DAVID JACKSON TRIBUTE CHARITY COLLECTION

Following the tragic news of David's death in July, fans and cast members have
generously donated money to charity in David's memory and I thought you'd all
like to know that so far we have collected just over £500 which will shortly be
sent to the Actors Benevolent Fund at the request of David's wife, Anne.



I'd like to send all the money we've received off in time for Christmas, but
before I do if there's anyone else out there who would like to add to the amount
raised so far, would you please send a cheque payable to 'Horizon' to Diane at
37 Linton Avenue, Borehamwood, Herts. WD6 4R, or contact Diane by email to
arrange for payment to be made by credit card or BACS transfer.



Several of the cast have already made generous donations, but I'd particularly
like to mention Michael Keating who donated his entire proceeds from his photo
sales at the recent Cult TV convention.



CHARITY AUCTION - all proceeds to the Actors Benevolent Fund

We also have two copies of the newly released 'Star Maidens' DVDs which Gareth
Thomas has donated and signed and asked us to auction to the 2 highest bidders
with all the money going to the fund. For those of you who've not heard of it,
'Star Maidens' was a sci-fi 'battle of the sexes' comedy series filmed in 1975
in which Gareth appeared as Shem in several episodes. For the Extra Features on
the DVD Gareth filmed an exclusive interview, which is on Disc 2. The DVD also
contains a very informative booklet about the show, episodes, characters and
cast. You can find out more about Star Maidens at
http://www.animus-web.demon.co.uk/maidens/



As well as the Star Maidens DVDs, we have one further item to be auctioned for
this tribute collection. Horizon is donating a real Collectors Item - a copy
of the Marvel B7 Winter Special which has been signed by Gareth Thomas, Paul
Darrow, Michael Keating and Jacqueline Pearce. Together with this the winning
bidder will receive a 10x8" colour photo taken by professional photographer Pat
Harris at Deliverance 98, the 20th Anniversary B7 Convention. It's a photo of
Michael Keating, Gareth Thomas, David Jackson and Stephen Greif sitting on the
stage which was cunningly disguised as the flight deck of the Liberator (with a
giant Zen in the background). The photo has been signed by David, Gareth,
Michael, Stephen and Peter Tuddenham, so the winning bidder will have a special
signed photo of David for their collection.



AUCTION RULES

If you'd like to bid for either of these items, please email your bid to Diane
as soon as possible but no later than 15th December. Minimum starting bid on
the Star Maidens DVD is £15 and on the Winter Special + Signed photo £35. On
15th December the 2 highest bidders for the DVDs and one highest bidder for the
Marvel Mag & Photo will be contacted and asked to pay for the items so that we
can get the money in and hopefully your prizes with you in time for Christmas
(if you're overseas I guess it will make a nice New Year present). We'll post
bulletins at intervals letting you know what the highest bids are so far. If
you email through a bid that's already been beaten we will notify you of the
current bid in case you want to increase yours.



Bids should be sent to Diane at horizonb7@... Your email should
contain the following information:

a.. Your full name
b.. Your email address
c.. Your postal address
d.. Your bid for the Star Maidens DVD and/or
e.. Your bid for the Marvel Winter Special + signed photo
MESSAGE FROM ANNE JACKSON

I would like to thank everyone for all the kind words about David; it has been
lovely reading them on the Horizon website. I have also had a huge number of
thoughtful cards, letters and emails from all sorts of people - from friends and
fans, actor colleagues and even from the local newsagent! - all telling me their
stories about David, mostly funny ones, but also many about his kindness and
generosity as well as his quirks and idiosyncrasies! I know David would have
been surprised, embarrassed and delighted with them all.



He liked attending conventions and other get-togethers where he could get to
meet and talk with the fans. He was always happy to chat with people about
everything and anything - even, sometimes, Blake's 7! - and he genuinely enjoyed
the contact with you all. He was much less efficient at answering letters, as
many of you who wrote but never heard back will have realised, but he did read
every letter and appreciated your good wishes. He read the newsletters sent to
him with interest and had even been known to enjoy the occasional Blake's 7
zine. He was sometimes bemused by the continuing interest in the programme, but
always willing to reach back twenty plus years and tell a good story, even if
he'd run out of new ones long ago!



