Blake's 7's Gareth Thomas dies at 71

Welsh actor Gareth Thomas, best known as the star of cult BBC sci-fi show Blake’s 7, has died at the age of 71 from heart failure.

Rada-trained Thomas made his acting debut in 1965, before taking small roles in well-known series such as The Avengers, Z Cars and Coronation Street.

But his most famous role was as political dissident Roj Blake, the leader of a group of rebels fighting against the totalitarian Terran Federation, in Terry Nation’s sci-fi drama Blake’s 7, which drew in up to 10 million viewers a week in the UK.

Official fan website Blake’s 7 Online first reported his death. “It is with deep sadness that we have to announce that Gareth Thomas passed away this morning, 13 April 2016, from heart failure. Our thoughts are with his wife Linda, and his family and friends.”

Thomas was “a fine actor, a real gentleman and always generous to his many fans. He will be sorely missed by family, friends and fans alike,” the website said.

His friend Andrew Mark Sewell, who worked as a producer on the reboot of Blake’s 7, later confirmed the death, while other friends paid tribute.

Actor Stephen Greif wrote on Twitter: “Very sad to hear of the death of my good friend Gareth Thomas. We were Rada then Blake’s 7 and onwards. He was a proud Welshman.”

In 1972, Thomas was nominated for a television Bafta for his performance in the BBC Play for Today, Stocker’s Copper, and nominated again for his role as a Welsh hill farmer in BBC1’s Morgan’s Boy in 1984.

He earned a legion of young fans as Adam Brake, an astrophysicist who brings his son to the strange village of Milbury to study standing stones in eerie ITV children’s drama The Children of the Stones.

Thomas was cast in Blake’s 7 in 1978 and stayed for two series, until he insisted his character be killed off to the dismay of fans. However, he returned for the show’s climactic final episode.

Thomas’s other credits include London’s Burning, Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders and Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. He was also a seasoned stage actor, appearing in numerous Royal Shakespeare Company and English Shakespeare Company productions.

He returned to his role as Blake in 2012 in The Big Finish’s audio series Blake’s 7: The Liberator Chronicles.