TV.com

Allo! Allo!

The British Are Coming

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired Dec 30, 1982

Next
Episode Previous
Episode

Episode Summary

EDIT

8.9

EPISODE RATING: Great

28 votes

Your Rating: 10

"Perfect"
Your Rating: 9.5

"Superb"
Your Rating: 9

"Superb"
Your Rating: 8.5

"Great"
Your Rating: 8

"Great"
Your Rating: 7.5

"Good"
Your Rating: 7

"Good"
Your Rating: 6.5

"Fair"
Your Rating: 6

"Fair"
Your Rating: 5.5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 4.5

"Poor"
Your Rating: 4

"Poor"
Your Rating: 3.5

"Bad"
Your Rating: 3

"Bad"
Your Rating: 2.5

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 2

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 1.5

"Abysmal"
Your Rating: 1

"Abysmal"

Rate Now!

We meet Ren Artois, owner of a small caf in the French village of Nouvion during WWII. Ren leads a simple life and is married to the tone-deaf Edith (who nevertheless loves to sing) and at the same time carrying on secret affairs with his two waitresses, Yvette and Maria. At the same time, Ren tries to maintain a good relationship with the occupying German officers - offering them the bedroom services of his waitresses in exchange for food and supplies.

All of this quickly changes when Michelle Dubois, a member of the French Resistance, arrives with two British airmen that must be kept hidden at Ren's caf. A radio (to contact the Resistance) is also installed.

Meanwhile, the Germans - Colonel Von Strohm, Captain Geering, Lt. Gruber and Private Helga - have been busy getting their hands on the town's remaining valuables such as the first cuckoo clock ever made and the painting "The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies" by Van Clomp. However, simple life is not to last for the Germans either as the ruthless Herr Flick of the Gestapo shows up. Hurriedly, the Germans form an alliance with Ren and decide to hide the cuckoo clock and the painting at the caf to sell them after the war is over.moreless

WRITE A REVIEW

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

GUEST STAR
Richard Cottan

Claude, the Onion Seller

Guy Siner

Lieutenant Hubert Gruber
Gorden Kaye

René Artois
Carmen Silvera

Edith Melba Artois
Vicki Michelle

Yvette Carte-Blanche
Kirsten Cooke

Michelle Dubois
Richard Marner

Colonel Kurt Von Strohm

Fan Episode Reviews (2)

See All

Brilliant.

10

"Perfect"

By dmarex, Sep 17, 2007

And so begins one of the best British sitcoms ever. We meet Ren Artois, a "brave" man who is forced to work for The Resistance and help the Germans at the same time. His wife Edith doesn't know how to sing and doesn't suspect that her husband is having an affair with their waitresses. A combination of funny characters that will become legends and the World War II will bring us a lot of laughs and reasons to spend some time in front of TV. There wasn't even one aspect of the show that I hated. I loved every scene with either characters-the dominating Gestapo, the sexy Helga, confused German officers, scared Ren, slutty waitresses and other. I'm looking forward to the future episodes.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
Hits the ground running

10

"Perfect"

By qrexranger9, Oct 29, 2006

This amazing show gets off to a typical start, most of the main aspects of the show are introduced. The clueless airmen, Michelle with crazy plans which she says only once, The dealings with the germans which both sides want kept under wraps, the threat of being exposed by Herr Flick of the gestapo. They ever hint at the first signs of romance between Helga and Flick. Rene gets thrown in to deep trouble. Everything seems to conspire against him and thats the charm of the show, the inevitability of the there being rubbish plans bound to go wrong and that it works so well is the strength of the show.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide

WRITE A REVIEW

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (0)
ADD TRIVIA
- ADD TRIVIA from this episode.
QUOTES (5)
ADD QUOTES
- (René and Edith are talking to London on the radio in Fanny's room) René (to the radio): Allo, allo! This is Nighthawk. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Over. Fanny (interrupts): Of course I can hear you. René: Not you! Shut up! Radio: Allo, allo! Pass your message. René (To Edith): What is the code to tell them the British airmen have arrived? Edith: "The little cupboard is full." Fanny : Ah? What is that? René: The little cupboard is full! Fanny (interrupts again): Oh no, no, no. I have not used it all the day!
  EDIT SHARE
- Michelle: Did my men come to fix the radio transmitter? René: Yes, they have put it in the attic room. Edith: It is the room of my mother. René: It is the only place where nobody goes unless they have to.
  EDIT SHARE
- Helga: Do you have an appointment? Herr Flick: I am Otto Flick of the Gestapo. Helga: Oh, you don't need an appointment.
  EDIT SHARE
- Michelle: Is your wife's mother prepared to die for France? René: She's been prepared to die for 30 years but she doesn't go. I think God does not want the aggrevation.
  EDIT SHARE
- (About Edith) René: This is my wife, Edith. I have told her everything. Michelle: Will she talk? René: Incessantly, but not about anything important.
  EDIT SHARE
NOTES (3)
ADD NOTES
- A number of the French accents on display in this episode are a bit different to what we became accustomed to, particularly those of Rene (Gorden Kaye), Helga (Kim Hartman) and Michelle (Kirsten Cooke), but this can be explained away as it was recorded around 18 months before the first series.
  EDIT SHARE
- This premiere episode introduces the following regular actors: Gorden Kaye (René), Carmen Silvera (Edith), Vicki Michelle (Yvette), Francesca Gonshaw (Maria), Richard Marner (Colonel von Strohm), Sam Kelly (Captain Hans Geering), Guy Siner (Lt. Gruber), Kim Hartman (Helga), Kirsten Cooke (Michelle), Richard Gibson (Herr Flick), Rose Hill (Fanny), Jack Haig (Leclerc), John D. Collins (Airman Fairfax) and Nicholas Frankau (Airman Carstairs).
  EDIT SHARE
- Later rebroadcast on September 7, 1984 to lead into Season 1.
  EDIT SHARE
ALLUSIONS (0)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- ADD ALLUSIONS from this episode.