Oft-forgotten gems from the Alan Partridge canon

[BeardFaceMan]

IAP2 is a small step down from IAP1 just because that first series is so fucking good, but it's nowhere near bad, it's very enjoyable. IAP2's worst problem was it's popularity, because it was very popular, mainstream and much anticipated at the time, even though most of those people watching it didn't watch any Partridge before that (IAP1 at a stretch) and didn't watch any after. Hence twats mostly quoting from series 2 to this day.

[JamesTC]

Aww. Still thinking about the little helicopters.

[paruses]

IAP2 is a small step down from IAP1 just because that first series is of fucking good, but it's nowhere near bad, it's very enjoyable. IAP2's worst problem was it's popularity, because it was very popular, mainstream and much anticipated at the time, even though most of those people watching it didn't watch any Partridge before that (IAP1 at a stretch) and didn't watch any after. Hence twats mostly quoting from series 2 to this day.

Why was it so popular? Did it get pushed in a better timeslot or have better press? It was shown at a time when we all watched TV pretty much at the same time, or at least without catchup or a binge option. I don't remember it being repeated very much if at all, so at 6 episodes in a series people would have had to get on board pretty quick. Having said that it was long after my student days so maybe that sort of communal watching was the fan base. And now they're it's a pavlovian response to post "Dan Dan Dan" underneath every article they come across.

I can't criticise - I always say "The Edge is good" in a poor Irish accent if I see U2 mentioned.

[QDRPHNC]

IAP2's worst problem was it's popularity

It's worst problem was that it was very bad.

[BeardFaceMan]

Why was it so popular? Did it get pushed in a better timeslot or have better press? It was shown at a time when we all watched TV pretty much at the same time, or at least without catchup or a binge option. I don't remember it being repeated very much if at all, so at 6 episodes in a series people would have had to get on board pretty quick. Having said that it was long after my student days so maybe that sort of communal watching was the fan base. And now they're it's a pavlovian response to post "Dan Dan Dan" underneath every article they come across.

I can't criticise - I always say "The Edge is good" in a poor Irish accent if I see U2 mentioned.

Well when IAP1 aired (1997-ish?), Coogan became a mainstream star. He was doing his Man Who Thinks He Is It tour as well (with Partridge headlining) and all the trendy young things like Zoe Ball would wax lyrical on her Radio 1 show about what a comedy genius he was, he was appearing in the tabloids for his coke and women habits, cover of Loaded, all that stuff, he was huge. So when time came around for IAP2, there was a lot of expectation and a lot of people waiting for it so they could quote it to show how with it they are. Hate to use the radio again but I was forced to listen to Radio 1 at work at the time, but I remember Jo Whiley quoting IAP2 shows the next day on her radio show ("did you see Alan Partridge last night? Back of the net!"), people were very eager to show you how much they were enjoying it and were part of the cool crowd. I think that's why you get more Partridge quotes from IAP2 then any other Partridge because that was Coogan/Partridge at their most popular/mainstream.

[paruses]

That's a good point. I thought Coogan's notorious phase was after IAP2 i.e. IAP2 was the springboard but makes sense it was the other way round.

I do remember talking about it a lot at work the day after but we were KMKYWAP fans too so better than other people and it was acceptable.

Edit to add: Jo Whiley is exactly the kind of person who would still regularly say "Back of the net!"

[sutin]

I only found IAP2 disppointing when it first aired. Expectations were so high, it was only ever going to be a letdown (I remember feeling the same about Father Ted series 3). It's improved drastically from my first rewatch.

[Cold Meat Platter]

Imagine having a thread where you just quote Partidge things.

[H-O-W-L]

Frankly I think IAP2 is the season you can watch it in a second monitor, or have it on in the background, you know? Inoffensive and decent Partridge fodder, but not particularly worth sitting down for after your first time in the least. I don't think that, unlike IAP1, there's anything you can really re-learn/gain from re-watching it keenly. A lot of the jokes are plain as day and it's why it gets quoted the most.

[mr. logic]

I honestly think that the more recent partridge stuff is so good that it has ruined the earlier stuff for me

[paruses]

Imagine having a thread where you just quote Partidge things.

CaB has let itself go.

[QDRPHNC]

IAP2 has a some good scenes and good lines. But much of it is dire - indefensibly lazy and nonsensical. If it wasn't Partridge, CaB would tear it apart, and rightfully so.

[BeardFaceMan]

IAP2 has a some good scenes and good lines. But much of it is dire - indefensibly lazy and nonsensical. If it wasn't Partridge, CaB would tear it apart, and rightfully so.

Don't be silly. It was pretty well received here at the time as I recall, bar a few who didnt like it (mostly 'that voice' criticisms I think) Pretty much the same reaction as now, actually. No one says it's the best ever Partridge, not now or at the time, it's more "it's good, but not as great as it should be". I'd be interested to hear which huge swathes of the show were indefensibly lazy and nonsensical though.

Hehe actually no, that will just lead to a conversation where you tell me which bits were unrealistic and took you out of the reality of the shows reality, how about just the bits that are indefensibly lazy and dire? Never really heard that kind of firece criticism of IAP2 before.

[Magnum Valentino]

Might be worth a new thread lads, if that's the plan.

[QDRPHNC]

I'm not being silly, that's my opinion. I'd say at least 50% of the entire series is very first draft, and I mean that literally. You can see characters being moved around where they need to go, but incredibly clumsily, with a first draft "that'll do for now and we'll come back to this later", except they never went back to it later.

