Gareth Thomas - -

This section is continuously under development, with more details of Gareth's activities being added as we hear about them.

Note: the dates given for TV/Radio shows are where possible the first showing of the first episode where applicable, not when they were made.

Gareth has managed to die in a surprisingly large number of roles. The RIP symbol is shown against performances he is known to have died in.

Gareth has been known to bemoan the fact that he never gets to play lovers. The statistics seem to bear him out. Heart symbols indicate a romance, they appear to be heavily outnumbered by tombstones. (Parts where he is already married don't qualify. )

Gareth has said that he does't want to be thought of as just a Welsh actor, but as an actor who can do English and Welsh characters with equal ease. He has lived for a long time in England, and now in Scotland, after his early years in Wales. He has been cast in a lot of Welsh roles over the years. Leeks indicate Welsh parts.

Material here, comes from many sources including :- Blake's 7 magazine, Chris Blenkarn, Joyce Bowen, Sue Clerc, Robert Cheadle, Sue Cowley, Pat Fenech, The Freedom City Gazette (FCG), Horizon magazine, Julia Jones, Andrew Kearley, Gareth Randell, Judith Proctor, The Prydonian Renegade (March 96), Together Again - Action, TV Zone Special #4, Stellar Quines, Dundee Rep Theatre, Theatre Clwyd, The Magenta Partnership, Royal Lyceum Theatre - Edinburgh, Alan Stevens, Pete Wallbank, Andy Hopkinson, Mark Thompson, The Scottish Theatre Archive, Blake's 7 The Inside Story, The Archives of The Royal Shakespeare Company, Sheelagh Wells, Gareth Thomas and some very nice people who have asked not to be identified.

Date	Medium	Event
12 Feb 1945	History	Born in Wales
1964 - 1966	History	At RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) Note some of the plays below while at RADA were not full plays but sections from plays. Gareth (Horizon NL#21): I actually got into acting by accident. I decided I wanted to carry on being a student, and I thought: well, I can't paint, so I'll try acting. I went back to one of my teachers at school who'd been in charge of drama, etc., and asked if he would coach me. I then auditioned for RADA, which was then the only drama school I knew existed in those days! I got into RADA, and one day halfway through the two year course, I was coming downstairs and found myself thinking: I quite like this game, it's rather fun! I then decided that as long as I could cope with my responsibilities financially, I might as well carry on acting. I've been fairly lucky, so I've kept going. But that was how I got in. Purely by accident, because I decided I wanted to go on being a student, and then was lucky enough to get into drama school. Gareth (FCG#7): One of the teachers who was teaching so-called "technique"... There were sixteen people in the class, and he gave each of us a different Shakespeare speech, and he said to me, "During the course of the speech, Gareth, I want you to go away, learn it, work at it, come back, do it for me, and during the course of the speech I want you to stand on your head against the wall there, I want you to pick up this chair by the leg, I want you to walk three times down there, I want you to pick your nose," and various other things. We all sat there, "What's this?" However, when you're students, you go and you do what you're told. So we worked hard at our speeches, we came back and we did them. I did my speech, found a place where I thought it would be reasonable for Hamlet too actually do a handstand against the wall, picked up the chair, walked around and did everything else and he criticised: "That worked for me, that didn't work for me," and at the end of about three days, when we had all done our speeches, he said, "I dare say all of you are wondering what the fuck I've been doing. What a damned silly exercise! Well, I'll tell you what I've been doing. If you can make me belive all those damn silly things I asked you to do, you go out to the professional theatre, and anything any director ever asked you to do, you could make it work, and there aren't many people who can do that." That was the most valuable lesson I learned at RADA. If a diector tells me "On that word, I want you to move over there," I may disagree with him, I may argue, but I can make it work. Stephen Grief (Blake's 7 the Inside Story): On the first day (at RADA), we were given a talk by the principal, then were told "Now you're starting your first term, and just to explain to you how things go here, somebody from the fourth term is going to give you a talk." In walked this guy with a beard, wearing a leotard; a very bouncy, smiley, jokey guy who put us at our ease right away, who said "Hello, my name is Gareth Thomas." He made all of us feel extremely relaxed and laughed and joked like we were part of a big club, and went through the general points of what we were to do in our first term. Then he got up and said goodbye, and we all felt very much at ease. I'll never forget that, and Gareth and I have remained good friends ever since. Gareth talking to the Edinburgh News:"In my first theatre production my big scene involved walking on stage and opening a door for somebody. "I walked on to the stage, opened the door . . . and it came off its hinges. So at the end of my first ever professional stage appearance I had to pick up the door and walk off stage with it." Note he was there for 7 terms spanning 1964 to 1966 we are not yet sure which are in which year.
1964 (1st Term)	Theatre	The Winter's Tale While at RADA. He played The Shepherd and 2nd Lord.
1964 (2nd Term)	Theatre	Othello While at RADA. He played Iago and Roderigo.
1964 (2nd Term)	Theatre	Tons of Money While at RADA. He played Aubrey Allington and Jiles
1965 (3rd Term)	Theatre	Twelfth Night While at RADA. He played Feste, the clown and The Sea Captain. He mentioned Feste in Twelfth Night although it was his portrayal of the Sea Captain which was singled out for particular praise - according to the records of RADA.
1965 (3rd Term)	Theatre	Where Angels Fear To Tread While at RADA. He played Gino Carella and Philip Henton
1965 (4th Term)	Theatre	The Way Of The World While at RADA. he played Witword.
1965 (4th Term)	Theatre	Ivanov While at RADA. He played the second guest
1965 (4th Term)	Theatre	The Beggar's Opera While at RADA. He played Crook-Fingered Jack and the Turnkey
1965 (5th Term)	Theatre	Romeo and Juliet While at RADA. He played Benvolio.
1965 (5th Term)	Theatre	St Joan Playing "Mgr de la Tremouille". While at RADA. He also gave the Epilogue.
1965 (5th Term)	Theatre	Hamlet While at RADA. Gareth talking to Ken Armstrong in Blake's 7 magazine: I was playing the part of Laertes, working up to the big sword-fight where Laertes dies. The actor duelling with me lost part of the end of his blade, meaning his sword was six inches shorter than normal... and the rubber bung placed on tip for safety was also missing. As this happened in a flurry of sword blades, the audience did did not know a piece had broken off. By accident the now sharp blade grazed me and caused just a little bleeding. The dramatic part happened, though, when I fell back on stage with the sword apparently in me. A woman in the front row stared at me, saw the sword was shorter than normal and that I was actually bleeding a little. She obviously thought the sword had really gone through me... and had a fit of hysterics! There, I thought to myself... I'm really getting through to the audience!
1966 (6th Term)	Theatre	A Night Out While at RADA. He played Sidney
1966 (6th Term)	Theatre	Look After Julie While at RADA. He played Valery
1966 (6th Term)	Theatre	Live Like Pigs While at RADA. He played Black Mouth.
1966 (6th Term)	Theatre	No No Nanette While at RADA. He was in the chorus.
1966 (7th Term)	Theatre	Measure for Measure While training as an actor at RADA, he played Angelo.
1966 (7th Term)	Theatre	The Long, the Short and the Tall While at RADA. A play about soldiers by Willis Hall. Gareth played Lance Corporal Macleish
1964-1966	Theatre	Barnstaple While at RADA.
1964-1966	Theatre	Italian Straw Hat While at RADA.
Mid 1966	Theatre	Unknown The first activity after leaving RADA was as understudy for the actor Peter Jones in a play at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford.
Sep/Dec 1966	Theatre	Assistant stage manager For about 4 months, in 1966 Gareth was an assistant stage manager at the Liverpool playhouse. He was paid seven pounds 10 shillings a week for this job.
Dec 1966	Theatre	Various Roles as part of the Liverpool playhouse company from December 1966 until sometime in 1967.
1967?	Theatre	Around the World in 80 Days at the Liverpool Playhouse. John Thaw was Phileas Fogg. Gareth did several walk on parts.
Dec 1966	Theatre	Brer Rabbit Gareth played Brer Bear at the Liverpool playhouse. This is thought to have been a theatre production for children. (December is an educated guess.)
1967	Theatre	Three Months Gone by Donald Howarth. At the Duchess Theatre, London West End. Gareth played a character in the 2nd act and understudied Alan Lake (Chel in Aftermath), who starred in the play with his wife Diana Dors. One day without ever rehearsing the lead and with only minutes' notice, he had to go on for Alan for a matinee performance. He says at one point during the play he and Dors were sitting on a couch in their underwear, she told him he was doing "f****** wonderful".
1967	TV	The Prussian Officer. Granada TV. This was Gareth's first TV role.
11 Nov 1967	TV	The Avengers: Murdersville(ABC - Associated British Corporation). The classic spy spoof series. This was the 7th episode in the sixth season broadcast on ITV. (Some reference books incorectly list this as episode 23 of season 5 - these episodes were in fact filmed and broadcast in two blocks of 16 and 8 episodes respectively.) Gareth appears uncredited in a short scene, in a non-speaking but effective role. In Little Storping in the Swuff, a typically idyllic Avengers-type English country village, the locals have provided a haven for assassins and murderers. For a fee, they will turn a blind eye to any killings that occur in their village, and even help with the planning of the crimes. Gareth plays one of the killers taking advantage of their services. In his short scene, he waits silently in the village pub, wearing dark glasses and drinking a pint of beer, until the appointed hour when his victim arrives. Then he gets up, collects a shotgun from the landlord, and goes outside. We hear gunshots, then Gareth returns the gun to the landlord and calmly resumes drinking his beer. After the shooting (32K)
1967	Film	Quatermass and the Pit (Hammer Films, 1967). Directed by Roy Ward Baker. Starring James Donald, Andrew Keir, Barbara Shelley (Dr. Plaxton in Stardrive) and Julian Glover (Kayn in Breakdown). An intelligent and literate sf thriller, adapted from the tv serial of the same name by Nigel Kneale. Prehistoric skeletons are unearthed during the excavation of a new London underground line, leading to unexpected discoveries about the true heritage of mankind - culminating in the resurrection of an ancient Martian lifeforce. Gareth has a non-speaking part near the beginning as one of the construction workers who discover the skeletons. The film was called 5 Million Years to Earth for US release. Gareth's part was filmed in July 1966. This small part has been used as the trailer for the whole film. Gareth to the Edinburgh Evening News 16 Jan 2000: "They built up this very expensive plaster of Paris tube station wall with real clay carefully put in and the alien skeleton set behind it. "The director told me to take a pickaxe and hit the top of the clay so that the whole section of wall would fall away. He suggested a rehearsal first, and warned me not to actually hit the thing. "So I swung the pick, stopped it dead an inch from the wall ... and the head flew off and smashed the whole thing. "There was a moment's absolute silence broken only by the director yelling "props'! It took three hours to rebuild." The moment of discovery (62K) Gareth interviewed by Joe Nazzaro in Horizon NL#33: There was one wonderful occasion, not long out of drama school, when I played a small part in Quatermass and the Pit; in fact it was before the title came up. I was in Los Angeles as a spear-holder for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and apparently the film had just been shown on television. I was walking down the street and somebody came up to me and said, "My God, I saw you last night! You were in that film Quatermass and the Pit!" I think they had cut most of my lines; I had something like two lines, and yet somebody had seen that and remembered it."
1960's	TV Adverts	Soap Powder and Beer Gareth (Horizon NL#21): I've done some voice overs, and would love to do more, because you're not immediately identifiable. A lot of people disagree with me on this one, but my attitude and my agent's also, is not to do visual adverts because to do that you either have to be very careful what I say here - I don't mean it disparagingly - you either have to be unknown or very well known to get away with it. My agent once said to me: "I won't let you do adverts, because if I put you up for Hamlet - I'm too old for that now, that's just an example - if I put you up for Hamlet, it's going to be very difficult for the director to see you as Hamlet if he's seen you advertising washing powder five times a night for the last ten weeks." I could see his point, and so that has been my policy. When I was first into the business I did do a couple of adverts, but none since.
1 Apr 1968	Theatre	Under Milk Wood at the Aldwych in London, with the RSC. Gareth has taken part in Under Milk Wood between 3 and 5 times.
27 June 1968	Theatre	Dr Faustus (RSC, 1968) Gareth played 2nd scholar and Vintner in Dr Faustus for the RSC at Stratford on Avon. Stephen Greif was also involved, played Valdes also Rath (one of the seven deadly sins) and 5th scholor. Dr Faustus was played by Eric Porter.
1968	Theatre	King Lear (RSC) Gareth plays first messenger, Stephen Grief plays a captain employed by Edmund. Patrick Stewart is also there as the Duke of Cornwall. Lear was played by Eric Porter, the director was Trevor Nunn.
1968	Theatre	Much Ado About Nothing (RSC) Stephen Greif was also involved, part not known.
1968	Theatre	As You Like It (RSC) Gareth plays a minor part falling into the category of "Lords, Attendants, Villagers" (so did Stephen Grief). Partrick Stewart played Touchstone the clown. Program notes from the RSC programme: This production was first seen in June 1967 when it joined last year's Stratford season. The following month it moved into the RSC's London repertoire at the Aldwych Theatre, and then visited Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Cardiff, before returning to Stratford in the autumn. In the new year it went to America and played (with The Shrew) a six week season at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles. We have no reason to believe that Gareth was on any of these tours.
August 1968	Theatre	Troilus and Cressida RSC. Gareth was understudying Hector, and this play also had Stephen Greif understuding Alan Howard's Achilles. And further to GT's remark that Blake and Picard were together, that production also featured Sebastian Shaw (who played Annakin Skywalker at the end of the Star Wars trilogy) as Ulysses. Gareth had two parts, he was playing Margarelon who is a son of Priam the King of Troy and according to the programme the prologue was done by Ian Dyson or Gareth Thomas. Cressida was played by Helen Mirrem. Gareth in The Prydonian Renegrade: I've said this at conventions many times and nobody's ever picked it up and made an issue of it. In 1969 when I was 24 I was a spearholder at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the first time I went to the Royal Shakespeare Company. And there was a gentleman who was about five or six years older than me, and we were doing Troilus and Cressida and he was playing Hector, and I actually understudied him, and that was Pat Stewart. And the fact that Blake actually understudied Star Trek - but nobody's ever picked that up and I find it fascinating.
