Patrick Allen

John Keith Patrick Allen (17 March 1927 – 28 July 2006) was a British actor.

Allen was born in Nyasaland (now Malawi), where his father was a tobacco farmer. After his parents returned to Britain, he was evacuated to Canada during the Second World War where he remained to finish his education at McGill University in Montreal. Before returning to Britain, he gained experience as a local radio broadcaster and appeared on television in plays and documentaries.

Returning to the UK in 1953, Allen made his film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder (1954). He subsequently appeared in character roles in many films, including Captain Clegg, The Wild Geese, The Sea Wolves, Puppet on a Chain, and Who Dares Wins. He was also the lead actor in the Associated-Rediffusion adventure series Crane (1963–65) and in the BBC1 series Brett (1971). Allen played Moriarty's deputy Colonel Sebastian Moran in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

He made regular appearances in ITC television series during the 1960s and early 1970s, including The Power Game, The Baron, The Champions, The Avengers, Gideon's Way and latterly UFO (in the episode "Timelash" 1971), although he never had an ongoing role in any of these series. Alongside Roger Moore, he made one episode of The Saint ("The Man Who Could Not Die"), broadcast in the UK in July 1965.

Allen also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in a number of stage roles, along with many BBC productions, including appearing as Mr Gradgrind in a television production of Dickens' Hard Times in 1977.

In 1967, he and his wife Sarah Lawson appeared together playing a married couple in the science fiction film, Night of the Big Heat. He and Lawson also played husband and wife in the BBC radio series, Stand By For West, based on the John Creasey novels about Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Roger West.

Allen's distinctive, authoritative voice was familiar across the United Kingdom, even amongst those who did not recognize him as an actor. He dubbed Leon Greene, who played Rex, in the 1968 Hammer film The Devil Rides Out.

He narrated the British Government's Protect and Survive series of public information films in the 1970s; some of his lines in that production were re-recorded and sampled into the single "Two Tribes" by the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He also appeared in and voiced numerous commercials for house builder Barratt Homes and car manufacturers Ford and British Leyland among many others. His voice-over work led him to start up his own business, running a successful recording studio for voice-over work.

He provided the narration (the voice of Captain Star) for the 1989 children's series TUGS. Allen remained uncredited for his work, which was revealed in an interview with the show's producer Robert D. Cardona.

Allen's voice was heard at the beginning of videocassettes distributed in the UK by Video Network in the 1980s, welcoming viewers and reading an anti-copying warning. He also narrated the first series of Blackadder, and appeared in the last episode, "The Black Seal", as Edmund's nemesis, Phillip of Burgundy – known to his enemies as "The Hawk".

Allen's voice became synonymous with British alternative comedy in the 1990's after his recurring role as the Announcer for shows written by and starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, including Vic Reeves Big Night Out, The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer and Bang, Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer.

In 2005, he became the voice of the British television channel E4, providing voiceovers for many of its idents and promotions.

He was also the voice of the Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show on XFM, the late show on 103.2 Power FM, Hirsty's Daily Dose on Galaxy Yorkshire and briefly Virgin Radio.

Allen married actress Sarah Lawson in 1960; the couple had two sons.

Allen died on the morning of 28 July 2006, aged 79. He was survived by his wife (until her death on 18 August 2023) and their sons.