Britain and America have long since enjoyed a complicated, often turbulent but ultimately successful relationship in the political sphere which has in turn bled over into all aspects of life. Born in New York in 1947, star or stage and screen Guy Siner grew up with an admiration of comedy from either side of the Atlantic. Graduating from the Webber Douglas Academy of drama, he was taught by legendary TV auteur Julia Smith who would later go on to become the driving force behind the BBC juggernaut Eastenders which resulted in his TV debut in Z-Cars.
In 1982 Guy secured arguably his career defining role as Officer Lieutenant Hubert Gruber in David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd’s second sitcom triumph Allo Allo alongside Gordon Kaye and Vicki Michelle. French farce had never been used in a British sitcom before but under the stewardship of the legendary David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, Allo Allo became a huge hit, regularly attracting over 20 million viewers. For over nine years and eighty five episodes, the nation was hooked at the bizarre goings on at Cafe Artois owned by unconventional love rat Renè and his long suffering, vocally challenged wife Edith, played by Gordon Kaye and Carmen Silvera.
Part of the magic of Allo Allo stemmed from the merging of worlds which wouldn’t otherwise have met. From the outset, both cast and crew of Allo Allo worked to a simple shorthand that the French were randy, the Germans were kinky and the English were stupid. Therefore Croft, Lloyd nor the cast could ever be accused of xenophobia because they were laughing at everyone and the general misunderstandings between the nations. This created many opportunities to play around with language and exercise linguistic dexterity which was music to the ears of any actor and Guy thrived on this ability.
Despite ending in 1992, Allo Allo has endured and is still repeated on satellite channels almost daily which contributes to the show’s popularity. Still in demand as a regular booking for comic con events, Guy thrives upon regular reunions with his cast members Kim Hartman and Richard Gibson. This has spawned the successful podcast Listen Very Carefully where they relive moments from the show and chat with the occasional guest. This is definitely a passion project and something that gives Guy a lot of pleasure. You can listen to the podcast on the usual streaming platforms.
In 2024 Guy secured the role of Bishop Hubert Brenton in Disney+’s adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s novel Rivals alongside Aiiden Turner, David Tennant and Danny Dyer. Despite having just a minor role in the series, it was one that Guy relished and was delighted when he discovered that the character would return in the forthcoming series. Indeed this is indicative of Guy’s positive attitude towards his whole career and it’s extraordinary that in 2025 he is still involved in one of the biggest shows in British television. It was an absolute privilege to celebrate the wide ranging career of the great Guy Siner and with a formidable repertoire of work to his name, he has certainly earned a place in the British comedy hall of fame.
Beyond The Title