The Best of Dave Allen [DVD] (2005)

Love the guy. Very funny if you know him!

VERY GOOD

Classic Dave Allen routines and sketches. His introduction was a good insight into both him and his personality, contributions to the presentation, and feedback on his favourite items of comedy. This DVD will bring many memories back of a very different time in comedy and these days sadly lacking with the current comedians!

Love Dave Allen! I thought I had this DVD already and a recent programme about him prompted me to take a look for it. Sadly, I think I lent it to someone and it was never returned but at this price, I was able to get another one. It came quickly, well wrapped for transit and I enjoyed this great man's humour over again. He was controversial for his time and although I do love most of today's comedians, in my opinion, this is the way comedy should be. If you love your comedy, or looking to expand your collection, this can't come highly recommended enough. A good buy, delivered quickly and in a professional manner.

I'm always a bit wary of `Best of' DVDs as they invariably fall into the same trap of having the most popular as opposed to the best. But in the absence of any complete collection of Dave Allen then this will have to do. It's not that I don't like the finished product. I really enjoyed the clips on offer and for a fiver it's decent value for money. You get a flavour of the style and irreverence that made Dave Allen worth watching and there is an evenly balanced mix of the stand ups and sketches that made the show so successful in the 70s and 80s. It is inevitable that some of the material has dated somewhat, but it is not as un-PC as you would come to expect. In fact, save for one moment where a comedy explosion has left the victims covered in soot which leads to a Black & White Minstrels routine of sorts, it's not in the least bit offensive. Even the thorny subject of religion was treated with a good balance of satire and gentle humour. I've been a fan of Allen's style for as long as I could remember - He was such a natural raconteur, genial one minute, rabid the next but always fascinating to watch. For those who have never seen him perform, this is recommended as it stands above most shows broadcast during this period. However, my only gripe (and it is a minor one) is that you only hear him say his customary goodbye `may your God go with you' at the end in his latter years as he is sat a mixing desk looking back over his own archives which lacked the cutting edge and broodiness of his earlier performances. Even the absolutely fantastic theme tune isn't played until the end and it is poorly edited. So to sum up, it's a good intro to a great performer and good value for a fiver. Let's hope that the BBC see fit (or even get Network DVD to acquire the licence) to release a more comprehensive retrospective of Dave Allen's work. It's sad he is no longer with us, it would be even more sad if his legacy remained overlooked.

This DVD is just how I remember the Dave Allen Shows to be, it had lots of the jokes and it had plenty of the very funny sketches, Iwould highly recommend this DVD to anyone that was a fan of the late great Dave Allen, the only complaint that I have to make about this DVD is that there were not enough of the ghost stories, with the creaking door sounds and screams, that Mr Allen used to do on his shows. And I wish that it was longer. I really enjoyed the DVD. It arrived very promptly and I would certainly purchase from this seller again.

I became a fan of Dave Allen when his series DAVE ALLEN AT LARGE was shown on one of our local independent television channels, WSBK-TV38 in Boston. He was much funnier and more clever than Benny Hill, whose series was being shown on a competing channel. As a Catholic, I wasn't offended at all by Allen's religious humor and got quite a laugh over his Pope skits, and I loved his brief DR. WHO skit, which unfortunately is not on this DVD. I'm glad this DVD has been released of a previous VHS tape, because I cannot play PAL tapes, but I can play PAL DVDs! Can we request a sequel? There are still many funny Dave Allen stories and skits to be seen!

Brilliantly funny 'best of' clips & takes from a catalogue of VERY funny jokes. A master of his craft. Don't miss it.