Michael Keating, 1947 – 2026

British TV actor Michael Keating, 79, has died, his family announced on May 21. Keating was best known for playing Vila Restal in Blake's 7, and Reverend Stevens in EastEnders. He made a handful of film appearances, but was busiest on TV: Dr. Who, Omnibus, Yes Minister, The Bill, Casualty, and Midsomer Murders, among many others. Of his TV work, Keating said that “'It's like with hiking, an actor can only use the script as a route map, you can only really be as good as the script allows.” He guested briefly on Dr. Who, and admitted, “I'd have loved to play the Doctor. I'd play him with a monocle and a James Mason voice. But no, I was never up for it. I mentioned it to my agent but apparently they wanted somebody else, so I wasn't in the running for it at all.”