeton Experiment" (1998-99) — Kerr Avon
  • Big Finish: The Liberator Chronicles: 12 releases / 16 episodes^{show list} Volume 1: "The Turing Test", "Counterfeit"; Volume 2: "The Magnificent Four"; Volume 3: "The Armageddon Storm: Part 1", "The Armageddon Storm: Part 3"; Volume 4: "Kerr"; Volume 5: "Logic"; Volume 6: "Incentive", "Blake's Story"; Volume 7: "Disorder"; Volume 9: "Planetfall"; Volume 10: "Retribution", "Ministry of Peace"; Volume 11: "Brother"; "Remnants"; Volume 12: "Corners of the Mind" (2012-2016) — Kerr Avon
  • Big Finish: The Classic Audio Adventures: 20 releases / 35 episodes^{show list} "Warship ", "Fractures", "Battleground", "Drones", "Mirror", "Cold Fury", "Caged", "Scimitar", "Fortuitas", "Mindset", "Ghost Ship", "Devil's Advocate", "Truth and Lies", The Spoils of War: "Liberation", "Close Enough", "Solus"; Crossfire Part 1:"Paradise Lost", "Resurgence"; Crossfire Part 2:"Funeral on Kalion", "Shock Troops", "Erebus", "The Scapegoat"; Crossfire Part 3:"Ministry of Truth ", "Refuge", "Kith and Kin ", "Death of Empire"; The Way Ahead: "Project Aquitar", "Dissent"; Restoration Part 1: "Damage Control", "The Hunted", "Abandon Ship"; Restoration Part 2: "The New Age", "Happy Ever After", "Hyperion"; Restoration Part 3: "Imperium" (2013-2020^note Restoration Part 3, featuring Darrow in "Imperium", was released posthumously after his death in 2019) — Kerr Avon
• Big Finish Doctor Who Main Range: "The Next Life" (2004) — Guidance

Video Game

• Gender Wars (1996) — Professor Jonathan Henry Smythe (Voice)
• MediEvil (1998) — Zarok (Voice)
• Hostile Waters (2001) — Walker (Voice)
• Primal (2003) — Ferai Shaman/The Watcher (Voice)
• MediEvil: Resurrection (2005) — Zarok (Voice)
• Empire at War (2006) — Grand Moff Tarkin (Voice)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011) — Overseer Tremel (Voice)
• Elite Dangerous (2014) — MinuS (Voice)
• Contradiction (2015) — Paul Rand (Live-action)

Tropes that apply with his work:

• Breakout Character: In Blake's 7, his character Avon was initially just supposed to be The Lancer to the titular Blake, but show creator Terry Nation (not to mention the audience) loved the spins that Darrow would put on his lines so much that by the second season he was a full-fledged Deuteragonist and when Gareth Thomas (Blake) left the series, it continued on for two more seasons with Avon as the lead protagonist.

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