Rebel in Perpetuity, Gareth
"I can't bring myself to say 'RIP Gareth Thomas'," a friend said. So I suggested, as an alternative, "Rebel in Perpetuity".
pic from Lisa's Blake's 7 Image Library
I've been trying to write this for about a week, but it's been a very busy time, so I've managed only a few lines at a time; in the end, I set myself the deadline of Shakespeare's anniversary, as Gareth expressed great enjoyment in playing Shakespeare.
I heard of Gareth's death on Wednesday night last week, April 13, which was also an anniversary: it seemed fitting that the actor whose most famous role was that of the rebel Roj Blake should have died on the same date as Samuel Bamford, one of the Radical leaders at Peterloo. Perhaps Blake was a bit more of a Henry Hunt, the star speaker brought in to inspire the crowds, than a Bamford, the local weaver and poet who led the march from Middleton. But I think both Blake and Gareth would have appreciated Bamford, who was jailed for his steadfast campaigning for democracy and who liked his beer.
Of course it was in Blake's Seven that I first saw Gareth, when I was in my late teens. At the time, like so many, I was more of an Avon fan, and it took Blake's departure to make me appreciate how essential he was, and how much better Avon (or Paul Darrow) was when he had Blake (or Gareth) to play against. So I loved his two last appearances, and especially the high tragedy of Blake. (Years later I was told that Blake originally had a speech saying what he felt on his final encounter with Avon, and that Gareth cut it down to the word "Avon!", putting all the emotions of the speech into that word. I hope this is true, as it combines good sense and good acting.)
I clung on to that episode for a long time; as the final season was the only one (I think) repeated on the BBC at the time, I recorded Blake on an audiotape, and transcribed my favourite scenes and quotes. And I had a few novelisations by Trevor Hoyle (whom I was excited to meet - and fix up with a con badge - at Mancunicon last month).
I didn't see Morgan's Boy, which I understand was Gareth's favourite role. In fact, I've no memory of seeing him in anything else until I entered fandom in 1996 (thanks to my work, I acquired an internet connection and cable television - Blake's Seven was running on UK Gold - early that year) and met him for the first time at the Who's Seven con in October. I have memories of sitting in the bar reading predatrix's latest fic while trying not to be distracted by the voices of Gareth and Paul not far away. And panels where he talked thoughtfully about Blake, and said maybe he should have considered the sorts of questions we were asking at the time...
Come to think of it, it was a very long time before I went to a convention where Gareth wasn't present. Who's Seven, Neutral Zone, Deliverance, Redemption... you could take it for granted that Gareth would be there, in the bar if he wasn't on stage. He said it was important that he should make himself available to the fans at these events; it was noticeable that most of the tweets reacting to his death used the word "generous", and it was the first word that came to my mind, too, but his argument was that "you're the people who pay us". He could remember a remarkable number of fans' names; I'm not sure I was one of them, but I had no inhibitions about saying "Good morning, Gareth" to him, which I wouldn't have done with most actors (even ones called Gareth).
Another pleasure was going to see him on stage. I think the best time was a trip to Nottingham in 2000, when we saw him in Midsummer Night's Dream and J. M. Barrie's Dear Brutus. The Dream was OK, but I've seen plenty of Dreams. I was thrilled, however, to see Dear Brutus, a play I had read but never seen; Gareth played Will Dearth, the alcoholic artist who's transformed when a supernatural second chance gives him the daughter he never had. We also had a long chat with him in the pub afterwards. More recently, I saw him in Volpone here at the Royal Exchange; we talked about going to see him in a touring production of Cadfael but couldn't find a convenient date in striking distance of Manchester. So it's several years since I last saw him, and in recent years I heard him mostly on Radio Four, playing Sir Graham Forbes of Scotland Yard in the period detective series Paul Temple.
By the time I met him, of course, he was many years older than he had been when he played Blake and, although my growing fondness for him fed back into my attitude towards Blake, I never thought of him as anyone but Gareth. But every now and then, I'd suddenly catch him at a certain angle, or with a certain look in his eyes, and I would start in surprise, because Blake was still in there somewhere, breaking out when you didn't expect him.
And that voice was still clear and compelling. I remember someone once saying that she didn't really get why people fancied Blake, and watervole suggested that she imagined waking up and hearing Gareth's voice just behind her saying "Good morning..." - and with that thought the previously puzzled fan got it completely. So he could still play Blake on audio, and I'm very glad that he did so with Big Finish, especially in Una McCormack's Risk Management.
I must write something about Blake this year. Perhaps it's time for a filk. Perhaps I will finally finish that one to the tune of "Ilkley Moor Baht 'At": "Whear 'as tha bin then, Mary Sue? Wi' Blake an' all 'is crew..." Or did I ever finish "Blake's Not There"?
But until then I will leave you with this lovely valedictory poem from Gareth's countrywoman, Sheenagh Pugh.
And I'm very pleased to hear that Alzheimer's Research was one of his favourite charities, and that we can donate in his memory.