Finally, I would like to extend additional grateful thanks to those of you who
generously donated to the fund in David's' memory. Thank you so much, I do
appreciate it. I decided on the Actor's Benevolent Fund because of all the many
things in David's life, after his family, acting was by far the most important
to him. He loved every aspect of it, including the history; he was one of the
few actor members of the Irving Society (dedicated to Sir Henry Irving, one of
the greatest 19th Century actor-managers) and had a vast array of books on
everything from Greek drama to restoration comedy to Victorian melodrama to soap
operas. He loved old films and, I think, videotaped every single one that was
ever on TV. Most of all, of course, he loved performing and he was rarely
happier than when he was working.



I chose a piece to be read at his funeral by a longstanding actor friend Karin
Fernald which I think sums up what acting meant to David and, no doubt, to very
many other actors. It is a few paragraphs from Laurence Olivier's 'On Acting':



"Acting is like the first sip of beer, the one you probably steal as a child,
the taste that you never forget, it makes such an impression on your palate. No
other sip ever tastes the same, always just a little different. Acting is often
put down by outsiders, who are not interested anyway, as a game played by adults
who ought to know better. It is not; it is a great art and when it is done well,
it stands on its own, supreme and satisfying.



I have been acting all my adult life - and before. It has stood by me and I have
stood by it. It has given me much joy and some sorrow. It has taken me to places
that otherwise I would not have seen. It has given me the world and great
happiness. It has brought me friends and good companionship, camaraderie and
brotherliness. It has taught me self-discipline and given me the retentive eye
of an observer. It has enabled me to love my fellow men. It has clothed me,
watered me, fed me, and kept me away from a bowler hat and a nine to five desk.
It has given me cars, houses and holidays, bright days and cloudy ones. It has
no barriers; it has no class. Whatever your background, if it decides to embrace
you and take you to its heart, it will hurl you up there amongst the Gods. It
will change your wooden clogs overnight and replace them with glass slippers."



Once again, thank you all.

ANNE JACKSON



GAN'S TEDDY - a tale retold by Diane Gies

Many B7 fans will have heard of the story behind one of the funniest parts of
the infamous B7 Blooper Tape - the story of Avon's Teddy. However, you probably
didn't know that Gan had a Teddy too, and I'd like to share the story of Gan's
Teddy with you, as told to me at David's memorial service by his brother Jim.



David regularly received letters from fans and on one occasion, some years ago,
he received a letter from a fan asking if it would be possible to arrange to
meet as he had a gift he wanted to present to David. David agreed to meet at a
café up in town for a chat and on arrival at the chosen spot was amazed to be
presented with a two-foot tall Teddy bear, impeccably dressed as Gan even down
to its own tiny teleport bracelet!!



After spending some time talking, David and his benefactor went their separate
ways, David making his way slowly back to the underground station to catch his
train home, weighed down by this unexpectedly large gift. As he was walking
towards the station, David was relieved to spot an Oxfam shop and promptly went
inside. He went up to the lady at the till and explained that he'd just been
given this huge teddy bear as a present by a fan, and he had no idea what he was
going to do with it . "Oh we can take care of that," said the assistant, "I'm
sure we can find him a good home." "Oh no," said David, "you don't understand.
this young man has gone to a lot of trouble to dress the bear in this costume
for me - I just came in here to see if you had a large bag or two so I can cover
it up and carry it home on the train more easily."



I thought this charming story really sums up what a lovely man David was. It
simply wouldn't have occurred to him not to keep the bear, despite being rather
embarrassed carrying it home on the train, because he knew how much it had meant
to this fan to be able to present him with it. Thanks to Anne, and Jim, for
allowing me to share it with you all.



MEMORIES OF DAVID JACKSON - FAN TRIBUTES

Following the tragic news of David's death in July 2005, we shared some memories
of David from other members of the B7 cast, which are now on the Horizon
website. We also received the following memories/tributes from some of the fans
which we thought you'd like to read.



