Gareth Thomas has rarely been out of work since leaving Blakes 7. In reality his performance as Blake in the first two episodes was never bettered and the series failed to maintain the strongly psychological and moral focus of that dramatic opening. Saying that, his decision to leave at the end of Series 2 was the right one career wise. Thomas eventual return in the slaughterhouse final episode, Blake, was an inglorious one. Thomas has never appeared on television in Doctor Who. He can, however, be seen in the early Torchwood episode, Ghost Machine. Thomas plays Edwin Morgan and this time, unlike Blake, his character is guilty of a heinous crime, one that he has got away with for most of his life, the rape and murder of a 17 year old girl. Thomas senile amoral character couldnt be further from the moralistic Blake, yet he gives an equally commanding performance. Like Blake, Ed Morgan dies a bloody death when whether by accident or suicide he falls upon his own knife. Thomas is also a recurring character in the Big Finish spin off Dalek Empire series, playing the knight of Velyshaa, Kalendorf. It's a huge story arc that takes the faithful listener through several years and waypoints in his struggle against the Daleks. He often features alongside Sarah Mowats Susan Mendes and they work brilliantly together, whether for or against their Dalek taskmasters. Kalendorf also encounters the Seventh Doctor in the Big Finish main range story Return Of The Daleks. Despite playing such a recognisable role within the Big Finish spin off universe, Thomas has made two other audio appearances. Most recently, he guest stars as Morax in The Last of Colophon, a Fourth Doctor adventure. Morax inadvertently wiped out his whole species in a failed attempt to gain power. They had refused the offer of an antidote he had created to treat the very virus he had infected them with. Yes, Thomas, the most black and white, moralistic of the original Liberator crew, the only one who was not really a criminal in any sense, ends up playing some pretty nasty pieces of work in Doctor Who and Torchwood. But oh, does he do it well! What did you think of this list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Paul Driscoll is a freelance writer and author across a range of subjects from Cult TV to religion and social policy. He is a passionate Doctor Who fan and January 2017 will see the publication of his first extended study of the series (based on Toby Whithouse's series six episode, The God Complex) in the critically acclaimed Black Archive range by Obverse Books. He is a regular writer for the fan site Doctor Who Worldwide and has contributed several essays to Watching Books' You and Who range. Recently he has branched out into fiction writing, with two short stories in the charity Doctor Who anthology Seasons of War (Chinbeard Books). Paul's work will also feature in the forthcoming Iris Wildthyme collection (A Clockwork Iris, Obverse Books) and Chinbeard Books' collection of drabbles, A Time Lord for Change.