Also posted on Dreamwidth, with
comments.
pic from Lisa's Blake's 7 Image Library
I've been trying to write this for about a week, but it's been a very busy time, so I've managed only a few lines at a time; in the end, I set myself the deadline of Shakespeare's anniversary, as Gareth expressed great enjoyment in playing Shakespeare.
I heard of Gareth's death on Wednesday night last week, April 13, which was also an anniversary: it seemed fitting that the actor whose most famous role was that of the rebel Roj Blake should have died on the same date as Samuel Bamford, one of the Radical leaders at Peterloo. Perhaps Blake was a bit more of a Henry Hunt, the star speaker brought in to inspire the crowds, than a Bamford, the local weaver and poet who led the march from Middleton. But I think both Blake and Gareth would have appreciated Bamford, who was jailed for his steadfast campaigning for democracy and who liked his beer.
Of course it was in Blake's Seven that I first saw Gareth, when I was in my late teens. At the time, like so many, I was more of an Avon fan, and it took Blake's departure to make me appreciate how essential he was, and how much better Avon (or Paul Darrow) was when he had Blake (or Gareth) to play against. So I loved his two last appearances, and especially the high tragedy of Blake. (Years later I was told that Blake originally had a speech saying what he felt on his final encounter with Avon, and that Gareth cut it down to the word "Avon!", putting all the emotions of the speech into that word. I hope this is true, as it combines good sense and good acting.)
I clung on to that episode for a long time; as the final season was the only one (I think) repeated on the BBC at the time, I recorded Blake on an audiotape, and transcribed my favourite scenes and quotes. And I had a few novelisations by Trevor Hoyle (whom I was excited to meet - and fix up with a con badge - at Mancunicon last month).
I didn't see Morgan's Boy, which I understand was Gareth's favourite role. In fact, I've no memory of seeing him in anything else until I entered fandom in 1996 (thanks to my work, I acquired an internet connection and cable television - Blake's Seven was running on UK Gold - early that year) and met him for the first time at the Who's Seven con in October. I have memories of sitting in the bar reading predatrix's latest fic while trying not to be distracted by the voices of Gareth and Paul not far away. And panels where he talked thoughtfully about Blake, and said maybe he should have considered the sorts of questions we were asking at the time...
Come to think of it, it was a very long time before I went to a convention where Gareth wasn't present. Who's Seven, Neutral Zone, Deliverance, Redemption... you could take it for granted that Gareth would be there, in the bar if he wasn't on stage. He said it was important that he should make himself available to the fans at these events; it was noticeable that most of the tweets reacting to his death used the word "generous", and it was the first word that came to my mind, too, but his argument was that "you're the people who pay us". He could remember a remarkable number of fans' names; I'm not sure I was one of them, but I had no inhibitions about saying "Good morning, Gareth" to him, which I wouldn't have done with most actors (even ones called Gareth).
Another pleasure was going to see him on stage. I think the best time was a trip to Nottingham in 2000, when we saw him in Midsummer Night's Dream and J. M. Barrie's Dear Brutus. The Dream was OK, but I've seen plenty of Dreams. I was thrilled, however, to see Dear Brutus, a play I had read but never seen; Gareth played Will Dearth, the alcoholic artist who's transformed when a supernatural second chance gives him the daughter he never had. We also had a long chat with him in the pub afterwards. More recently, I saw him in Volpone here at the Royal Exchange; we talked about going to see him in a touring production of Cadfael but couldn't find a convenient date in striking distance of Manchester. So it's several years since I last saw him, and in recent years I heard him mostly on Radio Four, playing Sir Graham Forbes of Scotland Yard in the period detective series Paul Temple.
By the time I met him, of course, he was many years older than he had been when he played Blake and, although my growing fondness for him fed back into my attitude towards Blake, I never thought of him as anyone but Gareth. But every now and then, I'd suddenly catch him at a certain angle, or with a certain look in his eyes, and I would start in surprise, because Blake was still in there somewhere, breaking out when you didn't expect him.
And that voice was still clear and compelling. I remember someone once saying that she didn't really get why people fancied Blake, and watervole suggested that she imagined waking up and hearing Gareth's voice just behind her saying "Good morning..." - and with that thought the previously puzzled fan got it completely. So he could still play Blake on audio, and I'm very glad that he did so with Big Finish, especially in Una McCormack's Risk Management.
I must write something about Blake this year. Perhaps it's time for a filk. Perhaps I will finally finish that one to the tune of "Ilkley Moor Baht 'At": "Whear 'as tha bin then, Mary Sue? Wi' Blake an' all 'is crew..." Or did I ever finish "Blake's Not There"?
But until then I will leave you with this lovely valedictory poem from Gareth's countrywoman, Sheenagh Pugh.
And I'm very pleased to hear that Alzheimer's Research was one of his favourite charities, and that we can donate in his memory.
Also posted on Dreamwidth, with
comments.