Tom Allen (comedian)

Biography

He trained with the National Youth Theatre performing with the company in London and Manchester in addition to working on outreach projects, films and also forming part of their Company Management Team. He attended the same school as comedian Rob Beckett.

Comedian

At the age of 22, Allen won the UK's most prestigious comedy newcomer award So You Think You're Funny in 2005. The same year, he won the BBC New Comedy Awards. He performed with fellow So You Think You're Funny winner Tom Wrigglesworth at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the show Allen & Wrigglesworth.

He has performed at Just For Laughs in Montreal, London’s Soho Theatre, New York’s UCB Theatre and has had his own show at the Edinburgh Fringe for the past three years - 'Tom Allen and Other Short Stories'; 'A Voyage Round My Mother' and 'Women!'

Film

Film includes Colour Me Kubrick with John Malkovich, Starter for Ten with James McAvoy and Mark Gatiss and the film, Tamara Drewe.

Television

In 2009, he appeared in Channel 4's weekly TNT Show writing and presenting Dictionary Corner.

For television he has appeared in BBC’s Sensitive Skin, Fear of Fanny, the Frankie Howerd biopic Rather You Than Me and the series The Cut as well as Channel 4’s Law of the Playground. In 2008, he made his own documentary for E4 about identity entitled Who is Tom Allen?. In August 2015 and March 2016 he appeared on "8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown" as a Dictionary Corner guest. In October 2016, he appeared as a guest on BBC2's The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. In January 2017, he made his debut on Live at the Apollo in an episode hosted by Sarah Millican. In February 2017, he appeared as a panelist on The Dog Ate My Homework. In July 2017, he appeared on a celebrity special version of The Crystal Maze. and then an hour later on Mock the Week . Also in July 2017,

Radio

He has co-written and recorded 2 series of The Correspondent for BBC Radio 4. In 2009, he made guest appearances on Loose Ends, The Richard Bacon Show, Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother’s Little Brother.

He took the lead role of young Pip Bin in the BBC Radio Four comedy Bleak Expectations, which has so far run to five series (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012) with Anthony Head and Richard Johnson.

In 2008, he recorded a radio adaptation of The Wooden Overcoat with Julia Davis and David Tennant and written by Mark Gatiss.

He has appeared on several times on BBC Radio 4's Just a Minute (August 2015, Feb 2017 ).

Doctor Who audio

Tom portrayed Oliver Harper, the travelling companion of the First Doctor and Steven Taylor during a limited story three-story arc in the Big Finish Productions audio dramas.

His character, Oliver Harper, is a city trader from 1966. He joined the First Doctor and Steven Taylor, in the audio play The Perpetual Bond, The Cold Equations and The First Wave. Oliver was the first ongoing companion created for the Companion Chronicles range.

Podcast

Since October 2015, Tom has co-hosted the podcast 'Like Minded Friends' with comedian Suzi Ruffell.

Awards and nominations for stand up comedy