May 1969	Theatre	Unknown RSC on tour in Detroit, USA. They also went to Los Angeles and San Francisco as part of the same tour, the tour intended to go to New York but ended in Detroit as they could not fill the theatre in New York. (Last bit from Liz Freeland Drewery the stage Manager for the tour). Dr Faustus and Much Ado About Nothing (See 1968) may have been on tour. Gareth (FCG#7): I've been in Detroit years and years ago in 1969 with the RSC. They were wiring the blossoms on the trees, because it was May Day. Outside Hudson's, I think. It was the first time that I got somewhere, and they wouldn't take money. "What do you mean, you won't take money?" and they said, "You've got to have a credit card!" I said, "I don't have a credit card. I'm English!"
1969 - 1970	TV	Parkin's Patch (Yorkshire TV). He was a regular in this series. 26 episodes made in total and broadcast from 19 Sep 1969 until 20 Mar 1970. He played a detective.
1969-1973	TV	A Family at War Granada - either 8 1hr episodes or 13 episodes per year. Story of a family during WW II. No information as to Gareth's role. Gareth (Horizon NL#21): I'd been in the pub with the script editor some weeks before, and somebody came in and said: "Gareth, you're needed." I downed my pint in about four or five seconds, and the script editor said: "Hey, that's damned good" We'll get that into the script for the character." So stupidly, in my young days, I said: "Yes, yes, fine, jolly good idea!" and lo and behold a few scripts later, in came this scene of me in a pub drinking a pint quickly. The scene immediately prior to that was me at breakfast having bacon and eggs. So of course we came to the rehearsal and I have bacon and eggs and then I go to the next scene and knock back a pint. Then we come to the actual take and I go and have bacon and eggs and down another pint. Then we do a retake - by which time I need a bucket! (Laughs). That was a very salutary lesson.
30 Oct 1970	TV	Z Cars: Public Relations BBC police drama.
1970	Theatre	Black Comedy At the Gate Theatre in Dublin and the Lyric in Belfast, Gareth played Brindsley This was a double bill, together with Decameron (the 77th story of the Decameron). Gareth (Horizon NL#21): In it I was playing a sort of roving jester, who literally wandered out and ad-libbed in the audience and all sorts of things, as well as being the link-man. And the review raved about this Decameron, raved and raved about it, but never mentioned me at all. Then there was a break in the paragraph and the next paragraph was about Black Comedy, and it started off: 'What more can we say about Mr. Thomas?' and that was it! Somebody pointed this out to me and I thought 'That's ridiculous, they haven't said anything about me!' So the stage manager phoned up the newspaper, and I got a charming letter from this lady reviewer - can't remeber her name now - showing me the original review, which the newspaper editor had slashed without reading it at all. Just took a chunk out, because they didn't have space. And in fact, it had been an absolutely wonderful review! Hence, 'What more can we say about Mr. Thomas?'.
May 1971	TV	Coronation Street (Granada TV) Gareth appeared in two episodes of this very long running soap, playing Mel Ryan, a sauna expert.
1971	Theatre	Duchess of Malfi At the Royal Court Theatre, London
1 Sep 1971	TV	Public Eye: Man Who Didn't Eat Sweets Gareth is often incorrectly credited as being in this episode. (The Internet Movie Database is wrong).
15 Sep 1971	TV	Public Eye: Transatlantic Cousins (Thames TV) This was a long running detective series starring Alfred Burke as Marker, a seedy private enquiry agent only just on the right side of the law - it was all very gritty and down to earth. Gareth played "Tom Lewis", he later played the same character in "The Bankrupt" on 8th November 1972.
1972	Film	The Ragman's Daughter Directed by Harold Becker, written by Alan Sillitoe. Starring Simon Rouse, Victoria Tennant, Patrick O'Connell and Leslie Sands. A story about a Nottingham layabout who falls in love with an exciting middle class girl. We don't know who Gareth played or how big a role it was - he has said that his part was filmed at United Daries in Streatham in South London.
20 Jan 1972	TV	Stocker's Copper (BBC Play For Today, 1½ hr). Herbert Griffith, a policemen from Glamorganshire, one of a group of policemen specially trained to handle riots, is sent to Cornwall to police a clay miners' strike. He is billeted with a local miner's family. After initial suspicion and hostility from the miner, the two become close friends. However, as the strike escalates from non-violent to violent protest, Griffith's job ends up in direct conflict with his friendship. It was written by Tom Clarke, directed by Jack Gold, and starred Gareth Thomas, Jane Lapotaire and Bryan Marshall. Gareth received his first BAFTA best actor nomination for this. It is also shown at the BFI - National Film Theatre on April 18 and also May 1, 2003. Reviuew by Ruth Kenyon. Herbert Griffith singing along with the miners (31K) This was Gareth's first major TV role and his first BAFTA (British Academy Film and Television Awards) best actor nomination. Gareth talking to Ken Armstrong in the Blake's 7 Magazine: I was telephoned by my agent who asked me how long it would take me to get to the BBC TV Centre. I replied I could get there in half an hour. Fine, he said. "Get there as fast as you can and meet a chap called Jack Gold. There could be something there for you." When I arrived at the BBC, Jack Gold met me, gave me a pint of beer, took me to a locked office. He handed me a massive tome of a script and told me to lock myself in the office, read the script, then call in at his office when I was finished. I followed his instructions, then took the script back to him. He told me to wait a few minutes as the producer of the play was coming over. I was asked to read some parts from the script then told that it was all settled. "You'd better take the script with you," he said. "We start rehearsing at the end of September and shooting starts a week later." As you can guess, I walked out in a daze. When I arrived home, my agent rang me and said, "Well done. You've got it." "Got what?" I asked. "The leading part of course!" The play was entitled Stocker's Copper and was the story of the Cornish Clay miners strike of 1913. I believe I'm right in saying it won an award... And took me into ten solid years of TV work!
1972	TV	The Man at the Top Thames TV. Series based on John Braine's novels "Room at the Top" and "Life at the Top." The series starred Kenneth Haigh. There were several related programmes staring Kenneth Haigh all of which had the word Top in the title. This was filmed shortly after Stocker's Copper was broadcast.
17 Sep 1972	TV	Country Matters: The Watercress Girl (Granada TV; 1 hr). Gareth plays Frank Oppidan a wood worker who romances two women, in rural England. Includes a very brief, dimly lit, partial nude scene. Frank Oppidan (43K) Frank Oppidan (50K)
23 Aug 1972	TV	Sutherland's Law (BBC Drama Playhouse), this was a pilot for the full Sutherland's Law series that was shown the following year.
8 Nov 1972	TV	Public Eye: The Bankrupt. (Thames TV) This was a long running detective series starring Alfred Burke as Marker, a seedy private enquiry agent only just on the right side of the law - it was all very gritty and down to earth. Gareth played Tom Lewis, a chauffer who gets tricked out of a lot of money, in this episode, which opened the sixth season.
13 June 1973	TV	Sutherland's Law (BBC 1973-6). Gareth plays Alec Duthie. Duthie is the Scottish equivalent to an assistant district attorney, working for Sutherland who is played by Iain Cuthbertson. Gareth did his own mountain climbing. Gareth was in most episodes of the first season, including at least the following: A Cry for Help - Duthie is referred to, but doesn't appear The Climb The Running Man The Ship Return The Killing The Runaway The House The Sea The BBC have released 10 episodes from season 1 as a DVD.
25 Apr 1974	TV	Special Branch: Alien Thames TV. Action series about two stylish policemen, played by Patrick Mower and George Sewell. Gareth appeared in this fourth season episode, which also featured Patrick Troughton.
8 Dec 1974	TV	David Copperfield (BBC, six 1 hr episodes). Gareth plays Edward Murdstone, David's step father, and succeeds in creating a thoroughly nasty charcter. He is in 3 of the episodes, Episodes 1,2 and one other. It was also shown at the BFI - National Film Theatre (Parts 1-3 20 Dec 1994, Pts 4-6 27 Dec 1994). Edward Murdstone (49K)
1974	Film	Juggernaut (United Artists, 1974). A thriller directed by Richard Lester, in which a mad bomber threatens a transatlantic ocean liner. The star cast includes Richard Harris, David Hemmings, Omar Sharif, Anthony Hopkins, Ian Holm, Shirley Knight, Roy Kinnear (Keiller in Gold), Cyril Cusack and Freddie Jones. Gareth has a very minor part as a Liverpuddlian joiner working on the ship. Speaking to Jackie McGlone of The Scotsman on 24 Jan 2000. Gareth was filming the Richard Lester movie, Juggernaut, with Richard Harris and Omar Sharif in 1974. They sailed for days around the Atlantic on a Russian cruise ship looking for storms. One afternoon they were comfortably ensconced below deck watching Scotland play Ireland at rugby. Suddenly the picture wobbled. "The ship was turning around. Sharif dialled the bridge and instructed the captain to steer a straight course until the game was finished. And he did. Now that is what I call being a Hollywood star." The Joiner at work (50K)
23 Jan 1975	TV	Breath (BBC - Play for Today) Play about asthma. Also starring Liz Smith. Written Elaine Feinstein. Angela Pleasance is a young mother isolated by her chronic asthma and descending into paranoia. Gareth Thomas is her husband, Liz Smith her suspicious housekeeper.
28 Mar 1975	TV	The Revivalist BBC Wales. Gareth plays an evangelist who thinks he has seen God.
31 Mar 1975	TV	Churchill's People (BBC), Gareth was in Episode 14.
9 Apr 1975	TV	Fight Against Slavery (BBC, six 1 hr episodes). Gareth plays Thomas Clarkson, a reformer in the 3rd-5th episodes. He is also seen in the opening titles, singing in church, but is otherwise not in the first episode. His character has blond hair and a pony tail.
10 Sep 1975	TV	Shadows: After School (Thames TV 1/2 hr ep). A teacher named Benson near the begining. Benson (41K)
1975	Film	Mafia Junction Drama directed by Massimo Delmano. Produced by Monymusk Productions Ltd, London An Italian-British co-production filmed in London, Lebanon (Beirut), and Rome. Starring Stephanie Beacham and Patricia Hayes. The plot concerns a woman who uses her body to deceive men and get what she wants in life. Gareth plays a trench-coated detective who follows the male lead, and gets caught doing it... Little more is known about this at present - we can't find it in any reputable film guide! It appears to have been an Italian language film, so the British actors may well have been dubbed. We do know it was released as an NTSC video in 1989, retitled as Superbitch (or sometimes given as Super Bitch). The video jacket states prominently "Featuring Gareth Thomas", even though he's only in it for a few minutes.
Apr 1 1975	TV	Edward VII (ATV) Gareth plays Lord Charles Beresford in 2 episodes. - "Dearest Prince"; and "Scandal". (Was called Edward the King when broadcast in the US). Anna Massey played Queen Victoria. The series ran from 1st April 1975 to 24th June 1975. Gareth tells of sitting in a restaurant booth one evening and grumbling to his agent about the similarity of the roles he was playing. Given his background, King's School, Oxford, etc., why did he never get offered upper-class roles? Three days later, he was unexpectedly offered the part of Lord Charles Beresford in "Edward VII". Gareth asked the director what had made him think of him. He replied, "I was sitting in the next booth."
29 Dec 1975	TV	How Green Was My Valley. (BBC, six 1 hr episodes). the fiery minister the Rev Mr Griffith (Rev Mr Gruffydd in the book) one of the leads. The other episodes where Jan/Feb 1976. This has been released on video, see Video details and reviews. The Rev Mr Griffith (38K)
16 Feb 1976	TV	Jackanory. (BBC Childrens TV - five shows of 15 mins). Gareth reads children's stories. He read the story "Tales From Lapland" in 1976, and was broadcast on BBC-1 with the following titles: "Draugen And His Red Cap" (Part One, 16/02/76), "The Poor Boy Who Looked For Wook And Found Riches" (Part Two, 17/02/76), "Stallo And His Servant" (Part Three, 18/02/76), "Aslak And The Mermaid" (Part Four, 19/02/76) and "The Family Strong" (Part Five, 20/02/76). Sadly none of these episodes exist in the archive, although I'm sure that there are sound recordings of these programmes somewhere. Gareth to Joe Nazzaro (FCG #7): I did it once many years ago, the best paid job in the BBC. It was a children's series called Jackanory, and it was basically people sitting there reading storeies for kids. You go in, you rehearse for half a day, and because you've got the autocue, you don't have to learn it, and you go in and do it and it's a flat-rate fee. When I did it, I think it was a hundred pounds a day, per show, and it was a fifteen minute show. As I said, you go in on Thursday afternoon, you rehearse it on Thursday afternoon, you record all five on Friday, so you get five hundred pounds from the BBC for a day and a half's work!
1 Sep 1976	TV	Star Maidens (Made by Portman Productions for ITV and German TV - 1976, thirteen 1/2hr episodes in the series). (first screened on Scottish TV 1 Sep - 1 Dec 1976 - the rest of the country followed a few months later) Its available on video in German!. Adam and Shem (39K) Gareth is Shem, a rebel on the run from a domineering female villain (that sounds familiar...) The planet Medusa (written as Mendusa) is an SF cliche, ruled entirely by women in kinky boots and PVC hotpants, where men are kept as slaves. Shem escapes to Earth with fellow slave Adam. At the same time, some Earth people are taken to Medusa. It's quite amusing if you don't take it seriously. The production itself, however, doesn't seem to know if it should be comic or serious. This was apparently due to artistic differences between the British and German producers! Gareth's character is in 8 episodes of the series: 1-5, 8, 11, and 13. Also starred Judy Geeson and Derek Farr (Ensor). In more recent years, this has been shown as a feature length film compiled from several of the episodes - unfortunately, Gareth's bits have mostly been cut out. He appears at the start and then largely disappears. (The action of the film concentrates on the Earth people on Medusa.) Gareth (Horizon NL#21 in 1988): "At that time, I was offered the part of Fogarty in The Onedin Line. I didn't realize it was going to go on to be what it was. It went on for a very long time, but it was only a pilot at that stage. I was offered the chance of that, or three months doing Star Maidens. And I needed the money! So I chose three months doing an independant television show, obviously, because the money was far, far greater. That was one of the many mistakes I made in my career. Having said that, I don't mean I didn't enjoy Star Maidens. And there were some very fine actors in it. "It was a long time ago. It was a multi-national thing. We had Hardy Kruger's daughter, my co-lead was a frenchman called Pierre Brice, one of the directors couldn't speak any English. One of the directors was actually a very well known cameraman and horror film director, Freddy Francis. What was it about? I really can't remember. I do remember I was supposed to have some form of extraordinary powers, I can't remember exactly what. And I think I had a blonde streak or something. One blonde streak down the side of my hair." 1 - Escape to Paradise - Gareth 2 - Nemesis - Gareth 3 - The Nightmare Cannon - Gareth 4 - The Proton Storm - Gareth 5 - Kidnap - Gareth 6 - Trial 7 - Test for Love 8 - The Perfect Couple - Gareth 9 - What Have They Done with the Rain? 10 - The End of Time 11 - Hideout - Gareth has a major role 12 - Creatures of the Mind 13 - The Enemy - Gareth It was also shown at the BFI - National Film Institute on 6 Aug 1993.
