Sad news. I just last month watched all the way through Blake's 7, which I hadn't seen since I was a kid. Vila was always my favorite as a kid, and Keating still held up.
Avon and Servalan was the combo I liked seeing the most on screen. They had such great intellectual tension as they constantly tried to sniff each other out. But, as you say, Vila was definitely the most relatable.
Vila was the most relatable character though.