'Allo 'Allo!

1984 · 9 seasons · Comedy
7.8 Modest

Series finished

Log in to follow
Comedy War & Politics

The misadventures of hapless cafe owner René Artois and his escapades with the Resistance in occupied France.

Country of origin
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Year
1984
Created by
David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd
Channel
BBC One
Studio
BBC

Trivia & behind the scenes

/
Origins

Croft and Lloyd devised 'Allo 'Allo! as a parody of the BBC wartime drama Secret Army, and the series was launched with a pilot on 30 December 1982 before being commissioned for a full run.

References

Many elements and characters were directly taken from Secret Army, including the café owner's affair under his wife's nose, a bed-ridden woman upstairs who knocks for attention, a pianist who is also a forger, and the rivalry between the Gestapo and the German military; several Secret Army actors, including Richard Marner and Guy Siner, also appeared in 'Allo 'Allo!.

Casting

Police officer Crabtree, introduced in series two, was played by Arthur Bostrom, who spoke perfectly in English but used extensive malapropisms substituting vowels and consonants to represent the character's poor French, giving rise to his catchphrase 'Good moaning' instead of 'Good morning'.

Filming

On 25 January 1990, star Gorden Kaye suffered serious head injuries in a car crash caused by gale-force winds, delaying the start of series seven; he was left with a permanent dent in his forehead from a piece of wood that smashed through the car window.

Filming

After his car accident, Gorden Kaye wanted to end the TV show but was persuaded by Jeremy Lloyd to continue; during his recovery, his understudy John Larson played René in a London Palladium stage production.

Filming

Exterior filming took place in Norfolk, largely at Lynford Hall, while interior scenes were recorded in front of a studio audience at BBC Television Centre, before production moved to BBC Elstree Centre's Studio D for the 26-episode fifth series, originally intended for US syndication.

References

Although a real town of Nouvion exists near Abbeville, the show's fictional Nouvion was inconsistently placed 'fifty miles from the coast', and road signs used as props (for Caen, Orbec, Falaise, Livarot, and Pont l'Eveque) actually correspond to the Calvados region, about 200 km from the real Nouvion.

Music

Gorden Kaye and Vicki Michelle released a comic version of 'Je t'aime... moi non plus' in 1986 featuring the characters René and Yvette talking over the melody, which reached number fifty-seven in the UK Singles Chart.

Reception

The original prop painting 'The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies', which had sold for £4,000 in 2007, sold again for £15,000 at East Bristol Auctions in December 2018 to a buyer in Nouvion.

Memorable quotes

/

Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once.

Michelle Dubois Delivering coded instructions to the Resistance

(To Edith) You stupid woman!

René Artois Scolding his wife Edith

Gid moaning.

Officer Crabtree Greeting people with mangled English

Ooooh, Rrrrenéééé!

Yvette Carte-Blanche Swooning over René

It is I, Leclerc!

Leclerc Introducing himself in disguise

Leclerc: It is I, Leclerc, man of a thousand faces!

Leclerc Boasting about his disguises

René: All of them the same.

René Artois Mocking Leclerc's disguises

Heil-a Mussolini! (in response to General Von Klinkerhoffen's "Heil Hitler")

Captain Alberto Bertorelli Awkwardly saluting the General

What-a mistake-a to make-a

Captain Alberto Bertorelli Reacting to his own blunders

Ze flashing knobs, ze flashing knobs!! (in later seasons, Leclerc often comes out from the bedclothes)

Madame Fanny La Fan Shouting nonsense from her bed

Not the onion soup!

Madame Fanny La Fan Fearing for her onion soup

You vill dress as a woman of the opposite sex

Herr Flick Ordering a disguise

Take off your clothes.

Herr Flick Interrogating a suspect

You may kiss me!

Herr Flick Addressing Helga romantically

[at the top of her voice] GENERAL VON KLINKERHOFFEN!

Private Helga Geerhart Warning of the General's arrival

'tler! (pronouncing only the last third of "Heil Hitler!")

Captain Hans Geering Mumbling the Nazi salute

(To Madame Fanny) Shut up, you (silly) old bat.

René Artois Insulting Madame Fanny

Can you do nothing right?!

Michelle Dubois Berating René for his mistakes

Edith! Yvette! Maria/Mimi! Oh! Does nobody hear the cries of an poor old woman!?

Madame Fanny La Fan Calling out for help

Hole Hotler!

Officer Crabtree Mispronouncing Heil Hitler

What people are saying (0)

Log in to share your take.

No reviews yet.

Nothing yet. Start the conversation!

New version available

A Seenr update was just released. Reload to get it.