A regular on the offshore Radio Caroline during the '70s, Allan moved to Ireland at the start of the 'superpirate' era and graced all of the big stations including Nova, Sunshine and South Coast. He was also much in demand as a voice-over artist, with Guinness among his high-profile employers.

Britain and by extension Ireland's first openly gay radio personality, he was a tireless campaigner for Greenpeace and North America's native Indians.

"You couldn't have met anyone less Smash 'n' Nicey than Tony," says hotpress' Stuart Clark who worked with him during the '80s. "He was a total one-off, hugely talented and fanatical about the craft of radio. It's something of a cliché, but we really won't see the likes of him again."