Allen has worked in both films and television, presented television programmes, he has also appeared in pantomimes.
Early work After having several jobs during the 1970s, including a job as a
stagehand from which he was sacked after joining
Max Bygraves' chorus line on stage naked, Allen worked as a stand-up comedian and vocalist, opening for punk bands such as
The Clash.
Acting career Allen appeared in a number of films in the series
The Comic Strip Presents... on
Channel 4 in the 1980s after becoming one of the breakthrough acts of the
Comedy Store in 1979. Notable episodes featuring Allen include
The Bullshitters (a parody of
The Professionals), and
The Yob (a parody of
The Fly), which he also co-wrote. Allen appeared alongside fellow Comic Strip alumni as Pestilence in
The Young Ones episode "Interesting". Allen has performed both straight and comedy acting. In 1985 The Comic Strip released the film
The Supergrass, which Allen appeared in. In 1986, he appeared in
Comrades, a film about the
Tolpuddle Martyrs. During the brief period of
British Satellite Broadcasting as an alternative satellite broadcaster to
Sky, he had a regular comedy show of his own
I Love Keith Allen on the
Galaxy channel, a mix of stand-up and sketches. He appeared in the final
Carry On film Carry On Columbus (1992) playing Pepi The Poisoner. Following an appearance in the
black comedy Twin Town, directed by his brother Kevin, Allen was cast in a main role as a Downing Street press secretary in Mick Jackson’s the Channel 4 adaptation of
A Very British Coup. He played the lodger who dies at the beginning of Danny Boyle's thriller
Shallow Grave (1994). In the same year, he played Jonas Chuzzlewit in a
BBC adaptation of Dickens'
Martin Chuzzlewit. He worked with Boyle again, this time portaying a drug dealer in
Trainspotting (1996). Danny Boyle has said that Allen's character from
Trainspotting is the same one that moves into the shared flat in
Shallow Grave – he wears the same clothes. He also appeared disguised as a fictional hip-hop star "Keithski" to present
Top of the Pops on 2 March 1995. In 2000, Allen appeared in two
Harold Pinter plays at the
Almeida Theatre, playing Lambert in
Celebration and Mr Sands in
The Room. These were performed again at The
Lincoln Center Festival in July 2001. In 2001, he played the character of "problem-solver" Jim Napeworth in an episode of
Murder in Mind, and in 2004 in
Black Books as poker-player Dave 'Mouse Ears' Smith. In 2002 he played the
London Records executive Roger Ames in
24 Hour Party People, a film about
Factory Records and the
Manchester music scene. Allen appeared in the Channel 4 sitcom
Spaced in a short homage to the
Stanley Kubrick film,
The Shining. He appeared as the villain in the sequel to 2004's
Agent Cody Banks,
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, opposite
Frankie Muniz. He appeared in the hospital drama,
Bodies, as Mr Tony Whitman, a consultant
obstetrician. In 2005 he appeared in the
Endemol-produced
BBC Two television programme
Art School alongside
Ulrika Jonsson,
John Humphrys, and
Clarissa Dickson Wright where he discovered a passion for painting. From 2006 to 2009, Allen appeared in the BBC's
Robin Hood drama series, as the
Sheriff of Nottingham. Allen has also appeared in pantomimes, such as an adaptation of
Robert Louis Stevenson's
Treasure Island in 2008, written by
Ken Ludwig and directed by
Sean Holmes; he took the role of
Long John Silver in the
Theatre Royal Haymarket. In September 2011, he appeared in the BBC six-part drama series
The Body Farm as DI Hale. 2012 (2013 in the UK) saw the release of the
Sara Sugarman comedy film
Vinyl in which Keith played an ageing rock star who finds himself back in the public eye after his band member fools the music industry into giving them a record deal. In 2013, he played Darren the farmer in episode 1.5 of the comedy drama series
Great Night Out. In January 2021, Allen played serial killer and rapist John Cooper in the ITV 3-part drama,
The Pembrokeshire Murders. In 2023, Allen appeared as Dai Williams in the BBC crime drama
Steeltown Murders.
TV presenter Allen presented the TV show
Whatever You Want in 1982, during the early days of
Channel Four and has presented television documentaries for
Victor Lewis-Smith's
Associated-Rediffusion Television Productions:
Little Lady Fauntleroy (2004), which saw Allen interview
Lauren Harries and her family, ''You're Fayed
(2005) and on Michael Carroll – King of Chavs (2006). In 2007 his documentary Tourette De France
appeared on Channel 4, in which he travelled with a group of Scottish people with Tourette syndrome, including John Davidson, on an AEC Routemaster bus from London to the Parisian hospital where this condition was described by Georges Gilles de la Tourette in 1884. He also presented the British erotic direct-to-video series Red Tape''.
Keith Allen Will Burn in Hell appeared on Channel 4 in June 2007, and showed Allen profiling the controversial
Westboro Baptist Church, led by
Fred Phelps, and speaking to members of the church and Phelps's family. Allen presented the
Manchester Passion, a contemporary retelling of the last few hours in the life of Jesus on
Good Friday, 14 April 2006.
Keith Meets Keith, screened on 14 September 2009 on Channel 4, in which Allen tracked down TV chef
Keith Floyd. The show contained what turned out to be Floyd's final interview for television, as he died of a heart attack on the evening the documentary was screened. Allen's documentary film about the
death of Diana, Princess of Wales,
Unlawful Killing was intended for release in 2011.
Mohamed Al-Fayed, the film's only financial backer, contributed the film's £2.5 million budget. Allen argued in
The Guardian that it detailed a "provable conspiracy after the crash". It accuses
Queen Elizabeth and
Princess Margaret of being "gangsters in tiaras" and
Prince Philip of being a "psychopath".
Music Allen was a member of London punk band the Atoms in the 1970s, and later
Fat Les, a band which also featured artist
Damien Hirst and
Blur bassist
Alex James. He was also closely associated with the band
New Order, directing the video for their 1993 song "
Ruined in a Day", which depicts Allen and the band members immersed in a bizarre game of charades with a group of
Buddhist monks. He co-wrote their only UK number one single, "
World in Motion", and occasionally performed with them live, including their headline show at the
Reading Festival in 1998. He also appeared in the band's DVD
New Order Story, where he played host to a fictional
New Order game show. Allen appeared as the businessman in the music video to
Blur's 1995 hit "
Country House". He has been involved in several other football-related records, including "England's Irie" by
Black Grape and wrote the lyrics for "
Vindaloo" by
Fat Les. He also contributed the song "On Me Head, Son" to the film
Mike Bassett: England Manager, credited on the soundtrack album to Sporting Les. ==Personal life==