Norfolk's Finest (Im Alan Partridge !)

Member Name: stoffy

Product:	Im Alan Partridge !
Date:	14/09/02 (302 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: very witty, great supporting characters

Disadvantages: none

Comedy characters usually have quite a short shelf life before becoming tragically unfunny. One-dimensional with one catchphrase, they often start to grate on repeated viewing.

Alan Partridge is an exception to the rule, and almost 10 years after coming to the attention of millions, there is still eager anticipation of the new series of ‘I’m Alan Partridge’ which should be on air later this Autumn.

Partridge started off life on Radio 4 as part of a news spoof show anchored by Chris Morris. A sports reporter of some limited ability, he came to wider attention when the show transferred to TV as ‘The Day Today’. In a show filled with comedy talent (Doon MacKichan of ‘Smack The Pony’ fame also starred), Partridge’s small cameos shone through with his little quirks, ineptness, and his turns of phrase when describing a goal being scored...

A few years later on, and Coogan started off a new project, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’. This saw Partridge as having made it in the world of showbiz, and as a presenter of a popular TV chat show.

Coming across as bullying and rude, there were some classic lines, but most episodes used to end with Alan being outwitted by one of his guests.

After just one series of ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’, Coogan decided to give Partridge a new change in direction. The (off-screen) story is that Partridge’s TV show was decommissioned and is reduced to working the graveyard shift at Radio Norwich. With his wife having left him, he is forced to live at a Travel Tavern in Linton because it’s “equidistant between London and Norwich”…

The six part series first shown in 1997 gives more depth into Alan’s character, as we see his desperate struggle to re-establish himself. As well as being a DJ, coming out with classic cheesy lines and comedy sound effects, he has lost none of his old tactlessn
ess…

We are also introduced to his faithful PA Lynn, who literally cleans up after Alan. A quiet and timid lady, she is played to perfection by Felicity Montagu. Also notable are the hotel staff who gently poke fun at Alan. These include another ‘Smack The Pony’ regular Sally Phillips.

Here is a guide to the first series…

“A Room With an Alan”

After months of purgatory living in the Travel Tavern, Alan sees light at the end of a tunnel and sets up a meeting with a TV executive (David Schneider) in order to make an attempt at reclimbing the showbiz ladder. Armed with some eclectic ideas for new programmes (including ‘Knowing M.E., Knowing You’ and some pub games with Chas and Dave), he is somewhat disappointed by the exec’s negative response, and his feelings of bitter dejection coupled with a big block of Stilton makes for a hilarious climax…

“Alan Attraction”

After the news that he isn’t going to be given a second chance on TV, he is forced to sack all of his production staff. However, one of his employees, Jill (Julia Deakin, Marcia from ‘Spaced’) takes a shine to him and he takes her on a romantic date to a bird sanctuary. Jill tries to seduce him, but after a disagreement with some chocolate mousse, it all ends in tears…

“Watership Alan”

After annoying most of Norfolk’s farmers with some misplaced and libellous comments about farming methods, he gets a break by starring in a corporate video about the Norfolk Broads. However, his earlier outburst comes back to haunt him in a rather unusual and painful manner…

“Basic Alan”

After seeing the hotel staff poking fun at him, Alan decides to play a misplaced prank of his own. He gets embarrassed even further when there’s an incident with a traffic cone…

“To Kill A Moc
king Alan”

Alan sets up a chat show at the Travel Tavern, which goes ahead despite the withdrawal of guest speaker Sue Cook. Trying to impress a couple of Irish TV people who have come to watch him, he starts off badly by making a big faux pas about Bloody Sunday and having breath that smells of Scotch eggs… Embarrassed about where he lives (trying to cover up the fact by calling the waitress who serves him everyday as a ‘blonde bastard’), a stranger allows him to use his own house to pretend that it’s his own. All is fine until Alan sees that the man is clearly a stalker and has a shrine dedicated to him, much to his amazement and fear…

“Towering Alan”

Alan gets up to more mundane activities at the Swaffam Country Fayre, before hearing that the exec who rejected his ideas has died in an unfortunate accident. This chain of events brings some good luck to Alan, and it means that he can finally move out of the Travel Tavern. His leaving party however, doesn’t quite go according to plan…


The magic in the show, which is even better than the excellent ‘Knowing Me, Knowiing You’, is in the slightly darker side that we get to see of Alan. An obsession with Thai ladyboys is a regular fantasy of Alan’s that we see coming through at the most inappropriate moments, whilst his relationship with the obedient Lynn is touching and a bit sad as well as laugh-out-loud funny.

All the supporting cast are excellent, and there are some very nice turns by Chris Morris and Julia Deakin. It’s also a programme that works on many levels, with visual elements as well as some fantastic dialogue. The character of Alan Partridge is really developed well, and whilst you laughed at him in ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’, his pathetic mannerisms mean that you do feel sympathy for his downfall here.

Whilst Coogan has had a mixture of hits and mi
sses over the years, Alan Partridge is undoubtedly his showpiece, and shows his talents off brilliantly. With the character having become more complex over the years, it will be fascinating to see where the new series goes, and whether there will be any more mileage in him in years to come...

The series is extremely hard to get hold of on DVD as it was withdrawn from sale quickly after its release. However, it is more plentiful on video, and the boxset showing all the episodes is currently priced (somewhat bizarrely) at £20.23 from Amazon. However, the BBC are going to repeat the series very soon, so it might be worth buying some blank VHS instead...

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