24 Sept 1976	TV	VICTORIAN SCANDALS "A Pitcher of Snakes" Gareth Thomas plays author William Makepeace Thackeray in Granada's VICTORIAN SCANDALS play 'A Pitcher of Snakes' - the story of Thackeray's relationship with his best friend's wife - on Friday September 24th, at 9.00pm. It was the 4th show in a series of 7 shows that started Sept. 3, 1976 and ended Oct. 15, 1976. This is sometimes listed as "The Life of Thackeray". Gareth portrays the writer Thackeray both as a young and an older man. The date stamp on the back of the photo is 24th September 1976. Young Thackery Thackery
10 Jan 1977	TV	Children of the Stones (HTV West, 10 Jan - 21 Feb 1977, 7 1/2 hr episodes). Creepy and very memorable children's drama serial. Gareth plays astro-physicist Professor Adam Brake, widowed father of the lead boy. He investigates a mysterious stone circle with his son in 1970s England. This was filmed at Avebury in Wiltshire. Also starred Iain Cuthertson and Freddie Jones. 1 - Into the Circle 2 - Circle of Fear 3 - Serpent in the Circle 4 - Narrowing Circle 5 - Charmed Circle 6 - Squaring the Circle 7 - Full Circle Adam Brake (67K)
7 Jan 1977	TV	Caesar and Cleopatra By George Bernard Shaw (Southern TV) TV film directly from a stage play. Alec Guiness is Casear. Gareth only has one line.
8 Mar 1977	TV	Fathers and Families. (BBC) Gareth was in Episode 6, as a writer.
12 Apr 1977	TV	Gotcha. (BBC - Play for Today). Duration between 1 hour and 90 minutes. On his last day at school, a 'no hope' 16 year old pupil holds his teachers hostage using a motor-bike petrol tank as a bomb. Review. Gareth to Joe Nazzaro (FCG #4): I did a one-off at the BBC, which is about a young kid in high school who held two teachers for ransom by keeping a lighter or lit a cigarette over the petrol tank of a motorbike in a small locker room. He held them for ransom, and my character was called Farty, at least he called him Farty. Mary Whitehouse, who I suppose is like Ralph Nader over here, she's our equivalent, and it was shown on the box to great acclaim, and then it was going to be repeated about two years later, and she got the repeat banned. I thought, "Shit, silly woman; it's been shown already." If people are going to hold teachers to ransom with a lit cigarette, it would have happened already. It wasn't gratuitous violence; that was what happened, and it's gone and done and has been shown, and why get it banned now? I wrote to her, actually and I said, "Regardless of your moral attitude, I feel that if I had the money, which I don't (aren't you lucky!) I would sue you for loss of wages, because when it's repeated I get more money, and who the hell are you to turn around and say I will stop that man from getting more money." I never got a reply.
28 Nov 1977	TV	Who Pays the Ferryman?: A Dead Man to Carry My Cross (BBC, 1 hr). One of several drama serials the BBC did in the seventies, set on the Greek Islands. In episode 4, Gareth plays Tony Viglis, an Australian accompanying his grandfather's body back to Crete for burial. He meets with unexpected opposition from the local people because of an old vendetta. Filmed in Crete. These two pictures come from Belgium TV, hence the Belgium sub-titles. Tony Viglis
2 Jan 1978	TV	Blake's 7 (2nd Jan 1978 - 21 Dec 1981). Gareth played Roj Blake in 28 of the 52 episodes, and also played 2 clones of Blake and a computer image of Blake. Season One (1978) The Way Back Space Fall Cygnus Alpha Time Squad The Web Seek-Locate-Destroy Mission to Destiny Duel Project Avalon Breakdown Bounty Deliverance Orac Season Two (1979) Redemption Shadow Weapon Horizon Pressure Point Trial Killer Hostage Countdown Voice from the Past Gambit The Keeper Star One Season Three (1980) Terminal Season Four (1981) Blake Roj Blake (81K) Horizon 33 - talking to Joe Nazzaro Joe: There's an interesting story I heard concerning your final appearance in Blake. According to Chris Boucher, during the fatal confrontation scene between Blake and Avon, Paul's original line was supposed to be 'You betrayed me?' but he changed it to 'You betrayed me?' It's interesting how one word can change the context of a scene. Gareth: Well, it changes the whole concept, because if you turn around and say 'You betrayed me' as a statement, that's fine, or you can say 'You betrayed me?' ie 'Was it actually you?' but it blows the whole thing when you say 'You betrayed me?' In some ways, I think Paul was right with that inflection, but if he was right, then he had to be killed as well. I loved Paul's idea of actually standing astraddle and actually protecting the man he had just killed. I thought that was beautiful, but if he uses the inflection 'You betrayed me?' then he had to be killed as well. Otherwise, we never know whether Avon died or not, and with the series it was necessary that we should never see Avon as the supremo. He was supremo by default, but when Blake came back, Avon immediatly had to settle down and be second in command. He can say 'You betrayed me?' and still possibly survive, but I think too many of the audience believed Paul, and it's dangerous to have a series like this and end up saying the man was in fact corrupt. I know I've said I wanted to see Blake's darker side, but I didn't want him to be corrupt. He was always completely dedicated to the cause, and I think he would have carried on if Avon hadn't killed him.
21 Jan 1978	TV Interview	Multi Coloured Swap Shop (BBC TV) Live Saturday morning children's magazine show, hosted by Noel Edmonds. Gareth appeared with Paul Darrow.
9 May 1978	Theatre	Canterbury Tales At the Haymarket in Basingstoke by the Horseshoe company, Gareth played The Miller and The Chantecleer (The cockerel). This was during the period he was making Blake's 7. This ran from May 9th to May 20th. This adaptation from Chaucer was by Phil Woods. The programme notes from Absent friends two weeeks later, quoted the following extracts from reviews: A comedian of some brilliance... an ideal Miller... excellent recounter... wonderful actor and 'The Most vulgar of them all' - fully justified Horseshoe's move in luring him away briefly from Blake's 7 onto the Haymarket stage. There are many people in Basingstoke who will never forget his entrance as Chanticleer, whatever remains in their memories of his excellent performances in Stocker's Copper, How Green Was My Valley and Sutherland's Law. We wish him well on the second series of Blake's 7.
23 May 1978	Theatre	Absent Friends At the Haymarket Threatre in Basingstoke, by the Horseshoe Threatre Companny. By Alan Ayckbourn. This ran to June 3rd. Gareth was playing Paul.
1978	Directing	The Importance of being Oscar At the Questor's theatre in London. This is an amateur theatre that allows small proffessional groups to hire it. The show ran for a week and was produced on a very tight budget. This starred Simon MacCorkindale. Sheelagh Wells was also involved with some aspects of the production, such as getting hold of furniture for use as scenery. This was produced by Pendant Entertainment Productions Ltd. This was produced elsewhere (the Cambridge Festival and Ealing) but we are not sure that Gareth was involoved with the earlier productions.
10 Mar 1979	TV Interview	Multi Coloured Swap Shop (BBC TV) Live Saturday morning children's magazine show, hosted by Noel Edmonds. Gareth appeared with Jacqueline Pearce to promote the current series of Blake's 7. They gave away various goodies as a competition prize, including a teleport bracelet. Asked if it was a working model, Gareth replied that it only worked if you were in range of the Liberator! To win the prize, you needed to answer the question: Who composed the Planets Suite? (Answer: Gustav Holst, of course.)
12 June 1979	Theatre	Twelfth Night (RSC at Stratford) he played Orsino. This was played 75 times until 26th Jan 1980 (Concurrently with Anna Christie and Othello). This was also on the 11th March 1980 in Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne and 11 April at the Aldwych Theatre in London. The RSC Programme Book said Gareth gave vigor to Orsino playing him as "Driven by his lovesickness into bitter aggression and rants (and raves) like a proverbial bear with a sore head which his name suggests." It was not the traditional droopy lovesick fop portrayal. Gareth as Orsinio (39K) Gareth (Horizon NL#33): "It was the last episode of Blake's 7 (ie the end of season 2) and I was in the bar when I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned round and there was Trevor Nunn (of the RSC). We started chatting, and he said, what are you doing? I said, I'm just finishing off this science fiction series Blake's 7 and he said what are you doing after that? and I said I had no idea. Three days later, I got an offer to go to the Royal Shakespeare Company. Of course I took it like a shot." More Pictures of these roles at the RSC Gareth in The Prydonian Renegrade: I was doing Orsino at Stratford in the Royal Shakespeare Company in Twelfth Night and I can't remember what the speech was now but I completely lost it. I couldn't remember the lines, anything - 'dried' as we call it in the profession - and I carried on waffling away until I actually got my brain back into gear and went back into the script agian. When I came offstage at the end of the scene, there was the director standing there. I said "Geez, I'm sorry, Terry. I don't know what the heck happened. I just couldn't remember a bloody thing. I just waffled and bumbled.." He said, "It doesn't matter, Gareth, Don't worry about it. What was fascinating was, the whole thing, all your waffle, was in pure iambic pentameter!" - so I'd kept to Shakespeare's rhythm.
6 Aug 1979	Theatre	Othello (RSC Stratford) Gareth played Montano briefly then Cassio, he undertook this role as Cassio in only four days when the original actor playing Cassio (James Laurenson) dislocated his kneecap. Previous to his role as Cassio, he briefly played Montano. There were 52 performances until 25th Jan 1980 (Concurrent with Twelfth Night and Anna Christie). This was later played 26 Feb 1980 at Newcastle upon Tyne and 14 Aug 1980 Aldwych Theatre London. On the 26th of Feb 1980 he was playing Cassio. More Pictures of these roles at the RSC Montano (10K)
15 Aug 1979	TV	Border Country: Country Dance HTV Wales, 1hr. A story set in the Welsh border country. Ann Goodman daughter of an English father and a Welsh mother must choose between two men, Gabriel Ford an English shepherd working in Wales and Evan ap Evan (Gareth Thomas), a Welshman who owns land in England. The period is late 19th or early 20th century. Gareth can be heard speaking and singing in Welsh. May also have been called Border Tales: Country Dance. Evan ap Evan (16K) Evan and Ann at a dance (19K)
10 Oct 1979	Theatre	Anna Christie by Eugene O'Neill (RSC "The Other Place" theatre in Stratford) Gareth played Matt Burke an Irish stoker. This was played 21 times until 22nd Jan 1980 (Concurrently with Twelfth Night and Othello). Later played 3 March 1980 at the Gulbenkian Studio in Newcastle upon Tyne and on 6th June 1980 at the Warehouse, Covent Garden in London. Anna Christie is a two hour melodrama, Anna is abandoned by her father, raped by her cousin, she becomes a nurse, gives that up, takes up residence in a mid west cat house for two years and finally ends up marrying a drunkan lout of an Irishman. More Pictures of these roles at the RSC Matt Burke (46K)
22 Nov 1980	TV	Hammer House of Horror: Visitor from the Grave (Made by Hammer Films for ITV, 1 hr). Horror anthology series. In this episode, Gareth plays Richard, the accomplice in a con trick. A woman is tricked into thinking she has committed a murder, and is being haunted by the ghost of her victim. Gareth's character impersonates a policeman, and a mysterious Indian guru called "Swami Gupta Krishna", as part of the deception. Also starred Simon MacCorkindale and Kathryn Leigh Scott. The Policeman (66K) Swami Gupta Krishna (65K) Richard (72K)
1980	Convention	Star One Convention, England, the first Blake's 7 convention. Gareth showed up at the auction at the end.
1980	Theatre	What the Butler Saw By Joe Orton. At the Sherman Theatre at the University of Wales at Cardiff, and later at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. Gareth plays the police sergeant (Sergeant Match) who ends up in a dress at one point. Also with Angharad Rees.
1981?	Charity Walk	Gareth along with many other actors and personailities led by Henry Cooper, walked around White City Stadium to raise money for the Variety Club (a charity run by actors), this raised £30,000.
1981	Theatre	Dick Whittington at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle. A pantomime (What is Pantomime) in which Gareth played King Rat. It ended on Feb 6th Gareth to Joe Nazzaro (FCG#7): There was a period - I think it was in that period - I was doing Morgan's Boy, King Rat, Blake's 7 and people would turn around to me and say, "Whatever you do, you seem to die at the end of it! Is there anything that you can carry on living through?" When I was doing King Rat not long after Blake's 7, I got a letter from a woman saying, "My child was devastated when you were killed in Blake's 7 and I said to him 'Don't worry he's alive and well, and he's performing at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, and I'll take you to see him.' I bought the tickets and I came to see it, and what do you think my son felt when you died at the end again!" A lovely letter. I died in By the Sword Divided as well in a way which every actor likes to die... Several reviews
1981	TV	Peter and Paul (3hr TV movie). In the last hour Gareth played Centurion Julius who escorts Paul (Anthony Hopkins) to Rome and guards him there. Gareth talking to Barbara Teichert in The Prydonian Renegade: I remember doing a thing in Greece, an American production of the Acts of Peter and Paul, with Bob Foxworth as Peter and Tony Hopkins as Paul. I had a scene, five minutes I think it was, almost a five minute speech, with another British actor playing Nero, and it was the usual thing, half past eight in the morning or something, you come in, yes, fine where's the camera, mumble mumble, mumble mumble, here you go, "Turn over and action!" Went straight through this, he said, "Cut!" and everybody applauded. And I thought, "Well, that's very flattering, that's rather nice, good morning, world." And when I spoke to some of the technicians afterwards, I said, "That's very nice," and they said "What do you mean?" and I said, "Applauding, I thought that was great." "Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, ah, no offense meant here, but American actors can't do more than thirty seconds at a time. You do five minutes at once, my God." And I said, "Well that's what I get paid for, isn't it?" This is available from Amazon (US - NTSC format only).
23 Jan 1981	TV	Bergerac: Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie BBC1, Popular police series starring John Nettles, set on Jersey. Gareth played a villainous ship's captain called "Towers" in this episode.
