http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4340115.stm


Comedian Dave Allen dies aged 68

Allen was famed for his dry routines

Irish comedian Dave Allen, famed for his TV routines as he perched on a stool with drink and cigarette in hand, has died in his sleep aged 68.
He was most famous for his TV shows Tonight With Dave Allen and Dave Allen at Large, which featured his satires on topics including religion.

Allen got his first break on a BBC talent show in 1959, and toured with the Beatles in the UK and France.

He died in his sleep on Thursday night at his west London home.

He leaves a wife, Karin, and three children.

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He was the original grumpy old man - he had so much anger and that was where he got his energy from -Writer Ian Davidson



Comics including Eddie Izzard, Barry Cryer and Dylan Moran were among those who paid tribute to Allen's comedic talents and originality.

The BBC's head of comedy Jon Plowman called Allen a "wonderful comedian" who would be sadly missed.

"That extraordinary relaxed style with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other as he buttonholed us with wonderful jokes and stories is the image that we shall remember," he told the BBC News website.

"He was a groundbreaker in many ways, particularly in the jokes and sketches that had a go at religion - something that certainly came from his growing up in Ireland that was sometimes quite tough for its day."

Mr Plowman added that Allen "tried to show the hypocrisies of the world as well as its funny side".

'Sense of absurd'

And writer Ian Davidson, who worked for 10 years with Allen, told the BBC News website: "He had so much anger, especially against the priesthood, and that was where he got his energy. He also had such a keen sense of the absurd."

"He was terrific to work with - whenever we visited him the first thing on his mind was making us lunch."

Mr Davidson paid tribute to Allen's ability to spin out stories on stage.

"I always enjoyed the tales about how he lost part of his finger - he never told them the same way," he said, adding: "I could always tell they were lies."

Allen retired from performing in 1999



Allen's first UK TV series was ITV's Tonight With Dave Allen, although he had become well-known through his guest spots on BBC One's The Val Doonican Show.

It was followed by Dave Allen At Large for the BBC, in which he developed his familiar themes of debunking religious rituals - inspired by his strict Catholic upbringing.

During the 1980s he moved onto an eponymous show simply featuring Allen with his trademark stool and glass of whiskey. One of his routines led to questions being asked in the House of Commons about his strong language.

It led to a 1991 stage show, An Evening With Dave Allen, and a series for ITV in 1993. His last performance came in 1999, when he recorded a rare interview for BBC Radio 4.

He remained protective of his material, refusing to allow it to be rebroadcast while he was alive.

Offers of work had continued to come in, and he was considering a project scheduled for later this year when he died.

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Look on the StarshipModeler BBS for more remeniscences:

http://starshipmodeler.net/cgi-bin/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=326683#326683

Very sad.

-Leelan

This puts it best:

"He was the uncle to end all uncles, childlike yet oracular and possessed of a ravenous appetite for human folly."

You rarely hear anyone mention Dave Allen. To be honest, I'd forgotten about him, too.

I got to be a fan when a local PBS station began airing his Dave Allen at Large shows back in the late 70's - early 80's. The shows were hit-and-miss when it came to the writing, but Allen maintained a knowing look and a twinkle in his eye that made it all work. He was Dean Martin cool on a more subtle level.

I'm sad to hear of his passing.

I also used to watch Dave Allen At Large on PBS. He was on WTTW Channel 11 in Chicago on Sundays at 10:00 followed by Monty Python's Flying Circus. His show seemed to alternate with The Two Ronnies. I always thought his show was better. His show was an excellent opening act for the Pythons every Sunday night followed by Doctor Who!

I remember my older brother and I staying up late to watch him.
Remember that one skit he did where he was at the end of a condom production line dressed as a priest poking pin holes in the finished packages lol lol !!! :p

Since we're talking PBS/British comedy shows, does anyone remember The Goodies? I always thought they never received their due. No team could ever come cloe to The Pythons, but I really enjoyed The Goodies and their bizarre episodes. The giant cat, the mini-Rolph Harris' in the wildlife park, trapped in the concrete block, etc.

I always tried like hell to like The Two Ronnies. There were moments when they hit the mark, but never on a consistent basis.

Are You Being Served was great because of the cast. The premises were far too outlandish in the later episodes. A classic is Mrs. Slocum's instructions to her neighbor about feeding her pussy (cat) when she was stuck at work.

Elite status is reserved for Fawlty Towers.

Here are some of his most famous quotes:

"I still think of myself as I was 25 years ago. Then I look in a mirror and see an old bastard and realise it's me."

"Am I the Irish comedian with half a finger? No, I'm the Irish comedian with nine and a half fingers."

"I don't go out of my way to be outrageous, I just go out of my way to look at things."

"I'm an Atheist...thank God."

"I've stopped smoking...I think the cost was a lot of it, and not being able to breathe. I first gave up smoking when I was eight."

"A good storyteller never lets the facts get in the way."

"We spend our lives on the run: we get up by the clock, eat and sleep by the clock, get up again, go to work - and then we retire. And what do they give us? A clock."

"If it's sent by ship then it's a cargo, if it's sent by road then it's a shipment."

"Don't mourn for me now, don't mourn for me never - I'm going to do nothing for ever and ever (what Allen said he would like to have inscribed on his tombstone) "

"Goodnight, thank you, and may your God go with you"