Paul Darrow (born Paul Valentine Birkby; 2 May 1941 – 3 June 2019) was an English actor and writer. He became best known for playing Kerr Avon in the BBC science fiction television series Blake's 7 between 1978 and 1981. His many television roles included two appearances in another BBC science fiction series, Doctor Who, playing Captain Hawkins in Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970) and Tekker in Timelash (1985). He was also the voice of "Jack" on independent radio stations JACKfm and Union JACK, whose lines included dry-witted comments pertaining to current events.
Early years Darrow was born Paul Valentine Birkby in Chessington, Surrey, on 2 May 1941. He received his formal education at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, before studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Whilst at RADA, he shared a flat with fellow actors John Hurt and Ian McShane.
Career Darrow worked extensively in theatre and television.
His television appearances include: Emergency Ward 10, The Saint, Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, Within These Walls, as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1975 BBC series The Legend of Robin Hood, as Mr. Tallboy in the 1973 adaptation of Dorothy L. Sayers' Murder Must Advertise, as Thomas Doughty in the television film Drake's Venture, Dombey and Son, Maelstrom, Making News, Pie in the Sky, Hollyoaks, Toast of London and Little Britain. He provided the voiceover for Biblical quotations in Richard Dawkins's The Root of All Evil?. He had a one-off appearance in the 1990 series of Cluedo, but did not play the murder victim. He was also the presenter of the BBC3 reality series Hercules (2004).
Darrow appeared as the character Avon, for which he was best known, in all but the first episode of Blake's 7. In the mid-to-late 1990s, he purchased the rights to Blake's 7 and attempted to produce a big-budget follow-up mini-series, Blake's 7: A Rebellion Reborn. According to Darrow, it would have been set 25 years after the final episode of the BBC series.
His film credits are few, but include roles as doctors in The Raging Moon (1971) and the Bond movie Die Another Day (2002), for which he filmed but much of his material was deleted before the film was released in cinemas.
Darrow recorded voice-overs and straplines for UK JACKfm station in Oxfordshire. He also provided the voice of the character Grand Moff Tarkin in the computer game Star Wars: Empire at War. He also voiced the character of Zarok in the PlayStation game MediEvil; his recordings were re-used in the game's 2019 remake. Darrow appeared in Emmerdale from 13 July 2009, playing Eddy Fox, Alan Turner's friend; he knows Turner as "Tank". He also played the character of Kaston Iago in the Kaldor City audio releases.
Darrow also provided the voice of a main character in the PC game Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising.
In October 1980, Darrow had a leading role as Stephen Bradley in BBC Radio 4’s 7-part adaptation of Jeffrey Archer’s debut novel Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, narrated by Archer himself.
Darrow played the role of Sam Vimes in the 1998/99 touring production of the play based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel Guards! Guards!.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:
In 2000, Darrow provided the voiceover for the Walking with Dinosaurs CD-ROM game, published in association with the miniseries.
In 2004, Darrow was the subject of the fourth volume of MJTV's "The Actor Speaks" audio CDs, featuring frank interviews and dramatic pieces, alongside guest Peter Miles, with a piece specifically written by Tanith Lee.
Darrow narrated the 2008 audio book of Terry Nation's classic children's story Rebecca's World: Journey to the Forbidden Planet (2008)
In December 2011, Darrow voiced the character of Overseer Tremel in the Bioware MMORPG release Star Wars: The Old Republic.
In 2012, Darrow returned to the role of Kerr Avon in Big Finish Productions' Blake's 7: The Liberator Chronicles, a series of dramatic readings which take place during Series One, Two and Three of the original show. He also reprised the part in Blake's 7: The Classic Audio Adventures, a full-cast audio drama series.
In 2015, Darrow starred as Paul Rand, the enigmatic business man in charge of the business institute Atlas in the interactive video game Contradiction: Spot the Liar!.
Darrow was Patron of the University of York Astronomy Society (AstroSoc) from 1981 to 1984.
An extinct crocodile from the Miocene of Australia, Baru darrowi, was named after Darrow.
On 27 October 2018, Darrow appeared on (and won) a celebrity sci-fi edition of the quiz show Pointless, along with fellow Blake's 7 cast member Michael Keating.
Personal life In the mid-1960s Darrow married the actress Janet Lees Price. They were married almost fifty years, until her death in 2012, and lived in later life in Billingshurst, West Sussex.
Illness and death In his last years Darrow suffered a decline in health. In October 2014, he had an aortic aneurysm, and due to complications during its treatment, surgeons had to amputate both his legs. He died on the morning of 3 June 2019 at the age of 78. The 2019 remake of MediEvil , which featured Darrow as the voice of the main antagonist Zarok, was dedicated to his memory.
