List of 'Allo 'Allo! characters
This is a list of all main and recurring characters of
Overview
Character | Portrayed by | Seasons | Best of | Return | Nationality | ||||||||
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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René Artois | Gorden Kaye | Main | French | ||||||||||
Edith Melba Artois | Carmen Silvera | Main | |||||||||||
Yvette Carte-Blanche | Vicki Michelle | Main | Main | ||||||||||
Maria Recamier | Francesca Gonshaw | Main | |||||||||||
Mimi Labonq | Sue Hodge | Main | Main | ||||||||||
Michelle "of the Résistance" Dubois | Kirsten Cooke | Main | Main | ||||||||||
Monsieur Roger Leclerc | Jack Haig | Main | |||||||||||
Monsieur Ernest Leclerc | Derek Royle | M. | |||||||||||
Robin Parkinson | Main | Main | |||||||||||
Monsieur Alfonse | Kenneth Connor | Main | |||||||||||
Madame Fanny La Fan | Rose Hill | Main | |||||||||||
Major-General Erich von Klinkerhoffen | Hilary Minster | Main | German | ||||||||||
Colonel Kurt von Strohm | Richard Marner | Main | |||||||||||
Lieutenant Hubert Gruber | Guy Siner | Main | Main | ||||||||||
Captain Hans Geering | Sam Kelly | Main | R. | G. | |||||||||
Herr Otto Flick | Richard Gibson | Main | |||||||||||
David Janson | M | ||||||||||||
Herr Engelbert von Smallhausen | John Louis Mansi | R. | Main | ||||||||||
Private Helga Geerhart | Kim Hartman | Main | |||||||||||
Captain Alberto Bertorelli | Gavin Richards | Main | Italian | ||||||||||
Roger Kitter | M | ||||||||||||
Officer (Captain) Crabtree | Arthur Bostrom | Main | Main | British | |||||||||
RAF Flight Lieutenant Fairfax | John D. Collins | Main | G. | Main | |||||||||
RAF Flight Lieutenant Carstairs | Nicholas Frankau | Main | G. | Main |
René Artois
René Francois Artois (Gorden Kaye) – The local café proprietor who, whilst trying to remain impartial, has been dragged into the war by both sides. The Germans are threatening to shoot him if he does not secretly hide stolen valuables; the Resistance is using his café as a safe-house for shot-down British airmen; and on top of that, he is trying to keep his passionate love affairs with the café waitresses secret from his wife. Whenever his wife Edith catches him in the arms of another woman, René invariably responds with the phrase "You stupid woman! Can you not see that..." followed by a convoluted explanation, which Edith always believes, leading to an apology from her. René does not care much for his mother-in-law, often referring to her as a "silly old bat!" Each episode starts with scenery, costumes or props from the end of the previous episode, and (usually) René opens each episode with a monologue to the camera starting "You may be wondering why..." and proceeding to describe the situation he finds himself in, and to summarise the previous episode. Rene's only love is for his waitress/mistress Yvette Carte Blanche.
Edith Artois
Edith Melba Artois (née La Fan) (
Fanny La Fan
Madame Fanny La Fan (Rose Hill) – Edith's mother. She lives in an attic above the café, lying in bed wearing white nighties and a goffered cap. This is also where the British airmen and the radio (complete with "Ze flashing knobs!") are hidden. When she wants attention she bangs her walking stick on the floor, and cries out "Will nobody 'ear the cries of a poor old woman?" She is partial to a glass of gin, and occasionally fills in for her daughter as part of the café cabaret, although her singing is just as bad (if not worse). She also hates the Germans, as evidenced by saying "The Germans, I spit on zem", after which she actually spits, usually to the side of the bed. Her attitude towards M. Alfonse varies from one episode to the next, she often says that he would make a better husband for Edith than Rene, but she will also hurl pottery at him from her bedroom window because she does not like undertakers.
