I'm Alan Partridge follows hot on the heels of Alan's T.V outing in 'Knowing Me Knowing You! With Alan Partridge' (KMKYWAP) His last T.V appearance left many questions unanswered, this series answers some of those though not all of them.
Series 1 --- The first series of I'm Alan Partridge set about showing Partridge in a different light, a light unseen by viewers ever before, in his previous adventures whether it be on the radio on 'On the hour' at the sports desk on 'The Day Today', or hosting his chat-show 'KMKYWAP' on the BBC viewers saw Alan at his shameful best during his work on air, I'm Alan Partridge set about giving the viewers an insight into the mind of one of T.V biggest catastrophes and Norwich's most infamous figures. This was done (as stated on the DVD Audio extras) as a documentary about how Alan copes with life just over 2 years after his chat show was cancelled (Xmas 94), now in 1997 Alan plots to make a comeback to mainstream T.V with a 2nd series of 'KMKYWAP' to do this he must convince BBC head of programming 'Tony Hayers' who he punched with a turkey on his last show at Xmas 94 that he merits a 2nd series, we find out he has returned to radio with the 4.30-7.00am slot on Radio Norwich, he has been chucked out by his wife Carol, is unwanted by his children Fernando & Denise and now resides in the 'Linton Travel Tavern' due the ingeniousness of it's location in that it's equidistant between London and Norwich.
During this series we see the state of which Alan has become mentally more than anything else, a series during which Alan gets his Rover 800 vandalised for the third time, having a Valentine's day date with his secretary, presenting a corporate video for 'Hamilton's waterbreaks', walking up the A12 for 12 bottles of wind-screen washer fluid, meeting up with his biggest fan and judging a vegetable competition at the 'Swaffham country fayre'.
Series 2 --- Series 2 sees Alan nearly 4 years after series 1 ended, we find out Alan now resides within a caravan ('doh', sorry Static home), has the third best slot on Radio Norwich, hosts a military based quiz-show on UK Conquest called Skirmish and most importantly has a girlfriend who is 13 years younger than him 'back-of-the-net' In this Series we see Alan doing a presentation at his old school, hosting a gala event for Dante's of Reading, giving out an award at the 'Norfolk bravery awards', having a 'Bond-a-thon', taking his girlfriend to U2 lead-man Bono's house and attending his PA Lynn's baptism.
My personal opinion: ----- Many a time do we brand something with the word genius yet realize in fact it can be more accurately defined as good when truly analyzed yet genius is the only word to describe this comedy accurately.
Why? What makes this comedy different from others out there and most importantly why do I and other viewers of the series think so too...
There are many factors but the most important for me is the blend and diversity of opinion and input in the series from the cast crew right through the director and it's production.
This is a comedy which you can see has been clearly well thought-out and has had huge amount of effort and detail put into it, from an immaculate set especially the locations from series 1 (Travel tavern, 5 bedroom house, etc), including great lighting a backdrops used, credit also to a casting crew which gel well and act off each other superbly, with each actor playing their part to perfection and using their individual skills to their up-most effect, Coogan's dry wit and Sarcasm, Montagu's facial expressions, Greenalls vocal impressions, etc... these maximise the feel of both series in a way which has the ability to immerse yourself into all things Partridge, and finally to the combined talents of the writers Coogan, Iannucci & Baynham who have created a truly remarkable pair of comedy series.
Rarely does a comedy have the ability to make a person cry and yet laugh (Ambivalence) at the same yet this comedy does just that.
The last thing that really makes the show what it is and made it a pioneer for modern comedy shows like Spaced, The Office, Coupling, etc is that I'm Alan Partridge is a comedy that has been given a cast-iron direction in terms of its audience maximizing its appeal to those that enjoy its humour but most of all understand it!!! It is because of this that I'm Alan Partridge is a show that could just not be a favourite with a mainstream T.V. audience, a testament most notably to it's dark and rather painful nature, nevertheless this is a show that provided the person understands it's content has the undoubted ability to make them howl with laughter... and that my is a guaranteed promise thanks a work of pure comedy genius!!!