1981	TV	Ghosts No known information, is this a valid entry?
13 Jan 1982	TV	The Bell (BBC), Gareth was in all 4 episodes of this Iris Murdoch adaptation playing James Tayper Pace. From the 1969 Penguin paperback edition - "When a group of well-meaning neurotics and perverts come together in a lay religious community to try to forge a new and better life, the situation calls out all the humour and insight for which Iris Murdoch is famous. The theme of her novel is the dark conflict between sex and religion, symbolised by the new and the old bells of the abbey convent across the lake. Here is a story which again demonstrates this writer's unusual sensitivity and her talent for creating character." Gareth (FCG#7): We had a scene where he (Ian Holm) was washing up cups and I was drying them. It was a sort of a religious community, and we had the scene to play whilst we were washing and drying our cups. The director Barry Davis was filming it, and we came to the end of the scene, and nobody said, "Cut," so Ian and I just carried on in character all the time for about one and a half minutes, which is a long time. We were making up things, but all connected with the show. Barry Davis kept nearly thirty seconds of that in. It was also shown at the BFI - National Film Theatre (Pts 1 & 2 20 Aug 2002, Pts 3 & 4 30 Aug 2002)
1982	Convention	Edgecon England , Also known as Convention at the Edge of the World, another B7 Con.
24 July 1982	TV	Dogfood Dan and The Carmarthen Cowboy (Yorkshire TV, 1 hr play). Gareth plays Aubrey Owen, lorry (truck) driver and hapless would-be seducer. This is a comedy about two long distance lorry drivers who become friends. (The title refers to their CB radio handles - Gareth is "The Carmarthen Cowboy"). Aubrey Owen with "Dogfood Dan"(54K) Aubrey lives in North Wales, his friend in Southern England. They regularly drive opposite routes to each other - as one's driving North, the other's going South, and vice versa. They meet in a transport cafe half way. They both start having affairs when they're away from home. The irony is that they each have an affair with the other's wife, completely unbeknownst to the other. Also starring David Daker as "Dogfood Dan". Written by David Nobbs (creator of Reginald Perrin), this was later made into a BBC sitcom, which was rubbish and didn't feature Gareth. Gareth (Horizon NL#21): The writer told me it was going to be made into a series, and he said: "I want you and David Daker, but the BBC are doing it not ITV." So I phoned my agent, but my agent came back and said: "Unfortunately David Daker is doing 'Boon', and therefore can't do this, and the BBC have said they either want both of you or neither." And so my one chance to do a Light Entertainment series went out the window. C'est la vie, that's the business.
20 Jan 1983	TV	The Citadel: BBC episodes 1-3, 8-10 (1982, 10 1 hr episodes.) Period medical drama, based on a novel by A.J. Cronin. Gareth plays Dr. Philip Denny, an alcoholic coming off the bottle, and best friend of the lead character, played by Ben Cross. Denny's part is bigger in the TV series than in the original Cronin novel. Ep.1, tx. 20 Jan 1983. Ep.2, tx. 27 Jan 1983. Ep.3, tx. 3 Feb 1983. Ep.8, tx. 10 Mar 1983. Ep.9, tx. 17 Mar 1983 and Ep.10, tx. 24 Mar 1983. Although recorded in 1982. Talking to Joe Nazzaro in Horizon 33 Joe: Having worked steadily for the RSC, was there any problem getting back into television again? Gareth: I suppose at that time my profile was pretty high. The Citadel came along, and I seized at that, playing an alcoholic who comes off the bottle; I loved that. I then got Morgan's Boy, so I was probably still a name in the business. It really wasn't difficult getting back in at all. The cast according to the IBDB was: Directed by: Peter Jefferies, Mike Vardy Writing credits: A.J. Cronin (novel), Don Shaw Cast overview: Ben Cross Andrew Manson Clare Higgins (I) Christine Barlow Wendy Alnutt Angela Colin Baker (I) Vaughn Sarah Berger Toppy Raymond Bowers Dr Llewellyn Niall Buggy Con Michael Cochrane Freddy Hamson James Copeland Urquhart Janet Davies (I) Mrs. Watkins Richard Davies (II) Dr Watkins Tenniel Evans Dr Page Don Fellows Robert Stillman Oliver Ford Davies Reverend Parry John Garvin (I) Dr. Bramwell Michael Gough (I) Sir Jenner Halliday Cynthia Grenville Miss Page Olwen Griffiths Mrs. Bramwell David Gwillim David Hope Davyd Harries Emlyn Jane How Mrs. Vaughn Milton Jones Rees Charles Kay Mr Hopper Lyn Langridge Mrs. Howells Anne Mannion Mary Buster Merryfield Sharon Morgan Mrs. Williams Beryl Nesbitt Annie John Nettleton Charles Ivory Susan Porrett Miss Cramb Dilys Price Mrs. Llewellyn Sion Probert Mr. Williams David Pugh Joe Lyn Rees Sam Ray Smith (I) Mr Owen Dyfed Thomas Dai Jenkins Gareth Thomas Philip Denny Jack Walters (II) Thomas John Welsh (I) Sir Robert Abbey Wendy William Sylvia Tim Wylton Ed Chenkin Carmen du Sautoy Frances Lawrence Dr. Philip Denny (43K) Dr. Denny (51K)
10 May 1983	Theatre	Educating Rita by Willy Russell. Gareth played Frank. At the Theatre Royal Windsor until 27 May 1983.
8 July 1983	TV	Shades of Darkness: Bewitched (Granada TV, 1 hr). Gareth plays Owen Bosworth. A man is haunted by the ghost of a dead girl, his friend - Owen, the girl's father, and the local minister try to discover what is happening. A chilling tale with more in it than initially meets the eye. The director was John Gorrie and Martyn Hesford has a small part. This is significant as both were to work on Morgan's Boy a year later. This programme is also known as "She Abides". Owen Bosworth (68K)
29 Feb 1984	TV	Strangers and Brothers (BBC Episodes 8 and 9, 1 hour each). Series based on the novels by C.P. Snow. Gareth plays a scientist who speaks out against the atom bomb.
10 Oct 1984	TV Interview	Pebble Mill at One (BBC) Live lunchtime magazine programme. Interviewed with Morgan's boy playwright, Alick Rowe. Note for Americans: Pebble Mill is the name of the BBC's Birmingham studios, from where this programme was broadcast. Alick and Gareth (47K)
11 Oct 1984	TV	Morgan's Boy (BBC, eight 1 hr episodes). Gareth plays Morgan Thomas, a Welsh hill farmer struggling with the help of his nephew to keep his home in the ecomonically desperate 1980s. Excellent but depressing. This is probably Gareth's best work to date and he was nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy Film and Television Awards) award for it. He himself describes it as probably his favourite part. It was written by Alick Rowe, who also novelized it. See Morgan's Boy for many pictures from this programme. Morgan (74K) The director was John Gorrie and Lee (Morgan's nephew) was played by Martyn Hesford. Gareth talking to Joe Nazzaro (FCG#4): Gareth: I did a series in England recently; one of the most difficult things I've ever done, actually, because the character was totally opposite to me, a Welsh hill farmer. It ended up the big boys moved in, kicked him out, and he couldn't cope with that. His whole life, and his parents were on this hill farm, so they kick him out and he goes back. His mother's room was a shrine to him, so he takes everything out into the courtyard and burns it, goes into the shed, shoots his sheep dog and shoots himself. It was a very beautiful story, nominated for various awards, and about two months later it was ... I'm sorry, am I boring you? Joe: We'll give you a signal. Gareth: I went down to the pub I used to drink in at lunchtime [and this man came up and said] "Oh Gareth, bloody great to see you, bloody fantastic! What are you doing here?" and he said, "Do you remember John?" and I said "John?" He said, " A bit like Morgan," which is the character I played. [He said] "He was a bit like Morgan." I said "Yes I remember; he had a beard," and he said, "That's right, that's John. Anyway, He shot himself last week, and left a message saying, Morgan's Boy showed me how to do it" and I thought, "Jesus Christ, how much responsibility can I take for what actually goes on?
8 May 1984	TV	The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Naval Treaty (Granada, 1 hr). Series of top notch adaptations of the Conan Doyle stories, starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes and David Burke as Dr. Watson. In this episode, Gareth plays Joseph Harrison, whose sister's fiance is a Foreign Office clerk entrusted with a top secret and ultra-important treaty - which subsequently vanishes without trace. Holmes has to unravel the mystery, before the country suffers and the clerk's career is destroyed. Joseph Harrison and Holmes (43K)
23 Nov 1984	TV Interview	Children in Need (BBC), TV telethon raising money for childrens charities, hosted by Terry Wogan.
1984	TV	Love and Marriage: Dearly Beloved (Yorkshire TV, 1 hr). Gareth plays the lead as husband Stephen, a doctor whose marriage is having problems. Gareth talking to Joe Nazzaro (FCG#7): Joe: Do you get nervous, letting the real you show through the cracks sometimes? Gareth:Well, I'll tell you something. I did a show a number of years ago - I can't remember what it's called now - with an actress that I knew by reputation but had never actually met. A very fine actress, and I knew her husband, but I didn't know her. The first scene ... Picture the first rehearsal: "How do you do, I'm Gareth Thomas..." The first scene begins at the moment of orgasm, and you think, "Now wait a minute, this is very personal here! Shall we start by saying which side of the bed would you like to sleep on?" There you suddenly ... you use experience, okay, but there is a frightening situation. How much of yourself do you actually show? I'm not telling on that one [laughter], but there's an example; if it happens, okay. That's an exception, because the last time I played a lover was about twenty years ago, but there is an example where you have to convice and say in the back of your mind, "I'm acting" That's a very difficult situation.
17 Feb 1985	TV	By the Sword Divided: series II: (BBC - 1st series was in 1983). Costume drama series, set during the English civil war. Gareth played the part of Major General Daniel Horton, one of Cromwell's soldiers (a Roundhead) - and a lover. Part of this was filmed at Rockingham Castle. Gareth appeared in 3 of the 8 episodes - 5 - Forlorn Hope, set in 1655 6 - The Mailed Fist, set in 1657 7 - Retribution, set in 1658 Gareth in TV zone special #4: I died in By the Sword Divided - I was poisoned, I was stabbed, I ran onto the end of a sword, everything. Daniel Horton (47K) With his lady love (39K)
19 Mar 1985	Theatre	Beside the Sea By Brian Jefferies. At the Theatre Royal, Windsor until 6 April 1985. Gareth played Arnold who is the focal point as the poet / deckchair attendant, who sees and knows all. - Gareth described this as a "wierd play".
1 July 1985	TV	Dramarama: Silver (Scottish TV; half hour children's drama anthology.) This episode is about a boy who cannot come to terms with his father's death in an accident and is unable to walk without crutches. A photo of his dead father is actually a photo of Gareth, thus earning him another tombstone. Gareth appears again in the fantasy form of Long John Silver from Treasure Island, eventually forcing the boy to leave his dream world and get on with his life. Silver (Close up) (17K) Long John Silver (17K)
5 Jul 1985	Convention	Scorpio 3 con US, the first American convention appearances for Gareth Thomas and Sheelagh Wells. This was until 7th July at the Hyatt Oakbrook Hotel in Chicago.
2 Sep 1985	TV	Duel with An Teallach (BBC 1 hr). Gareth plays Charles Handley, sturdy but doomed mountaineer. This is a re-enactment of a mountain climbing tragedy. The actors did all the actual climbing.
1986	Theatre	The Benefactors Writen by Michael Frayn. Produced by Hiss and Boo productions. Opened in Nottingham, and then went to Richmond. Other dates include the New Theatre, Cardiff, March 24-29; Grand Theatre Wolverhampton for the week ending April 19th; Alexandrea Theatre, Birmingham for a week from May 6th (see TV interview of 7th May from Birmingham) and the University of Warwick Arts Centre for a week from May 12th. Week starting May 19th at Darlington, may 26th Manchester, June 2nd Edinburgh, June 9th Glasgow, June 19 Swindon, June 23rd Bath. May also have been in Cambridge and other venues. Gareth played Colin. Gareth talking to Joe Nazzaro at the Scorpio 5 con (FCG#4): "All I can say about it, and I'm now going to blow my own trumpet, and Barbara standing there over on your right knows I don't normally do it - all I can say is that Michael Frayn came to see it in matinee in Cambridge. We didn't know he was there, and he came backstage and we chatted, and he wrote a letter to the director, saying, "I have seen two West End productions, I have seen one production in Sweden, and I have seen a Broadway production, and this wipes the floor with the lot of them." Benefactors (50K)
7 May 1986	TV Interview	Pebble Mill at One (BBC), Live lunchtime magazine programme. Interview with fellow "Benefactors" star Stephanie Turner. This was during the period the play was on in Birmingham (where Pebble Mill is). Gareth and Stephanie (51K)
3 Nov 1986	Theatre	Henry IV parts 1 & 2 and Henry V English Shakespeare Company (ESC). Gareth played Glendower, Lord Chief Justice, Scroop and Fluellen. They toured England, Wales, Germany, Paris and spent six weeks in Toronto. Dates Venue 3-15 Nov 1986 Theatre Royal, Plymoth 17-22 Nov 1986 New Theatre, Cardiff 24-29 Nov 1986 Theatre Royal, Norwich 1-6 Dec 1986 Theatre Royal, Nottingham 8-13 Dec 1986 Theartre Royal, Bath ?-31 Jan 1987 Paris 2-7 Feb 1987 New Theatre, Hull 9-14 Feb 1987 Empire Theatre, Sunderland Review 16-21 Feb 1987 Grand Theatre, Leeds 23-28 Feb 1987 Apollo Theatre, Oxford 2-7 Mar 1987 Palace Theatre, Manchester 9-14 Mar 1987 Hippodrome, Birmingham 16 March - 25 April 1987 The Old Vic, London Sometime Hamburg, Germany 9 May - 20 June 1987 Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto for 6 weeks Sometime New York Gareth to Joe Nazzaro (FCG#7): I was phoned up out of the blue by a theatre director (Michael Bogdanov) for whom I have enormous respect, who had turned me down for a job some years before. He only likes working with people he's worked with before, and I wasn't one of them. But this time I was phoned up by him to play the Welsh parts in Henry IV pt 1, Henry IV pt 2 and Henry V. This was for a new company being set up to tour around Britain, France, Germany and Toronto Canada. I hemmed and hawed, and I finally said yes, okay, because I admired the director. We did Henry VI pt 1 on Monday, Henry VI pt 2 on Tuesday, Henry V on Wednesday afternoon, Henry VI pt 1 on Wednesday evening, Henry VI pt 2 on Thursday, Henry V on Friday, and all three on Saturday; that was twelve hours of theatre. It was known as "The Marathon." Doctors have said that going on stage, if you take it seriously and get nervous, is the equivalent of having a minor car crash. We used to walk in on a Saturday morning and say, "Goddamn it, I'm sitting here, I'm hung over, and I've got three minor car crashes to go through in twelve hours in this bloody theatre! What am I doing for a living?" Having said that, we did it in Hamburg, Germany on a Sunday, and it was fifteen minutes before they allowed us off the stage. They were cheering, stamping, shouting, whistling - everything. It was amazing; it was an experience I'd never had before. It was ten minutes before they let us out of the Old Vic in London. It was directed as a trilogy, so that Saturday was actually the great day. You came up knackered but on a great high, really on a high, which meant that Monday was hell! We went from sublime to the ridiculous on that one, because we did the trilogy on a Saturday in Paris and opened in Hull on a Monday. I suppossed that's like saying we did a trilogy in Tinsel City and then opened up on Monday in Detroit! No offense to the people of Detroit. After this run, Gareth was offered the John Woodvine part of Falstaff but refused it, since he didn't have time to really study it and make it his own. He said if he had done it, he would have been imitating Woodvine's version. Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington wrote a book, "The English Shakespeare Company: The Story of The Wars of the Roses" about the first three seasons of the ESC. Gareth Thomas appeared in the first (1986-1987) season. Michael Bogdanov said: "I rang Gareth Thomas, a fellow Welshman. He would do anything to give his Fluellen. His Fluellen turned out to be incomprehensible, North Walian, delivered with machine-gun rapidity. Very, very funny when you could understand it. He was so fast that subsequent versions of Henry V without him ran fifteen minutes longer." [pp. 33-34; GT was replaced by Sion Probert when he left the ESC.] There's a tiny picture of GT in this production, not very recognizable between the huge beard and the huge sheepskin hat. The ESC got into a dispute with Equity about overtime payments. "The actors were represented by Morris Petty and Gareth Thomas. [...] Gareth was emotional. We had 'sold them down the river,' 'kicked them in the teeth.' All they had got for their pains was 'a slap in the face.'" [pp. 84-85; the tribunal awarded a fairly small amount to all the actors to settle the claim.] Summing up the first season, Michael Pennington refers to "Gareth Thomas's marvellous Fluellen, loyal and verbose" [p. 93.] GT's roles in the 1986-1987 tour, which ran from November 3 1986-June 27 1987, with 78 performances of each part of Henry IV and 79 performances of Henry V: Henry IV Part 1 - Owen Glendower Henry IV Part 2 - Lord Chief Justice (i.e., a shift from "The Rebels" to "The King's Party") Henry V - Lord Chief Justice, Fluellen.
