Rapid Response: RIP Paul Darrow (Patreon)

I was genuinely gutted last night to read of the death of the actor Paul Darrow. He was best known for playing the character Avon in cult British TV show Blake's 7 and that's what I know him from. Blake's 7 was the BBC's attempt to repeat the success of Doctor Who, and they gave Dalek creator Terry Nation almost complete freedom to create a new episodic science fiction series. The show about a group of resistance fighters was a lot more adult than Doctor Who and brashly unafraid of killing off principals left and right. The lead was ostensibly Gareth Thomas's Blake, but Darrow stole the show as computer genius Avon, a total bastard who would sell-out the others in a heartbeat and yet was still a hero. It was incredibly rare to see a character like that on TV back then and I'm sure Avon is the first time that I realised bad people could be the good guys - a realisation that makes storytelling so much more interesting. Darrow reveled in the role and when Blake departed, Avon stepped naturally into the lead. If you haven't seen Blake's 7 it's well worth checking out - the effects will look ropey by today's standards but the stories are brilliant and the characters are memorable, none more so than Avon.
I wish I knew more about Darrow - a friend of mine saw him on stage and said he was excellent - but if he had played no other character he would still have left a significant mark.