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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2019 23:31:17 GMT
There's an unusual chill today, strange for the wind to be this way... Oh. It's... always a shock, isn't it? No matter how good the innings, how long the life, how forewarned the probleim, it's always unexpected. And it's always so very sad. Paul Darrow's been a surprisingly constant presence in childhood from being single-digits exploring MediEvil -- where he played the dreaded necromancer, Zarok -- to double-digits in his role as Kerr Avon on Blake's 7. Whether working to script or off, his dry wit was singular to him. He accomplished so much, achieved a lasting and permanent legacy through his acting and writing. Avon has become more than a character, he's now an archetype for a whole new kind of anti-hero. My only regret is that outside the Timelash commentary, we never got another rematch between Colin and him. It would've been extraordinary, as Paul Darrow always was.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
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Post by lidar2 on Jun 3, 2019 23:58:41 GMT
Beyond gutted. By far the best thing about B7, even when he was hamming it up. He brought life to truly one of the greatest characters in Science Fiction. Well now......I dont often get get sentimental when actors pass away but this one hit hard. RIP I don't always agree with you but on this occasion you have absolutely summed up how I feel.
If I'm honest, and I mean no disrespect to Mr Darrow by this, in a way it is probably Avon I am mourning more than Paul Darrow. Avon and Blake's 7 were such an important part of my teenage years, more so even than Doctor Who and that is saying something. But Avon in the hands of another actor just wouldn't have worked (and didn't really work in the re-imagined series, he was just another character) - it was Darrow who made him what he was by the way he played him, far more than the writers made Avon.
As you say, this one hit hard.
I never met Paul Darrow but I came very close to going to the film and comic con at Birmingham this weekend past, just to meet him. Not sure if he would have been there if he was ill and not sure what I would have said to him if I had met him. But now I'll never be able to thank him for his performance or tell him how Avon was my hero. Other characters like the Doctor or Spock I enjoyed watching, but Avon was the one I wanted to be when I grew up.
RIP Paul Darrow
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Post by project37 on Jun 4, 2019 0:21:28 GMT
Very sad to read this. He was a force of nature on Blake's 7 and always fun to watch. I had no idea he was in a wheelchair by the time he was doing the B7 audios. RIP, sir.
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Post by number13 on Jun 4, 2019 0:52:31 GMT
Very sad news, but what a legacy. Kerr Avon, the anti-hero who filled B7 with his cold, vital intensity.
(And I'm with Davy: 'Timelash' is so much fun and Paul Darrow totally steals the show as 'Richard III of Karfel' - “Save your breath for the Timelash, Doctor. Most people depart with a scream!” Few actors could deliver such a line with such relish! And the commentary is a gem.)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2019 3:29:41 GMT
Avon was one of my favourite characters in anything, ever, and Paul Darrow was such a singular presence in not just that role, but in everything I ever saw him in that he always felt like one of the immortals. But of course no one ever truly is, everyone has their allotted time, and the only true immortality comes from how you fill that time in the years you are given. And Paul Darrow filled his time oh so very well. And, along with all of his other accomplishments and achievements, being ever Avon is surely not such a bad form of immortality to leave us all with, after all.
I rarely feel the impact of celebrity deaths, beyond acknowledging and celebrating their contributions that I enjoyed, as I didn't know the person in question myself so there's no real grief there. But very occasionally we lose an actor or a musician or a writer whose work so infused my life and made a profound and lasting personal impact on me, and who actually bettered my own ordinary life in immeasurable ways, and when that happens their loss is truly and deeply felt, and for me Mr Darrow is such a case. As a practically lifelong fan, the universe suddenly feels a lesser place without him in it.
my sincere condolences to his friends and family, as well as to his many other fans out there.
Oh, and to end on an less melancholy note, here's an excerpt from a Timelash review I wrote many years ago:
Thank you for making me smile, Mr Darrow.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2019 4:01:38 GMT
Really sad to hear about this. Some people you don't imagine will ever be gone. RIP, Mr Darrow. You're him, aren't you?
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Post by whiskeybrewer on Jun 4, 2019 13:01:38 GMT
This was such a shock to hear. So sad
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Post by IndieMacUser on Jun 4, 2019 13:29:31 GMT
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Post by Timelord007 on Jun 5, 2019 7:34:02 GMT
Gutted, Paul Darrow somehow made a supporting character of Avon the star of Blake 7 & became a far more interesting character than it's leading man.
R.i.p Paul but thank you for giving us fan's some truly magnificent entertainment over the years on Tv & audio.
Gone but never forgotten.
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Jun 5, 2019 9:33:43 GMT
This is ideal for sky's urban myths series
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Post by Tim Bradley on Jun 5, 2019 11:03:28 GMT
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