Dave Allen at Large

Dave Allen At Large featured Dave Allen, an Irish comic whose humor is ls a shade different from other British comedy shows such as Monty Python's Flying Circus & The Benny Hill Show.



Allen's targets of comedy are mostly authority figures (especially his satirical takes on the clergy) & he has a relaxed, informal way of telling jokes that's almost reminiscent of the stylings of George Carlin or even Bill Maher.



His sketches do tend to be a bit offensive to some, but at least they aren't totally vulgar, unlike today's comedians & their material.



I was very lucky to have caught his show on Chicago's Public TV back in the 80's & i sure do miss his show since it's not on DVD.

If Benny Hill is the King of British Comedy, then Dave Allen is the Duke. He has a marvelous talent for combining mimicry and mannerisms into telling stories, as well as a mind for creating the funniest sketches. Even without the scale or broad innuendo of a Benny Hill sized extravaganza, he creates the same level of humor. While Benny was always, "Can he do that?" - Dave was always, "He did that!" His humor, though, of sex, drinking and religion might be too controversial for today, but there's a lot less funny comics today who are getting away with a lot more.

It is natural to compare Dave Allen and Benny Hill, although the only similarity between them is that they are both British comedians who did comedy sketch based shows during the 1970s. Reaching the North American market at about the same time, Dave Allen a Large was eclipsed by The Benny Hill Show. That means it is little remembered today, but those of us who saw it in all its glory know what a wonderful show it was.



Each set of skits were introduced by Dave who sat on stage in a high backed bar stool, sipping a drink and smoking a cigarette. The skits themselves were performed by a small cast of regulars and covered a wide range of topics. Unlike Benny hill, there were no songs or variety show moments.



The overall feel of the show is very British. You just know that even today there are thousands of guys sitting around in pubs getting gently sloshed and telling jokes about the Irish. This was a good show that deserved a wider audience.