Tom Allen is celebrating 10 years since same-sex marriage was legalised in England and Wales with a new BBC One show. Big Gay Wedding marks a decade since the first wedding took place and Tom is pulling out all the stops to arrange the dreamiest ceremony for one gay couple.
The comedian, presenter and writer wants to get into the fully fairy godmother mode to give couple Adam and Dan a night to remember. But Tom is not alone, he also enlists celeb pals to give him a hand including Oti Mabuse and Sophie Ellis-Bexter.
As Tom helps the lucky couple arrange the wedding of the year, he reveals the extraordinary story of the fight for equal marriage and meets the LGBTQ+ trailblazers who helped make this day possible. In the one-off film, Tom will reflect on his own experiences of growing up gay as he considers how far rights have advanced. So let’s take a look inside Tom’s life growing up in South East London.
READ MORE: EastEnders’ Max Bowden is worlds away from Ben Mitchell in first acting role since soap exit
Tom, 40, first climbed the ranks in the comedy world after winning the top spot for the newcomer award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2005, and went on to support Sarah Millican, Romesh Ranganathan and Michael McIntyre on tour.
From there, Tom slowly became a familiar face to TV viewers after guest appearing on popular shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Big Brother’s Little Brother, Celebrity Gogglebox and The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice.
He then landed hosting gigs on Bake Off: The Professionals, The Christmas Bake Off and other shows. But before he was thrown into fame, Tom attended Coopers School in Chislehurst, Bromley, with comedian and friend Rob Beckett and actor Charlie Clements. Former EastEnders star Charlie Clements, who played Bradley Branning, also went to the same secondary school.
Growing up in Bromley
Opening up about his upbringing and going to the “rough” school in South-East London, Tom once told The Guardian: “It was quite a rough comprehensive. There was a permanent bubbling undercurrent of violence in Bromley. You had to keep your wits about you to avoid getting into fights.”
He continued: “It didn’t feel particularly kind or open. In fact, when I first went to the north of England I thought everyone was gay, because suddenly people were being nice and saying hello.”
Tom recently told The Times how he struggled growing up, he said: “I was so self-conscious growing up that I couldn’t bring myself to go on any school trips abroad. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I went away with friends for the first time, starting with weekend breaks in Valencia and Nice.”
He added: “By the time I was in my thirties, I was holidaying in Center Parcs with the comedian Rob Beckett and his family. We would ride on the Wild Water Rapids, an amazing waterslide that goes through the surrounding pine forest. I loved it.”
Tom also lived with his parents well into his adult life. It was only in May 2012 that the comedian decided to move out of the family home. Tragically, Tom’s dad died of a heart attack on December 1, 2021, at the aged 80.
Big Gay Wedding with Tom Allen airs on Wednesday, March 27, at 9pm on BBC One
EastEnders fan? Get your show gossip and news from our Albert Square expert Angie Quinn in our EastEnders newsletter. Sign up HERE.