Yvette Carte-Blanche
Maria Recamier
Maria Recamier (
Michelle Dubois
Michelle "of the Résistance" Dubois (Kirsten Cooke) – Leader of the local "French Charles de Gaulle (the one with the big 'ooter) Résistance", she devises elaborate plans to help British airmen escape, and to blow up German ammunition trains and lorries. Whenever she concocts a plan, she gathers everyone around and issues her instruction, "Listen very carefully, I shall say 'zis only once!", followed by the vital information. Whenever her plans are thwarted by someone's stupidity, she rebukes that person, "You fool!" She pretends to fall in love with René, but only to stop him leaving the Resistance. Michelle is also the only French character in the series who speaks English (see Languages).
Monsieur Roger Leclerc
Monsieur Roger Leclerc (Jack Haig) (series 1 to 5) – The Resistance's elderly forger, 'master' of disguises (all of them unconvincing), and café piano player. He is responsible for delivering to the café various goods such as batteries, bombs, and radio equipment. He does this in a variety of disguises, ranging from an onion seller to a lost mountain hiker. On delivery Leclerc always says, "It is I, Leclerc", accompanied by a raising of his glasses to reveal his identity. He seems to think that he is good at disguise even though he is always instantly recognisable; René once remarks: "Man of a thousand faces, every one the same!" and on another occasion, "I know. It is you. Leclerc." He is also the childhood sweetheart of Madame Fanny, and often pops up out of her bed whenever Fanny says "Ze flashing knobs!", only to be pushed back down. He is an escaped convict.
Monsieur Alfonse
Monsieur Alfonse (Kenneth Connor) – "Alfonse, the half Belgian undertaker, swiftly and with style." He is in love with Madame Edith, often wooing her with flowers and the prospect of living above the mortuary. He has a serious heart condition, causing his "dicky ticker" to go into overdrive when he glimpses the women's underclothing. He often helps the Resistance. When he hears that René is to remarry Madame Edith he challenges him to a duel, from which René eventually escapes, disguised as a woman. René is thereafter proclaimed by Alfonse as the Hero of the Resistance – "The bravest transvestite in all France". Alfonse is later due to officiate at the remarriage of René and Edith himself, in his capacity as Deputy Mayor, only to faint due to his "dicky ticker". He has set up a tunnel from his mortuary to the British POW camp to smuggle in the airmen. Funds for the Resistance, borrowed from him, are forged by Leclerc on their return – unfortunately leading Alfonse to feel generous and spend the money on a party at the café.
Erich von Klinkerhoffen
Major-General Erich von Klinkerhoffen (
Colonel Kurt von Strohm
Colonel Kurt von Strohm (Richard Marner) – The corrupt German town commandant. He is kept occupied by hiding valuable local paintings and antiques, which he intends to sell after the war. He frequently visits the café, where the waitresses provide him with much entertainment. He always gets René to do his dirty work, threatening him with the line "Othervise I vill have you shot!", with Captain Hans Geering agreeing in a high-pitched voice, "He vould, he did it before!" Hiding his baldness with a comb over, overweight, bumbling and greedy, the Colonel often promises René a cut of the profits but is quick to take them away. He exclaims with a big smug smile, "Ve are vinning ze var. I am a German officer and I can shoot anyone I like!". In episode 1 of series 8, Colonel von Strohm refers to himself as Erich. In his pre-war life, he owned a gateau factory in the Black Forest.
Lieutenant Hubert Gruber
Lieutenant Hubert Gruber (Guy Siner) – A German officer who has been reassigned following service on the Eastern Front. He is implied to be homosexual and seems to have a crush on René, although in the final episode he is revealed to have married Helga after the war. He is also responsible for forging certain pieces of art. He owns a "little tank" (which we later find out to be called Hubert Jr.), driven by the unseen Clarence. Gruber is in charge of the firing squad that shoots René (unbeknownst to Gruber, with blanks) and feels terribly guilty about the incident. He takes over from Captain Geering as the Colonel's assistant after the captain is captured by the British.
Captain Hans Geering
Captain Hans Geering (
Herr Otto Flick
Herr Otto Flick (
Private Helga Geerhart
Private Helga Geerhart (
Officers Fairfax and Carstairs
Herr Engelbert von Smallhausen
Herr Engelbert von Smallhausen (
Officer Crabtree
Officer (Captain) Crabtree (
Mimi Labonq
Mimi Labonq (Sue Hodge) (series 4 to 9) – The replacement waitress for Maria, she is also short in stature. She is a member of the Resistance with a bloodthirsty hatred of the Germans, and a secret mission to kill the "German swines", often after wooing them – her address on her card is "straight up the stairs, first on the left past the linen cupboard". She also has a bit of a fancy for René.
