Keith Allen on becoming an actor and why he would legalise drugs

Ways to Change the World with Krishnan Guru-Murthy

Channel 4 News

Society & Culture, News, Politics

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2023

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Keith Allen has been many things. The father of popstar Lily and Game of Thrones actor Alfie Allen, he was also a TV presenter, theatre actor, the man behind two hit football anthems (the Fat Les ditty “Vindaloo” and New Order’s “World in Motion”, both of which he co-wrote) and a handful of small roles in cult movies (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 24 Hour Party People).

Growing up, he was a troublemaker; he’d spent time in Borstal, was thrown out of drama school, even sent to prison.

Now in his 70s, as he prepares to star in a new musical called Rehab, he looks back on the moments that have made up his rollercoaster life and career with Krishnan Guru-Murthy, on this week’s episode of Ways to Change the World.

Produced by Silvia Maresca.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome two ways to change the world. I'm Christian
0:04.4	Geremirthi and this is the podcast in which we talk to extraordinary people
0:07.6	about the big ideas and their lives and the events that have helped shape them.
0:10.8	My guest this week has lived. Keith Allen is an actor,
0:17.0	comedian, musician, he's had hit records and he's sporting some excellent facial hair at the moment because you are
0:26.4	currently playing Scrooge. I am yeah I put Alexander Palace. What's been your
0:31.5	approach to Scrooge? I'm trying to remember the lines.
0:35.0	That's about it, to be honest with you.
0:38.0	I read the script and I just thought there is something about this fellow.
0:41.0	It's going to be a journey that will take you from not
0:45.1	liking this man to actually having empathy with him, not just because he's a nice guy,
0:51.2	because I think you come to understand why he was like he was my ears like he is
0:55.6	so that that was what attracted me so what are your thoughts on why Scrooge became
0:59.8	Scrooge well I think it was because his head was turned by Mali when he was
1:04.1	younger obviously but also there's reference to the fact that he was dumped into a
1:08.1	boarding school and he was left there doing the holidays when everybody else went
1:12.3	home so he felt pretty isolated
1:14.2	from a very early age.
1:17.2	Now you were done to a boarding school?
1:18.4	I was indeed.
1:19.4	Oh yeah yeah I mean I'm not the kind of actor that draws on past experiences to that degree.
1:27.6	But yeah, when I read the script, there is this scene where he does talk about that you know about
	...

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