What happens when a less than honourable character from outer space makes a claim for his pension? We process it, of course! That’s exactly what happened when Cwmbran Pension Centre received a claim from Paul Darrow, otherwise known as Avon from hit sci-fi television series Blake’s 7…Avon Calling!
Paul received a letter from Cwmbran Pension Centre just after his 65th birthday in May this year, advising him that he could claim his pension. “I thought about deferring it but my accountant told me that in my line of work, I really should make a claim,” laughs Paul. “I share a birthday with David Beckham – we’re not quite the same age but I did think at the time that his accountant won’t have to give him the same advice!”
After deciding to submit his claim, Paul was impressed by how smooth the process was. “All I had to do was fill out a form or two and they estimated how much I would get and then gave it to me. It really was as simple as that!
“Everyone at Cwmbran Pension Centre was most helpful and courteous. They were also very thorough; they spotted an error I had made in my application and fixed it up for me. I was so impressed with the service I received that I wrote them a letter.”
But perhaps Cwmbran should be thanking Paul because he has a sneaking suspicion that his other character, Avon, would have tried to get much more of a pension than he deserved: “I have a feeling that if Avon was still around, he’d be doing whatever he could to make sure he did very nicely for himself.”
It might be 25 years since Blake’s 7 aired on TV but Paul still gets stopped in the street by fans – perhaps because he still looks very much the part. Trying on one of his old Avon costumes recently he was very pleased to discover that he could still fit into it. “I think I have moved on from the leather outfits but I have to say, leather is very comfortable to wear! And I wish I had kept some of the costumes because they are worth a fortune now,” he says.
Ironically, before auditioning for the part of the leather-clad Avon, Paul’s agent told him to go looking like an engineer. So he showed up in conservative trousers and a jacket with patches on the elbows – definitely not the sort of thing Avon wore but he got the part anyway!
“It was tremendous fun playing Avon,” Paul admits. “I think it was the best part in the show because he wasn’t a very nice guy. When you’re the hero, you have to be straight up and down, you can’t be as politically incorrect as the bad guys.”
These days, Paul does a lot of voiceover work and when it comes to rubbing shoulders with the showbiz elite, he has some impressive stories to tell. “I played a doctor in the last Bond film with Pierce Brosnan, but when it came out I wasn’t in it!” he laughs, pointing out that even Kevin Costner has been left on the cutting room floor. At least when the credits roll on Die Another Day, Paul’s name still appears.
But Paul’s connection with the Bond films goes back further than Pierce’s reign. “I was working with Sir Roger Moore when he got the part of James Bond,” he recalls. “I remember Roger came into my dressing room with a bottle of champagne and announced, ‘I’ve just got Bond!’”
Having played the lead in one of sci-fi’s true cult classics, you might expect Paul to sniff at current sci-fi offerings. However, he names Star Wars as one of his favourites.
“When Peter Cushing sadly passed away, I replaced him doing the voiceover for his character [Grand Moff Tarkin] on the Star Wars CD-Rom. So, I have a soft spot for this one,” he says.
“I also have a bit to do with the Avon Appreciation Society, keeping them up-to-date on what I’m doing, sending them photos and going to the big sci-fi conventions, which are a lot of fun. I have been able to meet a lot of people who have done similar work to me on shows like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica.”
With so many dedicated Avon fans, showbiz connections and stories to tell, it’s not surprising that Paul’s recent memoirs, “You’re Him Aren’t You?” is selling well. But Paul remains modest: “It’s great. I enjoyed writing it and the publishers are happy with the sales.” The book is available to order from amazon.com and at all good Blake’s 7 conventions across the country.