1986 - 1987	TV	The District Nurse. (BBC) Period drama set in 1930's Wales, starred Nerys Hughes in the title role (Megan) and Sian Philips played her mother. Ran for 4 years from 1984 to 1987, with 13 episodes per year. We don't know which episode(s) or even which series Gareth was in. Gareth recorded an episode of District Nurse in August or September 1986. (After Benefactors finished in July and before joining ESC.) So that means the show was probably aired in 87, though it could have been 86.
6th Sep 1987	TV	Knights of God (TVS 6th Sep - 6th Dec 1987, thirteen 1/2 hr episodes). Gareth plays Owen Edwards, a Welsh rebel leader. (Was this guy getting typecast or what?) The series also starred Patrick Troughton (Doctor Who), John Woodvine, Julian Fellowes, and George Winter. The series is a sort of retelling of the Arthurian saga set in 2020 after a militant order, the Knights of God, have taken over England and are trying to stamp out the resistance led by Arthur (Troughton) and Edwards. Gareth is not in episodes 6,7 or 10, but has big roles in episodes 1 and 11. [[The series may have ended on 29th of Nov]] Owen and Arthur (45K) Owen Edwards (48K) Owen Edwards (39K)
1987	Convention	Scorpio 5 con US. Gareth: (FCG#4) "As I say, everyone out there is paying my wages, and my reason for coming to an amateur con, not a professional one, its my way of saying thank you. Professional cons I've been asked to do, and I've turned them down. I said, no way, I will not do a professional con. Why? people say, because I know that some of the others do; Michael does, Jan does, I won't because those people out there have already paid to see me once already. Now they're paying to see me again. Why the hell should some bastard at the top cream that off? I don't want money for doing this. I want to say thank you. I don't want money, not for this. Why should some bastard up there be creaming it off? That's unfair of them".
8 Jan 1988	TV	Tales of the Unexpected: The Colonel's Lady (Thames TV 9th season, show 104). Anthology series - drama with a "twist in the tale". Gareth has a cameo appearance at the beginning of this episode - a lady talks about an old love affair. (35K)
29 Feb 1988	Theatre	Dangerous Corner By J B Priestly, At the Churchill theatre Bromley, Richmond and Bath for 3 weeks, Gareth played Charles Stanton (a villain), with Judy Buxton (Inga in Hostage) as Freda Caplan. At Bromley from 29 Feb to 5 March. Gareth to Joe Nazzaro (FCG#7): I did the actor's nightmare: a play by an author called J.B.Priestly called Dangerous Corner, a good old potboiler written in the '30s. My agent phoned me up on a Tuesday evening and said to me "Gareth, I've had Bromley Theatre on the phone and they're doing Dangerous Corner by J.B.Priestly. Do you know it?" I said "I know the name but I have never seen it, and I've never read it." He said, "Well, the villain (an actor named James Warwick) has slipped a disc. They're finishing this week in Bromley, and then they're going to Richmond here in Surrey, and then Bath. Would you take over? I said "Yes, Okay" and he said "Go down to Bromley tomorrow morning and get the script." I said, "Right," put down the phone, and thought to myself, "Jesus Christ, you have just walked into the actor's nightmare! You've got a steady cast going, they know what they're doing, they know the words, and I'm taking over!" I went down on Wednesday lunchtime, I got the script, I went to the pub on Wednesday lunchtime, I read the script, and I went on stage with it on Saturday afternoon (without the script). I worked my butt off! Now that is where somebody off the street couldn't do it. That's training. It's panic, but it's training. Joe: You said you looked forward to a challenge... Gareth: That was a challenge, and I got good reviews, too. The reason that I had been asked to do it was because the director of it had been the assistant director at the Royal Shakespeare Company when I did Orsino, and the fellow playing Cassio in Othello had dislocated his kneecap, and I took that over in four days. He admitted to me, he said, "I went through a list of my mates, and I thought Gareth! He did Cassio in four days; he can do this in three."
21 Aug 1988	TV	Better Days HTV 1 hr). Gareth plays Gwilym, barrister and undutiful son to Glyn Houston. Gareth (FCG#7): I did a show recently, which I enjoyed enormously, called Better Days, which was filmed down in Wales, where I played an absolute bastard (eat your heart out, Paul Darrow!). In fact, somebody said to me yesterday, who had gotten a tape of it and saw it, and they turned around and said, "Tell that man he owes me a drink," and I said, "Why?" He said, "Because I thought you were quite nice, but you're an absolute bastard, aren't you?" I said to him, "You mean I'm real on television and I'm just acting here? That's great; thank you. Haven't we got our priorities mixed up somewhere?" Gwilym (18k) Gwilym and Glyn (36k)
17 Oct 1988	Convention	Space City Con England, First convention that had both Paul Darrow and Gareth Thomas at the same time.
1988-1994	TV	London's Burning (LWT). Popular, long running drama series about London firefighters. Gareth had a recurring role as the area commander, Assistant Chief Officer Bulstrode. Gareth left the series in December 94, when Bulstrode retired. The series has been released on video in the UK (two episodes per tape 52 minutes each episode), and might still be available (1997). The character was brought in for one episode, but became a regular feature. He was based on a real-life fire chief who retired, so they wrote me out after eight episodes. My last line was: "I'm thinking of retiring at the end of the year." On film Thomas went on to say, "Now that's a good way to write yourself out of a series," and landed himself in hot water with the director for wasting film. "This used to be a profession and you used to be allowed to have fun. Now it's like any other business run by accountants and it's all about bottom lines. Gareth was in the following: Season 1 (1988) No eppisodes Season 2 (1989) episode 5 Season 3 (1990) episodes 1,2,5,8 Season 4 (1991) episodes 9 and 10 Season 5 (1992) episodes 5,9 Season 6 (1993) episodes 4,5 Season 7 (1994) episodes 2,8,15. We have also caught an uncredited appearance by Michael Keating Taking to Nick, the station commander (32k) Arriving at a major fire (40k) Taking Charge (46k)
Sep 1988	Audio Tape	Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. Gareth played Mog Edwards - this also stars seemingly every actor and singer in Wales - including Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce, Sian Philips, Tom Jones, Bonnie Tyler, Mary Hopkin, Philip Madoc, Windsor Davies, Sir Geraint Evans, Ruth Madoc, Aled Jones, Ray Smith, Freddie Jones and Sir Harry Secombe. This recording was released in 1988. A few years later, virtually the identical cast was brought together again and the performance was filmed. We believe that about an hour of this was shown on Television. The audio cassette was re-released at this time and the copyright date was changed to 1992. However the audio tape is not actually a recording of the filmed performance, but simply the 1988 recording re-packaged. Sadly, this tape is no longer avilable. This wa definately shown in the US, and was probably shown by LWT (London Weekend Television) in 1988. Review
1989	TV	To Each His Own ( TV movie 1¾ hours). Gareth plays an unscrupulous developer. Not BBC - therefore one of the ITV companies.
10 Feb 1989	Convention	Gambit Con US B7 con, to 12th Feb 1989.
March 1989	Radio Play	The Taff End 1 hr comedy about rugby supporters, by Ewart Alexander. Gareth plays Gary, a Welsh ex-rugby international who meets a friend of his. They both want a ticket to the England/Wales match. This was broadcast at about the same time as the annual England/Wales rugby match.
March 1989	Radio Play	New World in the Mourning wild Welsh comedy (BBC Radio 4) about God, politics (Thatcher vs. socialism), homosexuality, elections, personal ethics. Gareth plays Emlyn Parry of the Labour party, running for parliament.
12 Apr 1989	Theatre	Inside Job At Theatre Royal, Windsor 12-29th of April 1989 and at other venues. A Windsor Newspaper (Francis Batt): The Glamour of Life in Luton. Who would not envy the glamourous life of a film star, making movies in exotic locations? Actress Prunella Gee - currently starring in the play Inside Job at Windsor's Theatre Royal - wondered just what attractive setting she would be working in when she was cast as Sean Connery's girlfriend (or one of them) in his belated comeback to the role of James Bond in the 1983 film Never Say Never Again. "Some of the film was set in the Bahamas and some in the south of France. But guess where all my scenes ended up being filmed - in Luton" said Prunella. Her co-star in Inside Job, Gareth Thomas (of Blakes 7 fame) can beat that though. He was once phoned by a producer and offered the choice between two roles in a new production. It was not until I had chosen the one I wanted that he had the cheek to tell me that it was all being filmed over here, while the other role I had turned down was being filmed in the Bahamas...
7 Jul 1989	Convention	Scorpio 7 con US, Final Scorpio con. This ran until 9th July 1989. Some of these photo's (and others) are at Anne Wortham's web site.
23 Jul 1989	TV	Chelworth (BBC in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation) all but the first of eight 1 hr episodes. It is about a multi-millionare businessman in Hong Kong, whose brother dies and leaves him the title to a very run down stately home. He comes back to England to take care of it. Gareth plays Peter Thornton, a Yorkshire farmer who becomes the estate manager. Stephen Grief and Janet Lees Price also appeared in this. Peter Thornton (36K) 1 - Coming Home - (Gareth's not in this episode) 2 - A Wonderfully Wrong Thing 3 - Shoping Around 4 - The Rich Can Do Anything 5 - You Can't Beat Mozart 6 - Taking Your Profits 7 - My Dear Jamie 8 - A Real House
2 Oct 1989	TV	Boon: Walking Off Air (Central TV). Comedy drama series about an ex-fireman who sets up a motorcycle messenger company and does occasional detective work - stars Michael Elphick, David Daker and Neil Morrissey. In this episode, Gareth plays Bill Stone, a radio station director. Bill Stone (32K)
25 Oct 1989	Theatre	King Lear Northcott Theatre, Exeter. Gareth played Lear. This ran until 18 Nov 1989. Gareth as King Lear (39K) Gareth in the Prydonian Renegade: I think Lear was certainly the most difficult thing I'd ever done on stage. You actually walk offstage totally and utterly exhausted. There's no two ways about that. That's it. You go out there, you give it everything you can, and you walk off and say, "Whew." I'll tell you how exhausted I got - sometimes I didn't even get to the bar for over half an hour! And there are lots of pitfalls. I remember, doing Lear, there was one occasion, a matinee I think it was, and Lear in the first scene, his first scene, towards the end of it he loses his temper for the first time and I mean really goes for Cordelia. Doing this matinee I suddenly thought "Why have all the cast turned upstage?" The audience didn't notice and I carried on. The line is, "So be my grave my peace, as here I give her father's heart from her." And apparently I'd said "As here I give her hather's fart from her," and all the cast cottoned on and turned upstage. But the audience didn't have a clue.
Late 1989	Video	Masquerade Introduced a video tape about makeup for Sheelagh Wells.
16 June 1989	TV	After the War (Granada TV), based on Frederic Raphael's novel, eight episodes a total of 10 hours. Gareth plays an artist called Guy Falcon in 2 of the episodes - Love and Kisses; and Yesterday and Tomorrow. Also featured Jan Chappel and Ed Bishop (UFO). The date given is that of the broadcasting of the first episode. Guy Falcon (38K) This publicity photo is left / right reversed.
1990	Written	Blythe Spirits Gareth wrote several short stories about a small community of monks. Written sometime previously (pre 1988?) these were fan published in 1990.
4 Mar 1990	Radio Play	Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens. BBC Radio 4, Classic serial from 4 Mar 1990 until 1st April 1990 (5 x 90 min episodes) dramatised by David Beech. Also issued on tape. Gareth played the Rev. Septimus Crisparkle. The play featured Ian Holm as John Jasper, who searches for proof that his nephew Edwin Drood has been murdered. Orphans A Disapperance An Arival A Performance Redress
May 1990	Radio Play	Jim Davis BBC Radio 4 - play by John Masefield. Gareth plays a pirate captain called Marah, in this adventure tale.
