When we were young, everyone used to play Blake’s 7 in the schoolground, but no-one and I mean no-one wanted to play the eponymous hero Roj Blake. We all wanted to be Avon. He was the coolest of the cool, like science fiction’s answer to John Shaft. Kerr Avon wore leather, he had the best lines, the best girls and the biggest laser guns. You’re damn right!
Avon was the man we all wanted to be. He was witty, charming and a big hit with the ladies. He had the recipe for the perfect relationship; arrive on a planet, find the most glamorous woman and snog them. He never had to listen to endless conversations about commitment, because the women would always be dead by the end of the episode. Fantastic.
The only women he really loved were the arch dominatrix Servalan and Federation spy Anna Grant. He killed the latter and almost offed the former on numerous occasions. English teachers the world over will tell you that Hamlet had a tragic life, but this was taking it to the next and much more entertaining level. No wonder a generation of kids grew up hating Shakespeare.
A self-confessed movie buff, he took great delight in delivering lines stolen by writers Terry Nation and Chris Boucher from some of the greatest westerns of all time. The only time Avon ever looked in danger of being outstaged was when they had a character or an actor who could overact even more than Mr Darrow. Only Colin Baker as Bayban The Butcher and John Savident as Egrorian ever came close.
Avon could never resist taunting Blake and reminding him of his failings, but when the chips were down he always stood by him. When Blake was lying injured and the galaxy was about to be invaded by marauding aliens (or there any other kind?) at the end of season two, it was Avon who led the fight back. Like a British version of Kirk and Spock, the pair’s bickering was the highlight of every episode until Blake bailed after two series.
Our plucky heroes being murdered by Federation guards in slow motion. One by one, they all fell to the ground, except Avon. He stood there like a colossus. The situation was hopeless. He was alone. He was surrounded. So what did he do? He raised his gun and smiled. Genius.
Blake’s 7 fan? Check out our interview with Stephen Greif
