Profile: Paul Darrow

Read an interview with Paul Darrow here

Paul Darrow was born in 1941 in Surrey, and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Upon leaving RADA, Paul worked with a number of the UK's leading theatrical companies, including the Old Vic, playing, over the subsequent four decades roles as diverse as Uriah Heep and Elvis Presley on stages around the country.

Paul's first major TV role was as Doctor Verity in the soap opera Emergency: Ward 10. His subsequent television career was more or less divided between playing urbane professionals and devious criminals (punctuated by a brief turn on Doctor Who as a UNIT officer), until being cast in Blake's 7 in the role of Avon, the enigmatic and amoral foil to Gareth Thomas' more idealistic and driven Blake. After Thomas left, Avon became the focus of the series, bringing Paul to international attention and acclaim for his accomplished portrayal of the character.

Following the end of the series in 1981, Paul has continued to work in television, including a brief return to Doctor Who (in the serial "Timelash") and playing one of the main villains in the Sky-TV surrealist fantasy The Strangerers. He has also reprised the role of Avon three times in two BBC Blake's 7 audio plays, "The Sevenfold Crown" and "The Syndeton Experiment", and in the Magic Bullet Productions not-for-profit audio play "The Logic of Empire".

More recently, Paul has turned his hand to audio work, and his mellifluous voice can be heard on virtually every television channel as he introduces and narrates such diverse programmes as Mutiny on the Bounty: The True Story and Ghostwatch. In addition, he finds the time to play the role of Kaston Iago in the Kaldor City audio CD series, and to attend signings and conventions around the UK.

Paul has also written a number of scripts and short stories and two novels: Avon: A Terrible Aspect, set in the Blake's 7 universe, and Queen: The Eye, a novelisation of a CD-ROM which Paul also narrated. His hobbies include cookery, football, classic American film and military history.

Paul is married to fellow actor Janet Lees Price, and they live in Sussex with their dachsund Tilly.

For more on Paul and his activities, visit his fan website at http://www.avon-paul-darrow.co.uk

Fiona Moore with Maureen Marrs