# Michael Keating (actor)

Michael Keating (born 10 February 1947) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Vila Restal in the science fiction television series Blake's 7 (1978-1981), and as Reverend George Stevens in EastEnders (2005-2017).

## Career

Keating was born in Edmonton, London, and his acting career began in 1966. One of his earlier notable roles was as Goudry in a 1977 Doctor Who story, entitled The Sun Makers. Just over a month later, Keating first appeared in the role of Vila Restal in the BBC TV series Blake's 7, which aired from 1978 to 1981. Vila Restal was the only character to appear in all fifty-two episodes of the series. In 1981, Keating appeared in an episode of the BBC sitcom Yes Minister titled The Death List, playing the role of Police Constable Ross.
Some years later Michael Keating reunited with his Blake's 7 co-star Gareth Thomas, in an episode of the BBC drama series Casualty. In 2004, Keating returned to the Doctor Who franchise, guest starring as Major Koth in the Big Finish Productions audio adventure The Twilight Kingdom. In 2006, he starred in another Doctor Who audio adventure, this time as Inspector Chardalot in Year of the Pig. In 2009, he had a brief role in the BBC one-off drama Micro Men about the rise of the British home computer market in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

## Recent career

From 2005 to 2017, Keating played Reverend Stevens in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He appeared as a recurring character, usually for a single episode or a few episodes at a time, in connection with another character's christening, marriage, or funeral, or relating to regular churchgoer Dot Branning (June Brown).

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1970 | Julius Caesar | Plebeian #2 | |
| 2009 | Micro Men | Derek Holley | TV movie |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1969 | Special Branch | Det. Constable Pearce | |
| 1971 | Merry-Go-Round | Saxon Prisoner | Episode: "The Raven and the Cross 1", TV Documentary |
| 1972 | Doomwatch | Stephen Grigg | Episode: "Enquiry" |
| 1972 | Omnibus | Dante | Episode: "Max Beerbohm Remembers", TV documentary |
| 1973 | The Dragon's Opponent | First mate | Episode: "The Drawn Sword", historical miniseries |
| 1977 | Doctor Who | Goudry | Serial: The Sun Makers |
| 1978-1981 | Blake's 7 | Vila Restal | 52 episodes |
| 1980 | The Dawson Watch | TBA | 2 episodes: "The Future" & "Holidays", sci-fi comedy |
| 1981 | Yes Minister | Constable Ross | Episode: "The Death List" |
| 1983 | Paul Squire, Esq | TBA | Episode: "1.6", sketch and variety show |
| 1986 | Rainbow | Detective Inspector Frost | Episode: "Detectives" |
| 1988 | King & Castle | Inspector Bell | Episode: "Floppy Discs", crime drama |
| 1989 | The Play on One | Daniel / Charlie | 2 episodes: "Clowns" & "These Foolish Things" |
| 1989 | Capital City | Estate agent | Episode: "Thanksgiving" |
| 1990 | The Two of Us | Police sergeant | Episode: "Dangers in the Night" |
| 1990 | London's Burning | A. C. O. Howard | Episode "3.7", role uncredited |
| 1991 | Kinsey | Murray | Episode: "The Authentic Voice... Little Miss Goosestep" |
| 1993 | Between the Lines | Police Federation Rep. | Episode: "Some Must Watch" |
| 1994 | True Crimes | Reenactment | Episode: "The Deepest Secret", TV documentary |
| 1994 | The Bill | Geoff Tilson | Episode: "Menace" |
| 1995, 2000 | Casualty | Graham Wingate / Pat Sadler | 2 episodes: "Bringing It All Back Home" & "States of Shock" |
| 2005-2013, 2015-2017 | EastEnders | Reverend George Stevens | 54 episodes |
| 2009 | Midsomer Murders | Derek Painter | Episode: "The Dogleg Murders" |

### Radio and CD audio dramas

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998-1999 | Blake's 7 | Vila Restal | 2 stories: "The Sevenfold Crown" & "The Syndeton Experiment" |
| 1999-2000 | Soldiers of Love | Mydas Mydasson | 5 episodes, sci-fi comedy |
| 2004, 2006 | Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures | Major Koth / Inspector Chardalot | 2 serials: The Twilight Kingdom & Year of the Pig |
| 2010 | Graceless | Earl Kreekpolt | Series 1 |
| 2010 | Blake's 7: A Rebellion Reborn | Vila Restal | Episode: "When Vila Met Gan" |
| 2012-2016 | Blake's 7: The Liberator Chronicles | Vila Restal/Narrator | 14 episodes |
| 2013-2020 | Blake's 7: The Classic Adventures | Vila Restal | 34 episodes |
| 2014 | Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures | Calvert | Serial: The Evil One |
| 2021-2022 | The Worlds of Blake's 7 | Vila Restal | 3 episodes |