 In 1970, as the National Theatre began a slow, and much delayed, transition from the Old Vic premises to the multi-stage South Bank site, Blakemore was invited by Laurence Olivier to become one of two Associate Directors.Since Olivier had already suffered from medical crises which were a feature of the last quarter of his life, the question of eventual succession as Artistic Director was obviously in the background.Blakemore felt he was a probable candidate, and indeed, according to Olivier's biographer Philip Ziegler, he was highly favoured.