Publications Avon: A Terrible Aspect (1989) (), a Blake's 7 prequel novel about Avon's father and Avon's own early life. Queen: The eYe (1997) (), a novelisation of the video game of the same name. You're Him, Aren't You? (2006) (), autobiography. (Re-released as an audio book narrated by Darrow in 2016.) Lucifer (2013) (), first of a trilogy of books set after the events of Blake's 7. Lucifer: Revelation (2014) (), second of a trilogy of books set after the events of Blake's 7. Lucifer: Genesis (2015) (), third of a trilogy of books set after the events of Blake's 7.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1964Dr. StrangeloveNavigator Lt. SweetsUncredited1970 Mister Jerico Receptionist 1971 The Raging Moon Doctor 2002 Die Another Day Doctor 2006 Battlespace Horondo the Computer Direct-to-video
Television Year Title Role Notes1963 The Odd Man Salesman Episode: "A Pattern of Little Silver Devils"1965–1966 Emergency Ward 10 Mr Verity 56 episodes1967 The Saint Omar Episode: "The Gadic Collection"1968 Virgin of the Secret Service Sayid Episode: "The Pyramid Plot" Frontier Captain Hume Episode: "His Lordship"1968, 1978 ITV Playhouse Anthony Eden / Julian 2 episodes1969 The Newcomers Cedric McDermott 2 episodes Special Branch Lawyer Episode: "Smokescreen" Coronation Street Doctor 2 episodes1969–1971 The Flaxton Boys Captain Sterman / Wellington Moth / The Venerable 3 episodes1969, 1973 Z-Cars Trench/Jerry Shand 3 episodes1970 Manhunt Eddie Episode: "The Losers"1970, 1985 Doctor Who Captain Hawkins / Tekker Doctor Who and the Silurians/Timelash1971 The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes Doctor Hart Episode: "A Message from the Deep Sea"1973 Lord Peter Wimsey Mr Tallboy Serial: "Murder Must Advertise"1974 Churchill's People Marcellus Episode: "Pritan"1974–1975 Within These Walls Dr Green 2 episodes1974, 1976 Dixon of Dock Green Tony Kinsley/Pearce 2 episodes1975 The Poisoning of Charles Bravo Charles Bravo 3 episodes Prometheus: The Life of Balzac Cador Episode: "The Human Comedy" The Legend of Robin Hood Sheriff of Nottingham TV miniseries1976 Couples Ralph Hewitt 6 episodes Killers Edward Abinger 2 episodes When the Boat Comes In Barford Episode: "A Pillowful of Buttercups"1977 Rooms Peter Wishart 3 episodes Yes, Honestly Bernard Episode: "The Man Who Shot Bernard Vallance"1978–1981 Blake's 7 Kerr Avon 51 episodes1979 Penmarric Robert Yorke 1 episode1980 Hammer House of Horror Andrews Episode: "Guardian of the Abyss" Drake's Venture Thomas Doughty TV movie1983 Dombey & Son James Carker TV miniseries1985 Maelstrom Oliver Bridewell 1989 Storyboard George Episode: "Making News"1990 Cluedo Mr. Jeremy Hope Episode: "A Bridge Too Far" Making News George 6 episodes1991 Dark Justice Perth Episode: "Nowhere to Hide" Fiddlers Three Reggie Parsons Episode: "The Man Most Likely To"1991–1992, 2009 Emmerdale Eddy Fox/Patrick 12 episodes1992 Haggard Jack Episode: "Mad Jack"1992 Science Fiction Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Episode: "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Missing Link"1996 Pie in the Sky Colin Wilkes Episode: "New Leaf"2000 The Strangerers C.D. 6 episodes Rough Magik Mr Moon TV movie2002 Hollyoaks Judge 1 episode2004 Little Britain Conservative MP 2005 Twisted Tales Mr De Vere Episode: "Flat Four"2009–2011, 2013–2014 Law & Order: UK Prentice 7 episodes2014 Toast of London Duncan Clench Episode: "Desperate Measures"
Video games Year Title Role Notes1996 Gender Wars Professor Jonathan Henry Smythe Voice actor1997 Queen: The eYe Voices Voice actor, also wrote the novelisation based on the game 1998 MediEvil Zarok Voice actor2000 Imperium Galactica II: Alliances English version, various voices 2001 Hostile Waters Walker 2003 Primal Ferai Shaman/The Watcher 2005 MediEvil: Resurrection Zarok 2006 Star Wars: Empire at War Grand Moff Tarkin 2011 Star Wars: The Old Republic Overseer Tremel/Additional voices 2014 Elite Dangerous MinuS Voice actor, DLC pack2015 Contradiction: The Interactive Murder Mystery Movie Paul Rand FMV2019 MediEvil Zarok Archive sound, dedicated to his memory
Radio and CD audio dramas Year Title Role NotesOct 1980 Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less Stephen Bradley 7-part BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Jeffrey Archer’s debut novel1998–1999 Blake's 7 Kerr Avon 2 stories: "The Sevenfold Crown" and "The Syndeton Experiment"2001–2004 Kaldor City Kaston Iago 6 episodes2005 Doctor Who - The Monthly Adventures Guidance Serial: "The Next Life" The Adventures of Luther Arkwright Cromwell 2010 Rebecca's World - Journey to the Forbidden Planet Narrator2012–2016 Blake's 7: The Liberator Chronicles Kerr Avon/Narrator 17 episodes2013–2020 Blake's 7: The Classic Audio Adventures Kerr Avon 33 episodes
References
External links
Paul Darrow at the British Film Institute