For children of the 1970s, Blakes 7 retains an emotional resonance equalled by few television series. The space odyssey broadcast from 1978 to 1981, in which Blake and his fellow revolutionaries battled with the Terran Federation, was landmark small-screen drama. It married the special effects of science fiction with the dystopian themes of Nineteen Eighty-Four and the moral message of such westerns as The Magnificent Seven. Of all the characters, none remains imprinted on the memory’s retina like Roj Blake himself, the idealistic lynchpin of the rebels.

So it is something of a surprise to learn that for the past two decades this leader of men has been leading a quiet life in a cottage on the banks of the Tweed — even more so because Gareth Thomas, who played the part, is Welsh.

“There came a point in our lives when my wife Linda and I just had to get out of London,” says Thomas. “We looked first at Wales, but at that time prices there were beyond us, and there was a lot of resentment about second-home owners.” The actor, now 64, spent a few years in Edinburgh as a child when his father was sent there for work, so he felt a natural affinity with Scotland. “We cast around for somewhere to live and decided that the Borders would be nice, and as soon as we saw this house we fell in love.”

For Thomas, part of the appeal was the convenience of the location, two miles from Clovenfords. It’s just an hour to Edinburgh airport, and from there another hour to London, so he has been able to pursue a full and varied career as an actor. His credits include Torchwood, London’s Burning and By the Sword Divided, as well as an impressive array of stage roles, many of them Shakespearean.

For all his pride in his work as a travelling actor, it is obvious that his home has been the centre of his world. “I love being beside the river,” he enthuses. “I don’t fish but I treasure having the water beside me. I joke that when I’m not working, I’m always on holiday, because for me home is so wonderful it’s always like a holiday.”

He has also found himself absorbed into the community — helped by a pub landlord who recognised his childhood hero the first time Thomas walked into the bar. “Because this has always been my home — not a second home — everyone I have come across has always been enormously welcoming,” he says.

It’s easy to see why the couple were so smitten with the area. The Tweed flows in front of the house, and Glenkinnon Burn runs through their half-acre garden. Immediately behind the house, Ashiestiel Hill soars to 1,300ft. The house, built in 1860, nestles in a fold of land beside a tiny road. Its green barge boards, exposed rafters and dressed stonework lend it a fairy-tale quality.

With a heavy heart, though, Thomas has to leave this idyllic spot. “My wife’s father is now in his 80s and lives on the south coast. He’s fine at the moment, but we realise that a time will come when we need to be able to get to him far more quickly than is now possible. Getting to London from here is easy — but beyond that just takes too long.”

Meanwhile, he aims to carry on working “for as long as I can remember the lines”. He is also an enthusiastic participant in the convention scene that has grown up around cult television series. “I am often a bit stuck for an answer when fans ask me about the meaning of plot details from this or that episode. I can’t really remember them, and it was a job for me, but it is great that there are so many fans and they are still so passionate about the series,” he says.

The couple are marketing their home at offers over £365,000. “Leaving friends behind, and the river, is going to be a real wrench,” Thomas admits, but he is determined to regard his time in Scotland as having a happy ending. “We just have to work at being joyful about what we have had here. We have loved every minute of it. How many people can say that?” It is a cheerful contrast to the series, which controversially came to a conclusion with Blake and his fellow conspirators being killed.

Strutt & Parker, 0131 226 2500

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