Irish comic Dave Allen dies

Comedian Dave Allen has died at the age of 68.

His agent confirmed his death at lunchtime today.

At his peak, the Irish comic was a huge star in the Seventies and Eighties thanks to his BBC show which ran for 19 years.

He was famous for his trademark laconic style and for sitting on a stool throughout, sipping a whisky and smoking a cigarette.

Allen was born David Tynan O'Mahoney in Tallaght, Ireland. His routines about the absurdities of everyday life were hugely popular and influential.

Although he became a hit on the BBC, his first break came on ITV. The former journalist made his debut on the BBC talent show New Faces in 1959, but it was in Australia where he first found fame in the Sixties.

He then returned to the UK and became a household name with programmes such as ITV's The Blackpool Show. The network gave him his own show, Allen, in 1967.

In 1969, he began the Dave Allen Show on BBC and followed that with Dave Allen At Large from 1971 to 1990, a variety and comedy sketch show which simply became Dave Allen in the Eighties.

His principal targets were sex and religion, in particular Catholicism, which caused concern among moral guardians. His use of the fword even led to questions in Parliament. He used to smoke 80 cigarettes a day and was famous for his nine-and-a-half fingers - having lost the tip of one in a car accident.

He had been in semiretirement but made occasional TV appearances.

The comedian died in his sleep last night following an illness, his agent said.

He famously ended every show by saying: "Good night and may your god go with you."