6 Sep 1990	TV	Emlyn's Moon (HTV, five 1/2 hr episodes). Artist Idris Llewellyn, father of sullen Emlyn. Both Emlyn's Moon and Chestnut Soldier are based on the Snow Spider books by Jenny Nimmo. The series ran until 4th Oct 1990. Idris and Emlyn (32K)
Jan 1991	Radio Interview	Midlands Radio. No other details known.
24 Jan 1991	TV Interview	Scene Today Gareth and Jacqueline Pearce are interviewed. Channel not yet known. As to the second picture, we'll leave the caption to you... Gareth and Jackie (38K) ? (36K)
19 Apr 1991	TV Interview	Tonight with Jonathan Ross (ITV?), Interview with Jacqueline Pearce and Michael Keating. The audience was full of Blake's 7 fans. Jonathan Ross came down to talk with Diane Gies of Horizon. You score a bonus point if you can recognise the person sitting next to Diane. You score two bonus points if you can identify the three roles he played in Blake's 7. During the Interview (71K) Some of the audience (61K)
29 May 1991	TV	We Are Seven. (HTV) The series concerned a German family in England after WWII. Gareth played Big Billy Caradog, a drunken, bigoted bully. In the next to last episode he boxes (in his long johns) in a circus match. (Given date may not be that of the first episode.) Big Billy (25K) Gareth in TV Zone special #4: I'm working with a ferret, which is a very strange little creature. They're like weasels, and if they bite, they don't let go. I told the director that I was a little concerned about that, and he said "Don't worry" and introduced me to the ferret master who was a stage hand at the RSC when I was there. So I've got this ferret in my hands, and the scene was that I was in a barn, literally underneath a pile of straw. Two people come in; a young man and a young girl, and at one point they're beginning to get together and there's this burping sound. The girl says to the boy "Was that you?" and I sit up and say "It was me!" The fellow says "What the hell are you doing?" and I say "Well I'm with my girlfriend too!" and pull out this ferret. Now we obviously don't have the ferret there all that time because they're not that happy being under straw. We come up to the actual shot where I'm holding the ferret in my hand, when it suddenly opens its mouth. I'm thinking 'Oh shit', but I'm busy acting my arse off, and this thing starts licking me. This little clapper boy comes out and goes wallop amd thank God it went for the clapperboard instead of me!
18 Jun 1991	TV	Families (possibly Granada?) Gareth plays Detective Superintendant Collins in 5 episodes (perhaps 10?), who is investigating a murder. An Australian produced soap opera/mystery. Collins (38K)
20 Nov 1991	TV	Chestnut Soldier (HTV) Five 1/2 hr episodes, sequel to Emlyn's Moon. By Jenny Nimmo. Gareth plays artist Idris Llewellyn. He isn't in this as much as Emlyn's Moon but has a lovely scene with Nia. 20, 27 Nov & 4, 12 Dec 1991. Titles: A Prince Returns (1), Broken Horses (2), Fiery Dreams (3), Out of the Forest (4). Idris (42K)
1 July 1991	Signing	HMV Store in London to autograph the 1991 video releases.
20 Oct 1991	TV Interview	Pebble Mill at One (BBC) Live lunchtime magazine programme. Interview with Jacqueline Pearce.
1992	Audio Tape	Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. Gareth played Mog Edwards - this also stars seemingly every actor and singer in Wales - including Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce, Sian Philips, Tom Jones, Bonnie Tyler, Mary Hopkin, Philip Madoc, Windsor Davies, Sir Geraint Evans, Ruth Madoc, Aled Jones, Ray Smith, Freddie Jones and Sir Harry Secombe. This recording was released in 1988, a few years later, virtually the identical cast was brought together again and the performance was filmed. We believe that about an hour of this was shown on Television. The audio cassette was re-released at this time and the copyright date was changed to 1992. However the audio tape is not actually a recording of the filmed performance, but simply the 1988 recording re-packaged. Review This 1992 performance, may or may not have been the performance of Under Milk Wood that was in aid of the Princes trust. Gareth took part in a production of Under Milk Wood to help raise money for the Prince of Wales Trust, apparently some time in 1994 or 1995. The Prince of Wales Trust helps young people get started in life.
1992	TV	Waterland (ITV?) Gareth plays the landlord of a pub. He has around 1 minute of acting about 30 mins into this 1.5 hour epic, about a disturbed history teacher (played by Jeremy Irons) with an interesting past in England during WWII. From the Internet Movie Database: Jeremy Irons and his real-life spouse, Sinead Cusack, play a husband and wife in this intense, involving drama about a country schoolteacher and the tragic, emotional ghosts of his past (inherited across hundreds of years, but governing his own lost youth) which are threatening to destroy his current life. Beautifully directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal; adapted by Peter Prince from the Booker Prize-winning novel by Graham Swift; Waterland costars Ethan Hawke and John Heard.
8 Mar 1992	TV	Maigret: On Home Ground (Granada, 1 hr.) Series starring Michael Gambon as Georges Simenon's French detective. In this episode, Gareth played Monsieur Gautier, the groundskeeper for a prominent family in the village where Maigret was born. Maigret, Gautier and Emile (36K)
11 Jun 1992	TV Interview	The Late Show re: DejaVu BBC arts review show. This was about the play Deja Vu by John Osborne, which was on at the comedy theatre in London. Gareth played the character of Cliff.
June 1992	Radio Interview	About Deja Vu for about 20 minutes.
Jun/Jul 1992	Theatre	Dejavu by John Osborne, At the Comedy theatre, in the West End, in London, Gareth played Cliff. This play may have run to November. Gareth in The Prydonian Renegade (March '96): I was doing a play by a gentleman, a superb writer, who sadly is no longer with us, called John Osborne. I was doing his last play, Deja Vu, and Patrick Stewart came to see it and came round backstage, and I said "You Pillock!" and he said "What, Why?" I said, "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were coming?" and he said, "Well, I was passing through on my way from Italy to America," and I said, "We're playing to half-full houses out here. If I could have turned around and said Blake's 7 and Star Trek in the same theatre at the same time! we could have packed the place." Note: the plays title is really one word but every time you see it mentioned it's written as two words because it is two words in real life. However, John Osbourne meant for his play to be one word.
30 Oct 1992	Convention	Who's 7 '92 England, Dr Who / Blake's 7 convention. This ran to 1st Novemeber 1992.
Nov 1992	Convention	Visions '92 Chicago, SF convention
1993	Film	Sparrow (1993. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli). Based on "A Sparrow's Tale" by Giovanni Verga. Gareth appears for about ten minutes as Corrado (Nino's father). This was filmed in Italy. The Italian title is "Storia di una capinera". A young girl is evacuated from her convent during a cholera epidemic, and falls in love with Nino. A few months later she has to return to the convent, but cannot forget him. Corrado (37K)
18 Feb 1992	Appearance	Harrow Ideal Home Exhibition Opened up the exhibition and then made personal apperancess each day (18-20th) to help publicise the event because a friend was running it.
1994	Theatre	Under Milk Wood Gareth took part in a production of Under Milk Wood to help raise money for the Prince of Wales Trust some time in 1994 or 1995. The Prince of Wales Trust helps young people get started in life. (This may have been the 1992 recording, confusion exists...)
1994	TV	Pirates: Vikings (1/2 hr Documentry). Viking ship builder - "Smoothing Stroke". Gareth did this with one day's notice and no rehearsal as a favour. (Gareth once said that if he had not been an actor he would have loved to have done research into Viking history).
1994	TV	Trailers When Blake's 7 first appeared on UK Gold (the first UK screening since 1981) in 1994 they had a series of trailers for the show. They even did a takeoff on Star Wars with the slanted printed introduction. The trailers were about 30 seconds long and different ones were done by Gareth Thomas, Jan Chappell, Jacqueline Pearce, and David Jackson. Gareth did around three of these trailers. He mentions that Blake was the only person who can handle Avon.
8 May 1994	Theatre	Bridging the Tweed With the Rideout Theatre Company (who are based in Edinburgh). He played a tramp called "Merlin" during this performance. This ran to 14th May.
3 Nov 1994	Theatre	Educating Rita by Willy Russell. On tour including Oldham Colisseum Theatre, Nov 3-26th. Gareth played Frank.
Jan 1995	Convention	Event Horizon Australia, SF convention Report by Kathryn Andersen
Early 95	Radio	Kevin Greening Show With Paul Darrow, he did a number of voice overs for the Kevin Greening show on BBC Radio 1. This was the first occasion that Gareth and Paul had worked together since filming "Blake". (The guy in the middle is Gareth Randall, who organised the session).
1995	TV	Medics: Going West (Granada) (1 hr). Hospital drama starring Tom Baker and Sue Johnston. Gareth played George Robinson MP, visiting the hospital ward at the beginning. (Gareth nearly got the lead in this series, but in the end it went to Tom Baker). Gareth talking to Joe Nazzaro in Horizon 33: Joe: Speaking of ecentrics, I believe you worked with Tom Baker in Medics? Gareth: Yes, there's another eccentric. He was very pleasant, and I only had one scene with him. Funnily enough, the part that Tom Baker was playing was down to either Tom Baker or me. I spent two hours chatting to the producers on Medics, and I was told later on by my agent that it was either me or Tom Baker, and they chose Tom, who had a higher profile, I suppose.
1995	TV	Mentors: Awakenings Mentors was intended to be a 45 minute drama series aimed at a family audience. Storyline (from the Proposal): A group of four people, two men and two women, find themselves being drawn together by a mysterious force - at the heart of an ancient stone circle. There they are imbued with incredible telepathic and telekinetic powers, which have been laid dormant in wait for a period where the earth is under threat. In a new era of international instability and at a time of icreasing poverty, famine and ecological disaster, the world has a new kind of hero to restore the balance: The Mentors. Facing an age old menace in the form of the Dark Overlords - the Mentors will use their ancient power to protect the earth from disaster. The Mentors are 'the light in the darknesss'. Although a script was written for a pilot episode "Awakenings" by Austen Atkinson-Broadbelt, all that is known to exist on film is a five minute teaser made for promotional purposes. The pilot episode was written for the Family Channel (satellite TV) It's interesting to note that Gareth's character, Edward Grieg - the villain (an evil bearer) - was originally written as a woman, Mariah Grieg. TV Zone magazine featured Mentors in its Psi-fi special (#18). Edward Grieg Edward Grieg with flower The Stones Edward Grieg Teleport Braclets? Title Talking to Diane Gies in Horizon 33: Diane: And now you're playing a baddie in The Mentors. Gareth: Yes, I really enjoyed it. I must confess, I did think of Paul while I was doing it, wondering how he would play it. I do hope that it goes on and they turn it into a series. If they do, I hope to be able to direct a couple of episodes - I'd love to do that.
1995	Audio Tape	The Mark of Kane The tape consists of two stories, one on each side of the tape. The first story involves Travis before he reaches Freedom City and looks at some events relating to the Andromedans. It also involves a mutoid and a bounty hunter called Kane. With Brian Croucher (Travis II) The second story involves Blake and takes place shortly after Jenna's death. There are some links to the first story - Kane and the mutoid reappear. We also get to meet Tando (one of Blake's fellow bounty hunters). See Merchandise for more details.
1995	Audio Tape	Together Again: Blake's Back Audio tape about Blake's 7. Absolutely wonderful interview with Joe Nazzaro talking to Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow and occasionally Sheelagh Wells. See Merchandise for more details.
1995	Workshop	Actors Workshop with Mickey Rooney, Gareth played Oberon in A Midsummers Night Dream.
31 Jan 1995	TV	Archangel's Night Out BBC Wales - a play.
Mar 1995	Convention	Neutral Zone '95 Newcastle Upon Type, SF convention.
9 Mar 1995	TV	Crown Prosecutor (BBC) Ten 1/2 hour episodes between 23rd Feb and 27th of April. Gareth was in two episodes, one of which was on 9th March. Dreadful and thankfully shortlived courtroom drama series. Gareth played a magistrate, Harold Thomson, and was probably the best thing in it. David Daker, Michael Praed (Robin of Sherwood) and Tom Chadbon (Del Grant) were regulars. Harold Thomson (32K)
3 June 1995	Audio Tape	Travis: the Final Act Audio tape about Travis (Brian Croucher Travis II), using some of Blake's dialogue from the show - no new material from Gareth. This was released before December 1992. See Merchandise for more details.
1 Aug 1995	Gathering	B7 Cast reunion Stringfellows nightclub, London, a general publicity event for the video re-release. This included Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, David Jackson, Jan Chappell, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Stephen Grief and Peter Tuddenham. At the event, Diane Gies asked: Anything else in the pipeline? Gareth: I'm doing an episode of Casualty soon. Actually, I missed out on an advert recently. I don't normally do adverts, but I would have done this one as it was abroad - I was up for the part of a Bank Manager in a French Bank. My agent told me that they had picked me out of the final twelve, but then decided that they wanted someone younger so they started seeing a group of 20 year olds. So I'm now officially too old to be a Bank Manager - even in France.
12 Aug 1995	Signing	Autograph Signing The Movie Palace (an SF shop not a cinema), London, more publicity for the videos.
16 Sep 1995	Signing	Autograph Signing at Playhouse Video in Stevenage, with Paul Darrow. More publicity for the videos.
Oct 1995	Audio Tape	Unknown Corporate sales tape for the Unique Broadcasting Company (Europe's largest independent radio production company). (If you really want to know, Gareth is holding a printed copy of the WWW homepage of an Australian fan - who is a friend of the photographer). This was an audio tape to run in sync with a powerpoint presentation.
Nov 1995	Convention	Visions 95 con Chicago, the second con with Paul Darrow. Gareth Thomas (71k)
2 Dec 1995	TV	Casualty: Bringing It All Back Home (BBC) Gareth played Tom Arnold, a retired footballer turned author. He is soon discovered to have a shared secret with two other members of his old football team, played by Michael Keating and Stephen Yardley (Investigator Reeve in Sand). Gareth suffers a fatal heart attack after rescuing another footballer in a boating accident. Tom Arnold (34K) Gareth and Michael (36K)
8 Dec 1995	Theatre	The Storyteller Rideout Theatre Co., Scottish tour, Dec 1995, Gareth played the storyteller. Deep in the heart of an ancient cave sits an old man. 1000 years ago a spell was cast to keep him asleep forever. Why? What strange powers did he possess? Someone is trying to wake him! Tour dates 8 Dec 95 to 22 Dec 95, performed in various village halls, museums, small theatres etc in Melrose, Duns, Jedburgh, Newcastleton, Galashiels, Kelso, Bowhill, Berwick, Lauder, Peebles and Hawick. Review.
