By 1980, the Cold War had been relentless for 33 years. Despite the détente (a cooling-off period after the US’s defeat in the Vietnam war), it showed no sign of stopping. The Central Office of Information decided to take action, by creating Protect and Survive, a hard-hitting series of films about what to do if a nuclear attack were to come. They needed a strong, authoritative voiceover for the animated shorts and Patrick Allen was the man for the job. Allen was the voiceover for all 20 of the films, and at the time was the face of Barrat Homes, thought of as a reassuring presence. A good quality to have when faced with a nuclear attack, as Jude Rogers of The New Statesman, points out.

 

Aside from Protect and Survive and Barrat Homes, Allen had a varied acting and voiceover career. Many remember him for his work on Blackadder, E4 and with The Royal Shakespeare Company. He also had involvement with the music industry, re-recording some lines from Protect and Survive for Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Two Tribes.

 

Patrick Allen died in 2006, survived by his wife Sarah Lawson and his two sons Stephen and Stuart.