Dave Allen (comedian)

Allen’s routine about teaching a child to tell the time turns a supposedly simple explanation into an extended argument with adult logic. The child’s perspective gives him a consistent way to question each new rule, allowing the confusion to build rather than resetting for an unrelated joke. Look for the routine in retrospectives of his later television work. It is a useful example of storytelling through imagined dialogue, with the audience following a developing situation rather than waiting only for a final punchline.