1st Feb 1996	Radio Quiz	Was a contestant in Radio 4's SF quiz show "To Boldly Go" along with Hattie Hayridge (Holly of Red Dwarf).
Mar 1996	Convention	Neutral Zone '96, Newcastle Upon Type, SF con.
11 Apr 1996	Theatre	Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. Scottish tour, by the Royal Lycaeum Theatre company (Edinbugh). It was at the Royal Lycaeum in Edinburgh until 4th May and then toured Stranraer, Dumfries, Ayr, Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy, Berwick upon Tweed and finishing in Glasgow on 15th June 1996. Gareth played Colonel Pickering. See More Pictures Col. Pickering (29K) Photo by Sean Hudson (?), supplied courtesy of the Royal Lyceum Theatre.
26 Oct 1996	Convention	Who's 7 '96 Ashford, Kent, the final Who's 7 con, the 3rd convention with both Gareth and Paul Darrow. Report by Judith Proctor
1996	Audio Tape	Together Again: Liberatored Audio Tape about Blake's 7. Joe Nazzaro interviews Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow and Michael Keating. See Merchandise for more details.
1996	History	Associate of RADA Gareth was unanimously voted an associate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, after his nomination by Stephen Grief.
early 1997	TV	The Witch's Daughter Scottish TV. Gareth has a minor part as a lobster fisherman.
10 Jan 1997	Theatre	Jekyll and Hyde By David Edgar based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson. At the Royal Lycaeum Theatre, Edinburgh, from 10 Jan 97 to 1 Feb 97. Gareth played Gabriel Utterson. Edgar introduced two new characters to the story, Jekyll's widowed sister Katherine and a servant girl called Annie. See More Pictures
7 Feb 1997	Theatre	Rebecca Based on the story by Daphne du Maurier. At the Royal Lycaeum Theatre (Edinbugh), Gareth Played Giles Lacy from 7 Feb 97 to 1 March 97. Reviews See More Pictures
14 Mar 1997	Convention	Neutral Zone '97 Newcastle Upon Type, SF con, only the 4th convention with both Gareth Thomas and Paul Darrow together. This ran to 16th Mar 1997. Report and Pictures by Julia Jones Report by Chris Blenkarn Gareth with the guide dog (73K)
May/Jun 1997	Radio Interview	Interviewed by BBC Radio Scotland.
14 May 1997	Theatre	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, At the Dundee Rep, 14-31 May 1997, Gareth played Big Daddy. There were also previews on the 10th and 13th. Reviews Newspaper article about Gareth and this role See More Pictures
1997	Audio Tape	Together Again: Action Audio Tape about Blake's 7 with Paul Darrow, Michael Keating and Stephen Grief (Travis I) See Merchandise for more details
14 June 1997	Radio Interview	Saturday Live Interviewed by Ruth Madoc on BBC Radio Wales.
19 Aug 1997	TV Quiz	Space Cadets Recorded on 23rd June, in Glasgow, a quiz show for Channel 4's Space Cadet SF Quiz show. This was repeated on 20 Aug 1997. Detailed Review of the Event
30 June 1997	Audio Tape	Logic of Empire This tape which was produced by Alan Stevens, who also produced The Mark of Kane.
13 July 1997	Convention	WOLF 359 Blackpool, Lancashire UK At the SFX (British SciFi magazine) Awards Ceremony at the Wolf 359: The Alliance convention (Babylon 5). Because J. Michael Straczynski had commented in the past that Blake's 7 had left quite an impression on him, it was arranged to have Gareth Thomas appear (in full Blake costume and make-up, a-la final episode and with pyrotechnics on-stage, but without the exploding guts) to give Joe his award as a surprise. JMS appeared quite flabbergasted and deeply moved. Report by Nicolene van den Berg
17 July 1997	TV Interview	And Now Over to Our Friends in Wales 2000 - 2030 on BBC 2 in Wales : 'And Now Over to Our Friends in Wales' (Yes, that's the title of the programme!) "Continuing the series in which Ruth Madoc delves into the BBC archives and pays tribute to some Welsh TV greats. Her two guests for this programme are Angharad Rees and Gareth Thomas." (Thanks to Radio Times.) Gareth reminisces
28 Sep 1997	Audio Tape	Together Again: Kingmaker Audio Tape about Blake's 7 with Paul Darrow, Gareth Thomas, David Maloney and Peter Tuddenham (Zen/Orac/Slave). Tke tape is called "Kingmaker" and is intended as a tribute to Terry Nation. See Merchandise for more details
11 Oct 1997	Convention	Starfleet Experience Sci Fi Con - Nottingham.
Early Oct 1997	TV	Merlin The Magic Begins Gareth played Merlin's mentor Blaze in a pilot called "Merlin the Magic Begins". This was filmed in early October 97. This was intended as the pilot for a series, but it seems extremely unlikely that the series will ever come to pass as the pilot was pretty dire. The pilot also stars Merlin is played by Jason Connery and Deborah Moore. The programme was made by Segull productions a part of Kaleidoscope Media Group. Lots more Pictures and information Blaze and Merlin (22K)
28 Nov 1997	Theatre	Sleeping Beauty Gareth played the King in a pantomime at the Dundee Rep Theatre from 28th November to 10th January. Review and other things This is a write up of a weekend in Dundee surviving the problems of the fire at Heathrow and other trials and tribulations along the way. This includes a review of Sleeping Beauty. The picture shows Gareth as the King with Janet Michael who plays Mara the nurse. She also stared with Gareth in the production of Cat on a Hot Tin roof at the same theatre, where she played Big Mama, when he played Big Daddy. Gareth with Janet Michael
25 Jan 1998	TV	Heartbeat (Yorkshire TV) Popular period drama about a policeman in 1960s Yorkshire. Gareth plays a farmer, Nathaniel Clegghorn, in "Local Knowledge" - episode 20 of the series that ended with Nick Berry's departure. It was filmed in mid October 1997. Clegghorn is in dispute with the disreputable Claude Greengrass, (a regular character) as to which of them has genuine ghosts on his farm. (Point of interest: this was the last episode to feature Nick Berry as PC Rowan, who had been the series' lead character until this point.) Gareth was also in 2 episodes in 1999, and 2 episodes in 2003. Hollywood or Bust on Sunday 28th Novemeber 1999. No Surrender on Sunday 12th December 1999. Moving Target on Sunday 13th April 2003. Absent Friends on Sunday 11th May 2003. Nathaniel Clegghorn (35K)
21 Feb 1998	Signing	Autograph Signing Gareth Thomas and Jacqueline Pearce were signing items at Hollywood Superstore, 16-18 St Giles High St, London.
Early 1998	Audio Tape	Together Again: Elements Audio Tape about Blake's 7. This tape has Jacqueline Pearce talking to Paul Darrow. The other side has David Maloney, Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow and Judith Smith. See Merchandise for more details
20 Mar 1998	Convention	Neutral Zone '98Newcastle Upon Type, SF con. Gareth is becoming a regular at this con, it is the fourth time he has done it. Report by Chris Blenkarn Report by Kathryn Andersen Report and Pictures by Julia Jones Report by Sandy Douglas
27 Mar 1998	Radio Interview	Midlands Today Gareth and Jacqueline Pearce were interviewed for 2 minutes about the Deliverance Convention that was starting that day.
27 Mar 1998	Convention	Deliverance Stoke on Trent, Blake's 7 convention with most of the cast. Many Reviews and lots of Pictures Gareth with Stephen Greif (Travis I)
June 1998	TV	Animal Ark HTV. Gareth has filmed an episode called Calf in the Cottage for this children's programme in Bristol. He plays the guest lead, a farmer John Mathews, in episode 12. This was recorded in September 1997. Gareth with the two main characters (and a calf).
29 Jun 1998	Opening	Fab Cafe Gareth acted as the guest celebrity/host at the opening nights of this Sci-Fi Cafe/Bar in Manchester, until 2nd of July. Report by Chris Blenkarn
15 Aug 1998	Convention	Neutral Zone Party Gareth was at the party from the 15th to the 16th of August.
18 Sep 1998	Theatre	The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Gareth plays Deputy-Governor Danforth. review by Judith Another review by Judith Dates: 18-26 September - Churchill Theatre, Bromley (0181 460 6677) 28 September - 3 October - Marlow Theatre, Canterbury (01227 787787) 5-10 October - Festival Theatre, Malvern (01684 892277) 12-18 October - Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield (0114 276 9922) 19-24 October - Theatre Royal, Nottingham (0115 989 5555) 26-31 October - His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen (01224 641122) 2-7 November - King's Theatre, Edinburgh (0131 220 4349) 9-14 November - Civic Theatre, Darlington (01325 486555) 16-21 November - Theatre Royal, Norwich (01603 630000) 23-28 November - New Victoria Theatre, Woking (01483 761144) Danforth (29K) Photo by Mark Douet.
16 Oct 1998	TV	The Creatives (BBC2) This is a sitcom about an Edinburgh advertising agency, written by Jack Dochert and Moray Hunter. Gareth had a minor role as a policeman (this part may be misrecorded as Creatures in some peoples records)
19 Oct 1998	Radio Interview	Nottingham Local Radio Gareth appeared on Nottingham Local Radio to publicise The Crucible and the party for Children in Need to be held on Wednesday the 21st.
21 Oct 1998	TV	Children in Need At the Red Lion public house, Canning Circus, Alfreton Road, Nottingham, a party was held as part of a fund raising event for the BBC Children in Need Appeal. Gareth took part along with James Warrior who worked with him on 'Morgan's Boy'. We do not know if Gareth actually appeared on TV.
4 Feb 1999	Theatre	Hosts of Rebecca Hosts of Rebecca - Gareth Thomas is playing Tomos Treherne (the narrator/minister) in an adaptation of a Welsh novel by Alexander Cordell. The novel is the second in Cordell's 'Rape of the Fair Country' trilogy. It is set in nineteenth century Wales, a time of struggle for the coal miners and farmers alike. 4/27 February - Theatre Clwyd, Mold (in north Wales) 2/6 March - New Theatre, Cardiff. Review by Chris Blenkarn.
Early 1999	TV Adverts	Warburton's Bread Gareth plays the father of an ice skater from Yorkshire.
Early 1999	Audio Tape	Together Again: Solstice Audio Tape about Blake's 7. 'Solstice' features two of the directors who worked on Blake's 7. Pennant Roberts directed early episodes including Spacefall, Time Squad (which was the very first episode to be filmed), Mission to Destiny and Bounty. Mary Ridge directed for the first time in 'Terminal' but was to return for Rescue and Power. She was landed with Animals and Headhunter, and directed the very last episode, Blake. Paul Darrow and Gareth Thomas are there as usual to give their own perspective on events. See Merchandise for more details
21 June 1999	Audio CD	Soldiers of Love - Deathtraps Soldiers Of Love is a series of CDs containing a new sci-fi comedy drama series. Story one is called Genesis and among the actors is Michael Keating (Vila) playing ex-game show host Mydas Mydason. Gareth Thomas and Jacqueline Pearce are in the second story, Deathtraps. Gareth plays The Editor, `Nermal Hammond'. Also Information about Soldiers of Love. Judith sells these CDs.
20 Aug 1999	Audio CD	Soldiers of Love - Metamorphs Gareth, Jan Chappell and Michael Keating are in this episode. This should be released on November the 8th. Gareth plays The Editor, `Nermal Hammond', a wonderfully over the top villian. Also Information about Soldiers of Love. Judith sells these CDs.
3 Sep 1999	Audio CD	Soldiers of Love - Ominous Passage Gareth, Jan Chappell and Michael Keating are in this episode, this should be released on December the 1st. Gareth plays The Editor, `Nermal Hammond'. Also Information about Soldiers of Love. Judith sells these CDs.
16 Sep 1999	Theatre	The Clearing Gareth Thomas played the charcter Solomon in this production, More details Review by Judith Proctor Review from the Scotsman Review by Ellie Baskerville 16/25 September - Tron Theatre - Glasgow. (BO 0141 552 4267) 28 September/02 October - Dundee Rep - Dundee (BO 01382 223530) 07/23 October - Royal Lyceum Theatre - Edinburgh (BO 0131 248 4848) 02/06 November - Everyman Theatre, Liverpool (BO 0151 709 4776)
27 Jan 2000	Theatre	Twelfth Night Gareth Thomas played Sir Toby Belch in a production of 'Twelfth Night' at the Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh (near Edinburgh) from 27 January to 12 February 2000. Review from The Scotsman (This is their picture) Review from Edinburgh News 16 Jan 2000 Review from Edinburgh News 27 Jan 2000 Review from The Scotsman 31 Jan 2000 Review from Edinburgh News 31 Jan 2000 Review by Julia Jones 5 Feb 2000 More Pictures
24 Mar 2000	Theatre	Equus Gareth Thomas appeared in Equus at Salisbury Playhouse from 24th March to 8th April. He played the psychiatrist. Review By Judith Review from the Financial Times.
15 Feb 2000	TV	The Strangerers Sky 1 screened 'The Strangerers', the wacky new SF/comedy series by Rob Grant for 10 weeks from 15th February 2000 (8.30pm) Gareth is a police officer in eppisode 1 and Paul Darrow is in 7 or 8 episodes after that, playing Mr Seedy. Sheelagh Wells also did makeup (She did makeup for much of B7).
Mar 2000	Audio CD	Soldiers of Love - Planet of Death Soldiers Of Love Gareth, Jan Chappell and Michael Keating are in this episode, Gareth plays The Editor, `Nermal Hammond'. Also Information about Soldiers of Love. Judith sells these CDs.
22 Apr 2000	TV	Randall & Hopkirk, (deceased) Gareth Thomas appeared as Dickie Bechard, the landlord of a country pub, in episode 6 'A Man of Substance' of the remake TV series 'Randall & Hopkirk, deceased' starring Reeves & Mortimer.
2 May 2000	Video	Legal Man Gareth Thomas did recording work on a video single 'Legal Man' for the band Belle and Sebastian, appearing with "two belly dancers, a couple of transvestites, two 'dandies', and a girl with a python" in a set based on Soho gentlemen's club circa 1967.
9 May 2000	Apperance	Fab Cafe Gareth appeared at Manchester's Fab Cafe on Tues 9th May for 'An Audience With Gareth Thomas' starting at 8.00. He's been there before and is a popular guest.
