Keith Allen

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This article is about the comedian. For the hockey player/coach/executive, see Keith Allen (ice hockey)

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Keith Allen (born 2 September 1953 in Gorseinon, Swansea) is a Welsh comedian, actor, singer and writer.

He appeared in a number of films made by The Comic Strip Presents... (notably The Bullshitters, a parody of The Professionals) on Channel 4 in the early 1980s after becoming one of the breakthrough acts of the Comedy Store in 1979. The brother of comedian and film director Kevin Allen, Keith Allen has done both straight and comedy acting. He appeared in the black comedy, Twin Town, the Channel 4 adaptation of A Very British Coup and played the lodger who dies at the beginning of Danny Boyle's thriller Shallow Grave (1994). In the same year, he turned in a critically acclaimed performance in a BBC adaptation of Martin Chuzzlewit. He was used again by Boyle to play a drug dealer in Trainspotting (1996). He also appeared disguised as a fictional hip-hop star 'Keithski' to present Top of the Pops on July 19 1996. [1]

He more recently presented TV documentaries for Victor Lewis-Smith's Associated-Rediffusion Television Productions: Little Lady Fauntleroy (2004), You're Fayed (2005) and on Michael Carroll - King of Chavs (2006). In 2007 his documentary Tourette De France appeared on Channel Four, in which he travelled with a group of Scottish Tourette's Syndrome sufferers on a Routemaster London bus from London to the Parisian hospital where their condition was first diagnosed by Georges Gilles de la Tourette in 1884.

He is a member of Fat Les, a band which also contains Britpop artists Damien Hirst and Blur bassist Alex James. Allen is also closely associated with the band New Order. He co-wrote their only UK number-one single, World In Motion, and occasionally performed with them live. He has also been involved in several other football-related records, including England's Irie by Black Grape and Vindaloo by his own group, Fat Les. He also contributed the song On Me 'Ead, Son to the film Mike Bassett: England Manager. He also once danced onstage with the Happy Mondays in New York City. In 2005 he appeared in the Endemol-produced BBC2 television programme Art School alongside Ulrika Jonsson, John Humphrys and Clarissa Dickson-Wright where he discovered a passion for painting. He also appeared, as Tony Whitman, in the hard-hitting hospital drama, Bodies.

Allen presented the Manchester Passion, a contemporary retelling of the last few hours in the life of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, April 14, 2006.

Allen is a keen conservationist and is patron of the Dorset Wildlife Trust^{[citation needed]}.

In April 2006, Allen began work filming the BBC's new Robin Hood drama series, in which he co-stars as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Allen is a fan of Fulham F.C., the oldest professional football club in London. He has produced a number of official songs for the club with his band Colin and the Cottagers singing with the club's chairman, and owner of Harrods, Mohamed Al Fayed. These include We're Not Real Madrid and Back Home, a reference to the club's return in 2003 to its historic home Craven Cottage on the banks of the River Thames.

He has eight children. These include pop singer Lily Allen, actor Alfie Owen-Allen and their sister Sarah Allen with his ex-wife Alison Owen. He was also married to Nira Park and was intimate with Julia Sawalha. He now lives with actress Tamzin Malleson. Their daughter, Teddie, was born in 2006.