Jon Manzo

Thanks for letting me know -- very sad, indeed. I only met David a handful of
times over the last several years, but I always found him to be pleasant,
engaging, welcoming to the fans, and willing to sign as many DVD sets as I
plonked down in front of him. I had breakfast with him at Deliverance (was that
really seven years ago?) and really enjoyed just getting to chat with him about
whatever. He even did a drawing of me, grumbling about Gareth holding up the
autograph lines by chatting with everybody, which I have prized ever since.




Zoë Taylor

So sad to hear this - I feel like I have lost an old friend.



Steve Lannigan

I was shocked & saddened to hear of David's death on the 25th July. I only
actually found out yesterday. I've only been to one B7 festival (S1 DVD launch
at Wembley) and both myself and my girlfriend had a nice chat with him at it. He
seemed like a nice decent chap who took a genuine interest in B7 fans. Such a
shame.

Sarah Wright

It was with much shock and sadness that I heard the news about David Jackson.
Although I have been a Blake's 7 fan since the beginning, I was late into the
world of fandom and I first met David at Deliverance in 1998. Having never been
to a convention before, I had wondered how the cast would react to the fans but
David was very approachable and friendly. It was wonderful to meet a cast
member who cared about Blake's 7 as much as the fans. I consider it a privilege
and a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet and chat to David. Please can
you pass on my sincere condolences to his family.



Harriet Monkhouse

I have had an especial affection for David since I 'won' him in a raffle at the
Deliverance convention in 1998. Several of the actors had volunteered to have
breakfast with the fans on Sunday morning, and my number came up. After the
cabaret, in which he performed a music hall turn, I rushed off with a friend
who'd got a laptop to email Gan's number one fan in the US to see if there were
any questions she wanted me to ask David, but I don't think we got a reply in
time, so I had to improvise. And of course, we didn't actually talk about Gan
very much - we chatted mostly about theatre, and other actors. I remember him
telling me about being interviewed for a documentary (German, presumably) about
Dinner for One, because he'd once worked with Freddie Frinton. (I finally got to
see Dinner for One the following New Year's Eve in Sweden.) And something about
plays he'd done in Manchester. But the memory that's always stuck in my mind is
of him gently remonstrating with the catering staff on my behalf, because "my
friend has no mushrooms!"

I didn't see him again until March last year, at the launch of the first-season
DVDs, by which time he was looking much older. That time, I remember him
remarking that when he got a script, and maybe when he was watching a programme
too, he tended to start rewriting the lines in his head, which I liked because I
tend to do that sort of thing. Maybe I should have told him about the Platonic
Form of Blake's 7.

And I saw him for the last time about a month after that, at the Star One
convention. I'm not usually into being photographed with actors, but something
stirred me to go and have my picture taken with David, which I still have
(unsigned, as I couldn't face the thought of queuing). I've got it by me now. He
really wasn't as tall as one thinks - only half a head higher than me, though I
may have had heels on. But it's the broad chest and shoulders that stand out,
and the enormous hand clasped protectively round my shoulder, while my little
hand clutches at his. I reminded him that we'd met six years earlier; he didn't
remember, of course, though he asked hopefully whether I was the girl who knew a
George Formby song which went something like "I'd like a nice young girl, but
I'd settle for a blood orange". And having been reintroduced, he made a point of
greeting me by name whenever we met over the rest of the weekend.

Three points from his talk remain with me. He didn't believe Gan was secretly a
homicidal maniac; he thought bashing in someone who's just murdered your family
was a natural response. And unusually for a B7 actor, he clearly remembered some
of his lines (perhaps because he was given so few) - he referred to Gan's wife,
then corrected himself and said "his woman". And he remembered a lot about his
costumes, which is also unusual - he even knew he'd worn his own black trousers
under a gown from Henry VIII for Redemption (the only Gan costume people seem to
remember though it appeared only in that episode). Later I joined him for tea in
one of the smaller sessions, and for some reason we reverted to when he'd acted
in Manchester. He told me he'd played Antony, at the Library Theatre, I think...
I was used to seeing him in subsidiary roles, so it was good to know he'd had
his turn with the big Shakespearean leads.

So that's what I remember of meeting with David Jackson. He was a lovely man, of
great dignity and courtesy, and I'm glad I did meet him


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