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Michael Keating obituary

The Guardian UK Thursday 11 June 2026, 13:52 UTC By Toby Hadoke 1 min read
Key Points

Actor who provided a light touch as the thief Vila in Blake’s 7 and spent 13 years as a vicar on EastEndersThe actor Michael Keating, who has died aged 79, appeared as the wily yet hapless thief Vila in the popular BBC science-fiction television series Blake’s 7 (1978-81), which at its peak pulled in audiences of more than 10 million viewers. The writer Terry Nation, who had created the Daleks for Doctor Who, conceived Blake’s 7 as “the Dirty Dozen in space”, it was an adventure series with...

Actor who provided a light touch as the thief Vila in Blake’s 7 and spent 13 years as a vicar on EastEnders

The actor Michael Keating, who has died aged 79, appeared as the wily yet hapless thief Vila in the popular BBC science-fiction television series Blake’s 7 (1978-81), which at its peak pulled in audiences of more than 10 million viewers.

The writer Terry Nation, who had created the Daleks for Doctor Who, conceived Blake’s 7 as “the Dirty Dozen in space”, it was an adventure series with morally ambiguous protagonists, aimed at an older audience. The “seven” were an uneasy alliance of rogues led by a freedom fighter, Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas), in a battle against the evil totalitarian Federation.

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Michael Keating (PERSON) Vila (PERSON) Blake (PERSON) Terry Nation (PERSON) Daleks (PERSON) Roj Blake (PERSON) Gareth Thomas (PERSON)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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