ATV Icon: Ronald Allen

In the final of our December inductions, we celebrate in the hall of fame Ronald Allen…

Ronald Allen was born on the 16th of December 1930 and became a soap sud over several British serials from the sixties into the eighties. Born in Reading, Berkshire, England, Allen trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he developed a solid foundation in classical acting.

He featured in several small movie roles, most notably A Night to Remember where Allen played the role of Lieutenant James Moody, a junior officer aboard the RMS Titanic. The film is a historical drama that recounts the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, based on Walter Lord’s book of the same name. It’s widely praised for its accuracy and attention to detail, and it remains one of the most respected cinematic portrayals of the disaster.

His first major serial role was in the Peter Ling and Hazel Adair devised Compact which was set in the offices of a women’s magazine. In the BBC television production, which ran from 1962–1965, Ronald portrayed Ian Harmon, a pivotal character who became the magazine’s editor after the departure of Joanne Minster (played by Jean Harvey). Ian Harmon was the son of Sir Charles Harmon, the owner of the fictional women’s magazine Compact, around which the series was cantered and titled.

Allen’s portrayal of Ian Harmon was noted for its suave and composed demeanour, characteristics that would become hallmarks of his later roles. While the saga wasn’t popular with critics the programme was popular with viewers and the series ran for 373 episodes.

Compact: Ronald Allen as Ian Harmon / BBC PR 1963

The demise of Compact saw a more sporty serial launched with the Beeb offering up United! (1965–1967), Ronald portrayed Mark Wilson, the manager of the fictional Second Division football team, Brentwich United. He appeared in 53 episodes between 1966 and 1967. United! was conceived as a twice-weekly serial focusing on the professional and personal lives of a football club’s players and staff. Despite its innovative approach, the show struggled to find a consistent audience, being considered too male-oriented for female viewers and too soft for male viewers. Consequently, it was cancelled after two series.

As well as soap Ronnie – as he was known to his pals – also popped up in sitcom The Liver Birds (BBC), crime series The Four Just Men (ATV), action dramas The Saint (ITC) and The Avengers (ABC) and also appeared twice in time and space science fiction drama Doctor Who (BBC).

His first venture into the ‘Whoniverse’ was in 1968 in the The Dominators as Navigator Rago. Rago, alongside his subordinate Toba, leads a Dominator expedition to the peaceful planet Dulkis. Their mission is to drill into the planet’s crust using robotic Quarks to convert it into radioactive fuel for their fleet. Allen’s portrayal of Rago is marked by a stern and calculating demeanour, emphasizing the character’s authoritarian nature and frequent clashes with the impulsive Toba.

TVT: Ronnie Allen is voted best dressed man on TV in 1977 / ATV

His second Doctor Who story was The Ambassadors of Death in 1970. Appearing as Professor Ralph Cornish the story sees Cornish as the director of the British Space Programme, overseeing a mission to contact a missing Mars probe. As the story unfolds, he collaborates with UNIT and the Doctor to unravel a conspiracy involving alien ambassadors and a government cover-up. Allen’s performance as Cornish showcases a composed and authoritative figure, navigating the challenges of space exploration and political intrigue.

His most famous part came in 1971 (not 1969 as often noted) when Ronald arrived at the Crossroads Motel fresh from selling a hotel in Bermuda where his marriage had failed due to his wife Rosemary (Janet Hargreaves) having an affair with a member of staff. Meg Richardson (Noele Gordon) did her best to put off Allen’s character of David Hunter from staying at the motel wrongly under the impression he was connected to her former husband Malcolm Ryder (David Davenport) who two years previous had tried to murder her.

David was familiar, however, with motel shareholder Louise Borelli (Clare Owen) who was looking to sell out of the Kings Oak based hospitality business and thought David, now looking for a UK interest, would be perfect – and eventually it was. David bought into the motel and eventually viewers also met estranged wife Rosemary, and son Chris (Freddie Foote). Storylines included a gambling addiction, discovering he had never legally married Rosemary – and that Chris wasn’t his son – and a romance, and marriage, to Barbara Brady (Sue Lloyd) but not before Rosemary tried to kill him when he was shot.

Crossroads: Ronnie as David, Noele Gordon as Meg and John Bentley as Hugh / ATV Birmingham

He gained widespread recognition for his role as David in the four-episodes a week Crossroads, a part that made him incredibly popular with the 15 million regular viewers to the daytime show, he noted that his fan mail was often women inviting him round their house ‘while the husband was at work’. In 1977 TV Times readers voted him ‘television’s best dressed man’.

In real life he had a long relationship with fellow actor Brian Hankin, who played Dr. Maynard on Crossroads, until his death in 1978. Ronald took time out from the fast-turn-around soap after Brian’s death and seemingly returned too soon – ending up being suspended for being drunk on set. However, ever the professional, when Allen returned from this bleak period in his life he would remain a regular until 1985 when new producers at the Birmingham based studios of Crossroads decided to revamp the series, it would alienate viewers and the show was axed in 1987.

In 1979 Sue Lloyd joined the cast as a regular, the onscreen romance of Barbara and David was reflected off-screen when Allen and Lloyd became incredibly close. On the opening night of Channel 4 the ‘surprise star guest’ billed in the first of many Comic Strip Presents… saw Ronnie as that surprise star, with Sue he also popped up on game show Give Us A Clue (Thames) and two appearances on chat show Wogan (BBC). The couple also appeared together stateside in dramas and also here in the UK in BBC crime saga Bergerac. 

Plans for a Crossroads movie were shelved in 1990 when Ronald was diagnosed with cancer. He married his companion and support Sue just weeks before his death. Ronald Allen passed away from lung cancer in 1991 at the age of 60.

Ronald Allen was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium on Monday 24 June 1991. His ashes remained with Sue Lloyd until her death 20 years later. They were both placed in St Andrews churchyard, Curry Rivel, South Somerset where a cremation marker notes their resting place.

Crossroads: Ronnie as David and Sue Lloyd as Barbara / Central TV

Comic Strip Presents… The Supergrass, Ronald as Inspector Robertson, Patrick Durkin as PC Franks and Michael Elphick as PC Collins / CH4

Crossroads: outside the famous motel with Jane Rossington as Jill, Ronald as David and Sue Lloyd as Barbara / Central TV

Crossroads: Ronald Allen joins the cast in 1971 / ATV