It is heavily hinted that the waitresses supplement their income by prostitution with the Germans, and Yvette frequently entices Colonel von Strohm with the promise of using "the flying helmet and the wet celery". Precisely how these are to be used is never made clear.
Captain Alberto Bertorelli
Captain Alberto Bertorelli (Gavin Richards, series 4 to 6; Roger Kitter, series 7) – An Italian officer who is seconded to Colonel von Strohm as liaison between the German and Italian forces in the prelude to the proposed invasion of Great Britain, and as a replacement for Captain Geering. He has an eye for the ladies and is known as a womaniser, often using the phrase "Da Beautiful-a Laydee. I kiss-a de hand-a". When saluting the Führer, Bertorelli instead says "Heil-a Mussolini", and when things go wrong he always says "What a mistake-a to make-a!" His Italian troops are unprofessional and always run away. In greeting, he kisses everybody except Gruber whom he knows about and so shakes his hand. Famously asked about his medals: "The first row are for service in Abyssinia. The second row are for service in North Africa". The last row? "They are for servicing Fiats!" Later he puts on a big feast for Madame Edith and is seen to put some of the olive oil on his hair.
Monsieur Ernest Leclerc
Monsieur Ernest Leclerc (Derek Royle, [series 6]; Robin Parkinson, [series 7 to 9]) – This character was introduced to the series after the sudden death of Jack Haig (the actor who played Roger Leclerc), as his brother. He has many of the same characteristics, and is also a former childhood sweetheart of Madame Fanny. The character switch was explained by claiming that Roger had tried to get his brother out of prison, but ended up taking his place. When Royle died after only one series, the series' producers chose to replace him with a different actor playing the same character.
Recurring characters
Leopold von Flockenstuffen
General Leopold von Flockenstuffen (
Denise Laroque
Denise Laroque (Moira Foot) (series 5) – Original leader of the Communist resistance and childhood sweetheart of René.
Louise
Louise (Carole Ashby) (series 5–9) – Later leader of the Communist resistance, she is also in love with René.
Henriette
Henriette (Phoebe Scholfield) (series 1–2 and 5–6) – in series 1-2, Michelle's assistant in the Resistance. Often appears alongside Michelle during attempts to save the British airmen. In series 5, Schofield appears as a member of the communist resistance, although her character is not named, and in series 6 she is seen again in Michelle's camp. It was never stated whether it was a different character, or the same character either going undercover or changing loyalties.
Corporal Caponi
Corporal Caponi (John Banks) (series 5–6) – Captain Bertorelli's second-in-command of the Italian troops stationed in Nouvion.
Private Elsa Bigstern
Private Elsa Bigstern (Louise Gold) (series 7) is Helga's replacement when she leaves for a course. She is a masculine type with red hair and a booming voice. She is young and eager, to the point of stunning General von Klinkerhoffen and Colonel von Strohm. She starts a relationship with Herr Flick, but seems the more dominant of the two, much to his disgust. When Helga returns, Elsa disappears without explanation.
Dr. LeConte
Dr LeConte (David Rowlands) (series 8–9) The local doctor in Nouvion, with asthma and in a worse state than anyone else in the town.
Clarence
Clarence – Lt. Gruber's tank driver. Drives Gruber's little tank quite often for him, but is never actually seen in the flesh. Gruber often gives him orders to drive the tank, and is sometimes mentioned by him while in René's café.
Madame Lennard
Madame Lennard – Aside from Clarence, Madame Lennard is the most frequently-mentioned unseen character. She works as a milliner and dressmaker. She models a see-through
The Fallen Madonna (with the Big Boobies)
The Fallen Madonna (with the Big Boobies) by fictional artist van Klomp – the long-running gag of the series. It is a valuable portrait, the location and authenticity of which is a key concern to the other characters as the original changes hands frequently and there are various forgeries. Other antiques (such as a painting referred to as The Cracked Vase with the Big Daisies by
References
- ^ "'Allo 'Allo! FAQ". Aa.marktv.org. Retrieved 18 June 2012.