I like Dave Allen but this terrible BBC1 series did him absolutely no favours at all. Unlike his earlier show, ' Dave Allen At Large', which mixed comedy monologues with sketches, this short lived show unimaginatively titled 'Dave Allen' was nothing more than crass, half hearted smut, not at all what we are used to from Allen. The sketches were dropped so all the show consisted of was Allen standing shouting cheap jokes before a studio audience who sound as though they have been put under laughing gas. If Dave was trying to move with the times, then I'm very sorry to say that he was not doing a very good job. I did laugh though when he remarked: "if a vehicle is causing an obstruction, why on earth do the police clamp it?" Overall, the show fared poorly and unsurprisingly was axed after just one season.
The format of the show was revisited in 1993, this time courtesy of ITV but there was still no visible improvement and it too did not last long before it was pulled from the airwaves. This alas more or less spelt the end of Allen's television career.
The format of the show was revisited in 1993, this time courtesy of ITV but there was still no visible improvement and it too did not last long before it was pulled from the airwaves. This alas more or less spelt the end of Allen's television career.
