Allô Allô, uma retrospectiva... (VI) - Richard Gibson

O actor Richard Gibson encarnou em todas as temporadas excepto na nona e última, a personagem de Herr Otto Flick. Sempre vestido de preto, Herr Flick era um implacável e temível inspector da Gestapo.

"Helga, you may kiss me now" era um dos chavões utilizados por esta personagem.

Na nona temporada, Richard Gibson foi substituído pelo actor David Jacson.

Da Wikipédia (em inglês):
Richard Gibson (born 1 January 1954) is an English actor, probably best known for his role as the archetypal Gestapo Officer Herr Otto Flick in the BBC hit sitcom series, 'Allo 'Allo!.

Gibson was born in Kampala, Uganda, before the country gained independence from the UK. He was educated at St Paul's Cathedral Choir School, Radley College and the Central School of Speech and Drama. He took part in 'Allo 'Allo! during the vast majority of the series.

Dressed in an ankle-length leather coat and with the obligatory stiff-legged limp and walking stick, Herr Flick spent his life suppressing peasants, seducing Helga, the German town Commandant's assistant, and vainly trying to get his hands on the original of the painting 'The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies' by Van Klomp.

Gibson then toured with the group when 'Allo 'Allo! transferred to the stage and had successful tours both in the United Kingdom and abroad. The stage version of the show gave rein to his other skills, and he was able to demonstrate his mastery over the violin.

He has also played a wide variety of roles on stage and the TV screen, and in 2006 was a regular guest on The Daily Telegraph's World Cup Pubcast, where he usually took the role of Herr Flick, providing a more biased view of the proceedings. In 2003, he guest starred in the Doctor Who audio drama Flip-Flop.

Gibson was still doing voiceover work in 2009 and working as a sub-editor at The Times newspaper in London.

David Janson (born David Jackson, 30 March 1950) is an English actor whose stage debut was in Oliver! in 1962. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 in A Midsummer Night's Dream and appeared as the young boy (during Ringo's walk) in The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night.

Janson became well-known for his role as Jimmy Harker in the 1960s British soap opera, The Newcomers. He later starred in the sitcom Get Some In!. He also replaced Richard Gibson as the Gestapo officer Herr Otto Flick in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! in its final 1992 series, after playing Adolf Hitler's double in an episode of series 8.

He has also appeared in a variety of other roles including in Softly, Softly, Doomwatch, Jason King, Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, Brush Strokes, T-Bag Strikes Again, Ever Decreasing Circles, the postman in Keeping Up Appearances, Get Some In! and The Upper Hand.

David was married to actress Debbie Arnold (who played April Branning in soap opera EastEnders) for 13 years and divorced her in 2002.

The couple have two daughters, Hollyoaks actress Ciara Janson and younger sister Talia Janson.

They both worked on the Streamline English as a Foreign Language video series. He played the role of Kevin Smith and his wife that of his wife Sharon

Herr Otto Flick is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992.^[1] He was played by the actors Richard Gibson and David Janson.^[2] On The Return of 'Allo 'Allo! it was revealed that the character was based on a combination of Joseph Goebbels and Arnold Toht from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and that Gibson had wished to incorporate all manner of grotesqueries from these characters into his depiction of Flick but had only been allowed a limp.

Herr Flick is an officer of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police during World War II. On the rare occasions he wears uniform, he is shown to be an SS-Sturmbannführer (Major). He is portrayed as unemotional (his voice never changes in relation to how he feels) and he seems hurt only when he finds Private Helga Geerhart kissing the Italian Captain Alberto Bertorelli. Apart from this, the only emotion he ever shows is anger.

He is the godson of Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS and Gestapo. He explains in one episode that he is an orphan and was raised by nuns when he was little. He has stated that he originally didn't want to join the Gestapo, but Himmler convinced him. Over the course of the programme he receives several letters from Himmler, usually admonishing him for his actions, such as failing to find the portrait of the Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies by Van Klomp. When he is arrested by General Von Klinkerhoffen (once for pretending to be Helga's replacement and the other time for dressing up as a member of the French Resistance), Himmler comes to his rescue by sending a telegram to the General requesting Otto's release.

He is assisted by Engelbert Von Smallhausen, a junior officer of the Gestapo who is not too intelligent. Whenever Von Smallhausen makes a statement that is either stupid or does not agree with Flick's thinking, he always hits Von Smallhausen on the head with whatever object he can find at the time.

Herr Flick is in love with Helga, a fact which he does not often show. When she comes to see him he always says "You may kiss me." She then proceeds to kiss him passionately, while he stands quite still, with his facial expression not changing. He is excessively domineering, not just to her, but to Von Smallhausen as well.

His secret HQ's address is Rue de Gangoine 32. In his dungeon, Herr Flick has many disguises. He and Von Smallhausen are often shown in disguise, trying to gain entry to somewhere he is not supposed to be such as the château. He often adds the word 'Gestapo' as an adjective to various gadgets and items he uses. Examples include: "My powerful Gestapo binoculars", "My Gestapo staff car", and "The Gestapo Dance".

Herr Flick has a fondness for using experimental truth sera made from assorted exotic animals such as the Self-inflating Peruvian Marsh Frog or the Patagonian Fruit Bat. These sera often have interesting physical side effects on his victims.

There is also an extensive collection of Gestapo gramophone records dealing with such subjects as "How to fool French peasants into believing you are English in one easy lesson" - "Faw F-Faw Faw-Faw-Faw..."

He plays the violin extremely well and his favourite animal is the rat (because it is small, shifty and disgusting). He owns a homing pigeon named Boris.

In France, the word "flic" is a derogatory term used towards the police. Herr Flick is also said to be a reference to 'hair flick', the typical gesture with which Hitler adjusted his coiffure.

A website run by Gibson and located at www.askflick.com allows users to ask Herr Flick anything.