Series 1 --- The first series of I'm Alan Partridge set about showing Partridge in a different light, a light unseen by viewers ever before, in his previous adventures whether it be on the radio on 'On the hour' at the sports desk on 'The Day Today', or hosting his chat-show 'KMKYWAP' on the BBC viewers saw Alan at his shameful best during his work on air, I'm Alan Partridge set about giving the viewers an insight into the mind of one of T.V biggest catastrophes and Norwich's most infamous figures. This was done (as stated on the DVD Audio extras) as a documentary about how Alan copes with life just over 2 years after his chat show was cancelled (Xmas 94), now in 1997 Alan plots to make a comeback to mainstream T.V with a 2nd series of 'KMKYWAP' to do this he must convince BBC head of programming 'Tony Hayers' who he punched with a turkey on his last show at Xmas 94 that he merits a 2nd series, we find out he has returned to radio with the 4.30-7.00am slot on Radio Norwich, he has been chucked out by his wife Carol, is unwanted by his children Fernando & Denise and now resides in the 'Linton Travel Tavern' due the ingeniousness of it's location in that it's equidistant between London and Norwich.
During this series we see the state of which Alan has become mentally more than anything else, a series during which Alan gets his Rover 800 vandalised for the third time, having a Valentine's day date with his secretary, presenting a corporate video for 'Hamilton's waterbreaks', walking up the A12 for 12 bottles of wind-screen washer fluid, meeting up with his biggest fan and judging a vegetable competition at the 'Swaffham country fayre'.
Series 2 --- Series 2 sees Alan nearly 4 years after series 1 ended, we find out Alan now resides within a caravan ('doh', sorry Static home), has the third best slot on Radio Norwich, hosts a military based quiz-show on UK Conquest called Skirmish and most importantly has a girlfriend who is 13 years younger than him 'back-of-the-net' In this Series we see Alan doing a presentation at his old school, hosting a gala event for Dante's of Reading, giving out an award at the 'Norfolk bravery awards', having a 'Bond-a-thon', taking his girlfriend to U2 lead-man Bono's house and attending his PA Lynn's baptism.
My personal opinion: ----- Many a time do we brand something with the word genius yet realize in fact it can be more accurately defined as good when truly analyzed yet genius is the only word to describe this comedy accurately.
Why? What makes this comedy different from others out there and most importantly why do I and other viewers of the series think so too...
There are many factors but the most important for me is the blend and diversity of opinion and input in the series from the cast crew right through the director and it's production.
This is a comedy which you can see has been clearly well thought-out and has had huge amount of effort and detail put into it, from an immaculate set especially the locations from series 1 (Travel tavern, 5 bedroom house, etc), including great lighting a backdrops used, credit also to a casting crew which gel well and act off each other superbly, with each actor playing their part to perfection and using their individual skills to their up-most effect, Coogan's dry wit and Sarcasm, Montagu's facial expressions, Greenalls vocal impressions, etc... these maximise the feel of both series in a way which has the ability to immerse yourself into all things Partridge, and finally to the combined talents of the writers Coogan, Iannucci & Baynham who have created a truly remarkable pair of comedy series.
Rarely does a comedy have the ability to make a person cry and yet laugh (Ambivalence) at the same yet this comedy does just that.
The last thing that really makes the show what it is and made it a pioneer for modern comedy shows like Spaced, The Office, Coupling, etc is that I'm Alan Partridge is a comedy that has been given a cast-iron direction in terms of its audience maximizing its appeal to those that enjoy its humour but most of all understand it!!! It is because of this that I'm Alan Partridge is a show that could just not be a favourite with a mainstream T.V. audience, a testament most notably to it's dark and rather painful nature, nevertheless this is a show that provided the person understands it's content has the undoubted ability to make them howl with laughter... and that my is a guaranteed promise thanks a work of pure comedy genius!!!