28 Jun 2000	CD	The Actor Speaks Gareth Thomas is the focus in the pilot of MJTV's new range of CDs called 'The Actor Speaks' Each CD will focus on a particular actor and aims to highlight their diverse talents and abilities. It also aims to explore areas of the character that actor is well-known for playing. It will not retread areas that other CDs, tapes or videos have previously done. The Actor Speaks - Volume 1 - Gareth Thomas More Details.
1 Jul 2000	Signing	Tenth Planet Gareth was at a signing of The Actor Speaks at Tenth Planet, 36 Vicarage Shopping Centre, Barking, Essex. From 1:00 to 4:00
Sep 2000	Video	Hamlet Gareth in October 99 played Claudius in a schools educational video of "Hamlet". It is being made by Cromwell Films, who were also involved with Merlin the Magic begins. Part of this was shot at Peebles (there is a castle there). Most of the filming took place at the same time as Gareth was appearing in The Clearing in Glasgow. This was released in September 2000. Review By Judith Proctor.
8 Sep 2000	Theatre	A Midsummer Night's Dream Gareth Thomas played Oberon/Theseus in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' from 8th September until 21st October at the Nottingham Playhouse and then also a major role in 'Dear Brutus' by J.M. Barrie, which opens 29th September for one week, then the two plays are where in rep until 21st October. On 7th, 14th and 21st of October both plays were acted. Reviews: A Midsummer Night's Dream by Dragonfly. A Midsummer Night's Dream by Janet Hordley. A Midsummer Night's Dream and Dear Brutus by Judith. Dear Brutus by the Daily Telegraph. From "This is Nottingham" From the BBC Photo's
8 Sep 2000	Theatre	A Midsummer Night's Dream Gareth Thomas played Oberon/Theseus in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' from 8th September until 21st October at the Nottingham Playhouse and then also a major role in 'Dear Brutus' by J.M. Barrie, which opens 29th September for one week, then the two plays are where in rep until 21st October. On 7th, 14th and 21st of October both plays were acted. Reviews: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Dear Brutus by Judith. Dear Brutus by the Daily Telegraph. From "This is Nottingham" Photo's
16 Sep 2000	TV	I Love the 70's Clips of Blake's 7 and interviews with Gareth, Paul and Jaqueline.
27 Oct 2000	Convention	Cult TV Gareth was at Cult TV from 27 to 29th October 2000.
2 Nov 2000	TV	South West News Gareth was filmed while at Cult TV, and this appeared on ITV's South West Lunchtime News. The item lasted about 3/4 mins. The Blakes 7 theme accompanied the report. Gareth thomas was interviewed, basically saying he was having a good time and amazed at the longevity of Blakes 7, then pulling faces through the back of a stacking chair! Judith, zine in hand, was singing (very well I might add) a filk song. The dealers room, a sweeping shot of the attendee's in the main hall and the presenter (Ron Bendall) wondering if he would eventually be a cult TV figure concluded the piece.
Jan 2001	CD	Storm Warning Written by Alan Barnes (editor of Doctor Who Magazine), directed by Gary Russell. Paul McGann returns to Doctor Who in the first of four stories as the Eighth Doctor; also introducing India Fisher as Charlotte "Charley" Pollard and guest starring Gareth Thomas ("Blake's 7") as Lord Tamworth.
21 Jan 2001	TV	Baddiel's Syndrome Gareth was in three episodes of Baddiel's Syndrome which is broadcast on Sky. He was in the episode "Dead Grandma" on Jan 21st and "Dream Home" on 19th March, and "Religious Uncertainity" on 9th April. He played Colin - David Baddiel's Welsh father. This was a joke within the series, as Baddiel is Jewish. However, I am told the joke has a basis in real life and Gareth actually bears a passing resemblence to David's father.
1 Feb 2001	Theatre	Hamlet Gareth appeared in Hamlet playing Polonius, and The Gravedigger, at the Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh (near Edinburgh) from 1st to 17th February 2001.
19 Feb 2001	Film	Possessions Gareth was in Possessions a video made by MJTV. Gareths part of this was filmed on 19th and 20th February 2001. Sixfoothigh films decided in June '02 not to do a full scale release of the film. (a small number of private viewing copies were sold to individuals). The film was written, directed and produced by Mark Thompson, but it was financed by sixfoothight films and they own the rights to it. Gareth appears for about an hour in as the suspicious 'Inspector Sabworth' and has a large amount to do for the following hour. Other actors included Peter Miles, Debbie Watling, Anna Karen and Mark Thompson (as a posh documentary presenter!)
23 Feb 2001	Convention	Redemption Gareth was at Redemption '01 from 23rd to 25th February 2001.
25 May 2001	Convention	Eclectic 21 Gareth Thomas and Jaqueline Pearce was at Eclectic 21. 25th to 27th May 2001. Photo (c) Simon Marsh. There are other photos at Eclecti's website.
25 Jun 2001	CD	Dalek Empire 1 Recorded 6 May 2001.
6 Jul 2001	Convention	Nexus Gareth was at Nexus 6th to 8th July 2001.
Jul 2001	TV	Doctors Gareth recorded an episode of 'Doctors' for the BBC. He appears as a sick farmer in episode 18 'Chip off the old Block' - due to air late September/early October. Although the episode was actually broadcast on Wednesday, the Radio Times entry is on Friday because they list all the guest actors in a soap in a single entry at the end of the week.
6 Aug 2001	CD	Dalek Empire 2 Recorded 3 June 2001.
10 Aug 2001	Theatre	Moving Objects Gareth at the Edinburgh Fastival. Gareth appeared in 'Moving Objects', a play written for him by Mark D. Thompson (who directed him in 'Hamlet' and 'Twelfth Night' at the Brunton theatre). Gareth plays Joseph Leibovitch, an East European refugee from the Holocaust, now working as a pawnbroker. The play ran from 10 - 24 August at the Brunton Theatre, Musselborough, near Edinburgh. In an interview with Jackie McGlone, David Mark Thompson (writer and director of the play) said: "The new play was written with Thomas in mind. "I am not one of those young (well youngish) directors who think older actors come from another planet. I love working with him -- we push each other -- or an actor like Michael Mackenzie. They bring immense craft and guile to their work." Information Joyce McMillan of The Scotsman 2 Reviews By Thom Dibdin
25 Oct 2001	CD	Soldiers of Love 8 This was recorded on 2 Sept 2001.
19 Nov 2001	Reading	The Last Moons Gareth did a play reading, on Monday 19th November - lunchtime. Doing a play reading Upstairs at The Gatehouse (Pub/Theatre), Highgate. The performance began at 12.30pm - the play is 'The Last Moons' by Furial Bordon, adapted by William Weaver. Director is David Newman. Gareth says Act 2 is him doing a monologue. The play takes a wry, intimate and funny look at the subject of Old Age!
25 Nov 2001	Signing	The Who Shop Gareth's was signing the newly released Big Finish CD 'Dalek Empire - Pt 3' at the Who Shop, 4 Station Parade, High Street North, East Ham, London E6 1JD. From 12 noon to 3pm Sunday 25th November. Joining him was be Stephen Greif who was signing copies of the Big Finish CD 'Primeval'.
4 Oct 2001	Theatre	Retherford and Son Gareth Thomas played Rutherford in Rutherford and Son at the Playhouse Theatre, Salisbury from 4th to 27th October 2001. Rehearsals began on 10th September. This is directed by Joanna Read, who directed Equus at the same theatre in March 2000. Information Review by Judith Proctor Review by Dee Adcock of the Salisbury Journal Review by Lyn Gardner of The Guardian Review from "This is Wiltshire" Review by Stephen Giles of The Stage
Jul 2001	TV	Top Ten TV: Sci-Fi Channel 4, 9pm covered Blake's 7.
29 Oct 2001	CD	Dalek Empire 3 Recorded 2 Sep 2001.
19 Jan 2002	CD	Dalek Empire 4
19 Jan 2002	Signing	10th Planet Gareth was signing copies of the newly released Big Finish CD 'Dalek Empire IV - 'Project Infinity' in which he stars as Kalendorf. At the 10th Planet Bookshop, Unit 36 Vicarage Field, Shopping Centre, Ripple Road, Barking, Essex, IG11 8DQ. On Saturday 19th January, from 1/4pm.
20 Jan 2002	Radio Play	Rob Roy Gareth was in the classic serial 'Rob Roy' on Radio 4 which started at 3pm on Sunday 20th January 2002, and continued for the next two Sundays. He playing the parts of Sir Hildebrande Osbaldistone and a Barber and a Servant. It was repeated on the following Saturdays at 9pm.
7 Feb 2002	Theatre	French Without Tears Gareth played M Maingot in Terence Rattigan's 'French Without Tears' at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter from 07/23 February 2002. "I'm afraid my part's 95% in French," he says... (he's teaching 3 young English lads to speak French..). Notes By Joyce Bowen. The photo of Maingot is credited to Alan Winn and copyright Northcott Theatre Company 2002.
25 Mar 2002	CD	Soldiers of Love 9 This was recorded on 2 Sept 2001.
11 Apr 2002	Theatre	Three Sisters Gareth played Army Medical Officer Doctor Ivan Romanovich Chebutykin in Anton Chekhov's 'Three Sisters', which stared Imogen Stubbs and Dulcie Gray. The play opens at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton on 11 April for a month, and then a short tour. The dates/venues are: 11 April/11 May 02 - Nuffield Theatre, Southampton. 13/18 May 02 - The Malvern Theatre, Malvern. 20/25 May 02 - New Victoria Theatre, Woking. 27 May/01 June 02 - Theatre Royal, Bath. 03/08 June in Cambridge. There is a review at The Stage.
21 Apr 2002	Radio Interview	Isle of Wight Radio Gareth recorded an interview with Isle of Wight Radio presenter John Hannam, which was broadcast on Sunday 21st April between 12 noon and 1 PM. "John talks to the biggest showbiz stars every week with more big names on the way. This week it's the turn of the TV stars. Guests include Gareth Thomas (Blake from Blake's 7), Angela Lonsdale (Emma Watts in Coronation Street) and Bruce Johns who plays Les Battersby." He said the play was "great fun" and that the production was "very good." He was also pleased that he wasn't the oldest member of the cast as he had been in 'FRENCH WITHOUT TEARS'. He thought that his character Cherbutykin was a little bit like Chekhov himself; Cherbutykin is an observer, although he doesn't comment much. Gareth said the play was "not quite nihilistic but close to it," and that Chekhov was "wonderful stuff."
18 May 2002	Signing	The Videodrome Gareth was in a signing session at the The Videodrome, The Shambles, Worcester on Saturday 18th May from 10am-1pm
25 June 2002	CD	Soldiers of Love 10 and 11 These were recorded on 2 June 2002.
9 July 2002	TV	Shipman The drama documentary about the serial killer Doctor Shipman, in which Gareth plays the Vicar, was shown on Tuesday 9th July, on ITV/Carlton - 9pm/10pm and concluding 10.20pm/11.20pm.
25 Aug 2002	Signing	Memorabili On August 25th at Memorabilia, SECC, Glasgow from 11am to 4pm. Both Gareth and Paul Darrow were there.
7 Sep 2002	Theatre	The Playboy of the Western World Gareth played Michael James Flaherty - a fat, jolly publican in 'The Playboy of the Western World' by J M Synge at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh from 07/28 September 2002. Reviews.
7 Nov 2002	Theatre	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Gareth played Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams' classic from 7th to 23rd November at the Byre Theatre, St Andrews, Fife. He played this part a few years ago - see reviews.
7 Dec 2002	Radio Play	Offside in Bohemia Gareth played General Pokorne in a play for BBC Radio 4 from 14.30 to 15.30.
23 Nov 2002	TV	Casualty He played a retired fireman who get his leg run over by his son-in-law who is trying to abduct his (Gareth's) grandson. This is episode 11 of Series 17 'Up to your neck in it', Gareth's character is called Jim Bailey.
18 May 2003	Radio Play	Parade's End Gareth was in a radio play, this time for BBC Radio 3 - `Parade's End' an adaptation of the play by Ford Maddox Ford, directed by Patrick Raynor. He plays The General (Godfather to the hero). It was broadcast on 18th May from 6.30 to 9.15 pm. The books follow the life of Christopher Tietjens before, during and after the First World War.
24 June 2003	Theatre	Boys Will Be Boys Gareth plays "Gus" in Boys will be Boys. A new play written, directed by and starring Simon Williams. It opens at The Mill, Sonning, Berkshire on 24th June until 2nd August. It then runs from August 4th to 9th at the Theatre Royal Windsor. Play: Romantic fiction, written by a woman for women is what the female species want to read. That's what publishers think! So the very masculine Lenny has been masquerading for a long time as Myrtle Banbury, the queen of romantic novels. But now he has had enough of the fame, the lies, the lipstick, the wig - to say nothing of the high heels. To complicate matters he has fallen desperately in love. He decides to 'kill off' his auntie Myrtle. But Lenny has reckoned without the notorious journalist, Letitia Butters who really believes Lenny has murdered his aunt. Lovelorn and miserably hoist on his own petard, Lenny improvises a hasty reincarnation for Myrtle. During the frantic séance that follows Lenny makes sure that his cross-dressing alter ego will never again come back to haunt him. Review from Henley-on-Thames Leisure Review from the Daily Telegraph Review from the Slough Observer Review from The Times Review from The Stage
1 Apr 2006	Radio Play	Look Back in Anger This is part of a season of 6 plays to mark the 50th anniversary of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court theatre.
8 May 2006	Radio	A Patriot for Us Gareth appeared for 5 consecutive days reading Radio 4's Book of the Week - 'A Patriot for Us' starting Monday 8 May on Radio 4 at 9.45/10am. Each day's episode was repeated at half past midnight. 'A Patriot for Us' is the biography of playwright John Osborne, written by John Heilpern. Source Radio Times and Horizon
Unknown	TV	Blasphemy at the Old Bailey This is a mystery. For a long time it was thought to be: Everyman: Trial for Blasphemy (BBC) The BBC did not have an edition of Everyman listed under this title. When this was shown is still unknown, but. It has twice been shown at the BFI - National Film Theatre - on 21 Jul 1992 and 19 Oct 2000.
Unknown	Radio Play	Blow the Wind
Unknown	Radio Play	3:30 Rat Race
Unknown	Radio Play	The Trumpet Major
Unknown	Directing	Unknown Something by Alan Ayckbourn. This was also produced by Pendant Entertainment Productions Ltd.

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Last updated on 06th of May 2002.