Kerr Avon is played by
Paul Darrow (who was recreating the role for the
Big Finish Liberator Chronicles and
Classic Audio Adventures. In the B7 audio series, Avon is played by
Colin Salmon). Initially one of a character ensemble, he increasingly became a lead character. Avon quickly became the show's breakout character, owing to his darker nature, unclear motives, and sardonic wit. Darrow's portrayal led to his being permanently associated with the character; and the actor wrote a novel (
Avon: A Terrible Aspect) that examined the early years of the character prior to the TV series. A child of the colonies, Avon possesses
genius-level intelligence, and is an aloof and
sardonic computer expert found guilty of an attempt to embezzle five hundred million credits from the Terran Federation banking system. First seen in the second episode, "
Space Fall", as a prisoner aboard the
London, a cargo vessel transporting a group of convicted criminals to the penal colony on the planet Cygnus Alpha, he assists
Blake in his attempted mutiny on the journey, using his skills to take over the ship's computer. He subsequently boards the
Liberator along with Blake and
Jenna, and becomes a member of the original "seven". Avon acts self-serving but in reality, when it comes to actions, he is more selfless than any of the others, constantly saving the lives of almost everyone he comes across and including the entire crew several times over, with nothing to gain for himself. He is a cautious man, tending to think first before he leaps. As a result, he doesn't take many uncalculated risks. Avon has a contentious relationship with
Servalan in season three. During the episode "Aftermath", Servalan offers Avon the chance to rule the Federation by her side; however, regardless of whether she is serious or not, Avon pointedly refuses, shoving her to the ground during their embrace and stating, "I'd be dead within a week." In the episode "Rumours of Death", Avon takes pity upon Servalan who is chained to a wall; similarly, it is she who reveals to him the truth about Anna Grant but still intends to dispose of him. Vila says he "feels safe" with Avon, but in the third-to-last episode, "Orbit", Vila overhears Avon's decision after a suggestion by Orac to sacrifice Vila so the shuttle that they are aboard must be lightened to achieve a safe orbit. This sacrifice is avoided when Avon discovers an alternative solution. In the series finale, Avon and the crew rediscover Blake, who appears to be working as a Federation bounty hunter. Avon reacts badly to the knowledge that Blake has apparently betrayed them all, and responds by shooting Blake. He later discovers that Blake's role as bounty hunter was a masquerade, as revealed by a real Federation agent who herself (unbeknown to Blake), was masquerading as Blake's rebel accomplice. Having witnessed the massacre of Vila, Tarrant,
Dayna and
Soolin, Avon's final action is uncertain. He smiles as he raises his gun. The screen goes black and seven gunshot sound effects are heard. Avon's first name is usually given as 'Kerr', with a double
r. However, it is occasionally spelled 'Ker'; in Darrow's
noncanonical novel
Avon: A Terrible Aspect, this is explained as a short form of his full name '
Kerguelen', roughly meaning "desolation".
Avon's possible survival It was in the contract of actor
Gareth Thomas that Blake's death should be totally unambiguous. Therefore, a different type of gun was used by Avon as well as showing blood and Blake's dead body. By comparison, the apparent deaths of the regular characters at the end of the fourth series are less clearcut, with Avon last seen still standing and the others shot down with weapons that produce no visible injury—in the case of Vila, not even being shown having any weapon pointed at him, nor any onscreen shot fired at him, unlike his crewmates and guard casualties. The ambiguous ending was arranged so that the characters played by those actors who wished to stay on for the proposed fifth series would only be stunned or wounded. The absence of the characters of those who did not would be explained by their having been killed. The end credit sequence for the final episode of the fourth series begins with the sound of a single shot followed by several others in quick succession, before the theme music fades in. Beyond the series, a number of licensed works have portrayed some of the
Scorpio crew having survived the finale. The 1984 non-canonical tie-in novel
Afterlife tells of how both Avon and Vila survived the shoot-out on Gauda Prime and, after some time travelling with Korell, Avon's former jailor on Gauda Prime, end up on a new ship (captained by Avon's sister, Tor Avon, just as tyrannical as Servalan) which was christened ''Blake's 7''. Paul Darrow purchased the rights to the show and was originally part of the early 2000s project which would have been called ''Blake's 7: A Legacy Reborn
. Reportedly, Darrow would have made an appearance as an aged Avon in what he described as "Napoleonic Exile" on a penal planet, his exploits long forgotten, most or all of the others long dead. (This scenario is close to one described by Blake's 7'' creator
Terry Nation.) Avon would have passed the torch on to a new group of escaped prisoners who would become the new Seven. Avon might have become their leader or instead died; this was not clearly stated. Owing to creative differences, Darrow left the project; and since the actor's death in 2019 there has been no further news about the idea.
Kaldor City, a spin-off audio play series featuring elements from both
Doctor Who and ''Blake's 7'' created by
Chris Boucher, who had written for both series, features the character of Kaston Iago, played by Darrow, widely thought to be Avon under an alias for Avon. (Under copyright law, Boucher did not have the legal right to make use of Avon, a character he did not create.)
Lance Parkin's 2012 edition of his
Doctor Who book
A History: An Unofficial History of the Doctor Who Universe includes speculation as to how Avon/Iago could have survived the ending of "Blake" by shooting out the Gauda Prime base lights then dropping to the ground and letting the guards confusedly shoot each other down. The 2013 novel
Lucifer, written by Darrow, was released in both printed and audiobook (read by Darrow, ) It posits that Avon alone survived and picks up his adventures 20 years afterwards. The old Federation has fallen to be reformed under the leadership of the four leaders known as the Quartet, in an uneasy alliance. Old enemies (including
Servalan) and new ones (including Gabriella,
Travis' daughter) appear. ==Roj Blake==