Paul Darrow

Paul Darrow (born Paul Valentine Birkby, 2 May 1941 - 3 June 2019) was a popular actor most known to media fans for his portrayal of Kerr Avon in the BBC science fiction show Blake's 7 (1978-81). 
He also twice appeared on Doctor Who, in Timelash (Doctor Who Episode) as Tekker and in Doctor Who and the Silurians as Captain Hawkins. Darrow's starring as Thomas Doughty is one of the major reasons for the fannish interest in the made-for-TV movie Drake's Venture, mostly due to the parallels of this role to that of Kerr Avon.
 
He was married to Janet Lees Price.
==Intricate and Involved Relationship With Fans and Fandom==
Darrow's 1980 comments about fans: 
Paul Darrow was a popular Guest of Honor at cons and had a close relationship with several big name fans. This personal involvement is at least partially responsible for Darrow's role as major player in the Blake's 7 Wars (also see Open Letters by the Darrows, Paul Darrow's Statement Read Aloud At The 1989 Gambit Convention), in the course of which Darrow also expressed his ire at slash fanworks involving his character.
Darrow (and Michael Keating, and to a much smaller extent, Gareth Thomas) was entwined with Leah Rosenthal and Ann Wortham's creation, Bizarro Universe, something that later complicated The Blake's 7 Wars. In 1985, Rosenthal wrote: 
Rosenthal's comment regarding when "Avon</u> starts writing 'get Avon' stories—?!" is likely a reference to Darrow's book, A Terrible Aspect. In 1992, Camille Bacon-Smith wrote: 
One fan's 1995 comments regarding Darrow and slash fanworks: 
A fan's comments in 1997: 
He also was very involved in some print zines, specifically Horizon Newsletter.
Darrow's pro book Avon: A Terrible Aspect about his Blake's 7 character Kerr Avon (1989) is almost universally disliked by the fandom. Nonetheless, despite periods of severe illness, Darrow continued to be involved in producing content in the role of the character as well as about the character right up until his passing in the early summer of 2019, primarily for Big Finish, for which he reprised as Avon in a large number of audio plays. Among these Big Finish productions is a further trilogy of novels about Avon written by Darrow, titled Lucifer, and Darrow's autobiography You're Him, Aren't You? and the associated audiobook, read by Darrow himself.
==Darrow Was Not a Science Fiction Fan==
Darrow was not a science fiction fan Nor was his wife, Janet Lees Price: "She admits to having no interest in science fiction. Yet she is still thoughtful enough to put in an appearance at the SF conventions...." - from Aspects v.3 no.1 (9) , something he reiterated often. 
==Darrow and Avon==
The line was fine between Darrow the actor and Avon the character. It was a line Darrow himself blurred, as well as some fans. See more on this topic at Actors vs. Characters.
In an interview for Starburst Magazine during the filming of series 4 of Blake's 7, Darrow discussed his relationship to his character.
 
Upon his return to the role for Big Finish, Darrow reflected on the influence of Avon on his life:
At this point, Darrow had already titled his autobiography You're Him, Aren't You? (2006) after being recognised as the actor who played Avon in the street, and all chapter titles in the autobiography are references to / quotes from Blake's 7. In the autobiography, Darrow writes
An example of the blurred lines between actor and character was in 1988 when a fan dedicated their zine to Darrow's real life wife: "This issue of B7 Complex is dedicated with great affection and gratitude to the woman in "Avon's" real life -- Janet Lees Price." Price herself sometimes referred to her husband as Avon, usually in a bit of humorous fan service. Upon going through Customs in New Zealand, Price said: "Our cases are searched by a Customs Officer bearing a strong resemblance to Travis. 'Avon's' dirty washing is exposed for all to see (it did cross my mind that had we been in America, I could have auctioned it)." from Aspects #2, Avon Club Newsletter #35 (both in early 1989) 
A comment in 1997 by a fan: 
In 1997, Leah Rosenthal wrote: 
==Darrow in Fanworks==
Darrow appears as RPF character in several fanfics within the Blake's 7 fandom, most notably in the fanzine Totally Imaginary Cheeseboard and its sequel The Other Side of the Coin, in which Darrow and his character Kerr Avon switch places. 
==In Memorial: Fan Events and Fanworks ==
Following Darrow's passing in 2019, many fans were inspired to activities in his memory, alongside several public-facing obituaries.
 
The Horizon fan club planned a 2020 convention called Forever Avon, 'a one-day fan event memory of the legendary Paul Darrow, in aid of The Dog's Trust.' The event is titled after the above quote from Darrow's autobiography. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event had to be postponed to 2021.Horizon Forum, http://www.blakes7online.com/news.php?readmore=384 (Accessed 24/08/2020) 
Also on Horizon, fan KentishSpaceRat proposed to produce 'an unofficial short story book in memory of Paul Darrow and to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund', equally titled 'Forever Avon'. It, too, had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but as of early September 2020 is planning to be released in late September/early October.Project Thread on Horizon Forum, includes the initial proposal from August 2019, as well as all updates and list of contributions. (Accessed 13 September 2019) 
The third issue of digital fanzine Rebels and Fools (August 2019) is dedicated to the memory of Paul Darrow, with Kerr Avon featuring on the cover, an editorial addressing Darrow's passing and several fanworks within the zine seemingly inspired by his memory.
==Some Darrow-Centric Zines==
* The Freedom City Gazette
* The Paul Darrow Zine
* Paul Darrow, a short bio zine
==Some Darrow Fan Clubs==
* American Fans of Paul Darrow
* The Avon Club Newsletter
* The Paul Darrow Appreciation Society
==Darrow's Con Appearances==
* Star One (2005, 2006, 2007)
* many more
==Interviews==
* (part one of an interview by John Fleming) (1980)
* (part two of an interview by John Fleming) (1980)
 
* (part three of an interview by John Fleming) (1980)
* (transcribed by Una McCormack, Ann Bown, and Maureen Marrs) (Newnham College, Cambridge: 30th October 1981)
* (excerpts from a web chat on beeb.com on 29th November 1999)
==References==
Category:Blake's 7