The whole tax inspector "plot" for one. There's nothing to it, it's paper thin. They show up and Alan is terrified of them. Because they really have nothing to do, Alan asks if they want some food and when they say no, offers them food in a bear voice anyway. Alan farts. then because they have nothing for the characters to do, Alan offers them more food in the bear's voice again. Alan and Sonia have a fight. Alan just leaves the tax inspectors in his home and goes to the petrol station. Lyn shows up and says she's called the police (?). Sonia shows up. Alan is happy she kicked out the tax inspectors, even though he was scared of going to jail earlier in the episode. The end.

It's rubbish. Structurally, narratively, it is objectively bad. Nothing adds up to anything. It's just a string of disjointed scenes for Alan to dispense his endless Alanisms.

Hehe actually no, that will just lead to a conversation where you tell me which bits were unrealistic and took you out of the reality of the shows reality, how about just the bits that are indefensibly lazy and dire? Never really heard that kind of firece criticism of IAP2 before.

Right you are, laqer and a wank, eh?

[BeardFaceMan]

I'm not being silly, that's my opinion. I'd say at least 50% of the entire series is very first draft, and I mean that literally. You can see characters being moved around where they need to go, but incredibly clumsily, with a first draft "that'll do for now and we'll come back to this later", except they never went back to it later.

The whole tax inspector "plot" for one. There's nothing to it, it's paper thin. They show up and Alan is terrified of them. Because they really have nothing to do, Alan asks if they want some food and when they say no, offers them food in a bear voice anyway. Alan farts. then because they have nothing for the characters to do, Alan offers them more food in the bear's voice again. Alan and Sonia have a fight. Alan just leaves the tax inspectors in his home and goes to the petrol station. Lyn shows up and says she's called the police (?). Sonia shows up. Alan is happy she kicked out the tax inspectors, even though he was scared of going to jail earlier in the episode. The end.

It's rubbish. Structurally, narratively, it is objectively bad. Nothing adds up to anything. It's just a string of disjointed scenes for Alan to dispense his endless Alanisms.

Right you are, laqer and a wank, eh?

Nice one, it has been a while.

When I said 'Don't be silly', I didn't mean your opinion of the show was silly, I meant your assertion that CaB would be ripping it shreds if it wasn't Partridge was silly, that's why I mentioned how it was received here back in the day. I was being genuine when I said I wanted to hear your thoughts.

[Magnum Valentino]

It's rubbish. Structurally, narratively, it is objectively bad. Nothing adds up to anything. It's just a string of disjointed scenes for Alan to dispense his endless Alanisms.

I get that it's fiction but this "objective" application of narrative rules, fuck it can't apply to absolutely everything can it? That's malappropriation of a film studies degree that is.

In fact, that's part of what I like about it, it's got this odd slice of life feel to it. A day in the life of. Like are YOUR days more structured than that? He just moves about because people just move about. Your ma doesn't land at the door at half past one just to advance your afternoon thematically. Is the baby's evening shit explosion a fucking inciting incident?

I know why people dislike it, but I definitely, strongly love it, and always will.

I've said it before on here I think, but IAP2 feels like an alternate reality. Our current Alan is where it ended up, but the caravan Alan's the same age and entirely different.

[BeardFaceMan]

The difference for me is that IAP1 is more character based, IAP2 is more joke/catchphrase based, a style that doesnt really suit, they leaned in to the wrong elements of IAP1 and what made it so great. IAP2 is good, but theres something a bit off about the whole thing, doesnt feel quite right. Still good, though. The way i would rate it is that if i was doing a Partridge rewatch, i wouldnt skip IAP2 and I'd enjoy it just fine. But it's not a series I'd revisit on its own, or just to watch a specific episode.

[The Mollusk]

I always thought IAP2 was a bit like the album "Gore" by Deftones. It's their worst album, but it's still not a bad album, and when held up to the standards of other contemporary hard rock bands it is sufficiently decent.

[markburgle]

The difference for me is that IAP1 is more character based, IAP2 is more joke/catchphrase based, a style that doesnt really suit, they leaned in to the wrong elements of IAP1 and what made it so great. IAP2 is good, but theres something a bit off about the whole thing, doesnt feel quite right. Still good, though. The way i would rate it is that if i was doing a Partridge rewatch, i wouldnt skip IAP2 and I'd enjoy it just fine. But it's not a series I'd revisit on its own, or just to watch a specific episode.

I just wondered what the hell was up with his face. It's like Iannucci says with tone of surprise in the commentary track, "Steve's playing Alan like he's just had a stroke". At first I was mortified, but then I grew to like it

[Magnum Valentino]

Yeah I knew a young lad at school who'd had a stroke and the first time I saw Partridge was an IAP2 episode and I was really put off by that stroke resemblance, the apparent grotesquery of that as an acting choice convinced me for a long time (as a young comedy fan) that this was not something worth pursuing. Eventually I saw enough episodes (on RTE) to realise how funny it actually was.

But even now, that series' Alan is inextricably associated with poor James Haughey.

[BeardFaceMan]

I think my only real and actual complaint about the show, is they went way too heavy on the aging makeup. It didnt look right at the time and it looks even shitter when you see how Alan looks in everything since. Going back to it now, he looks very odd.

[markburgle]

Yeah I knew a young lad at school who'd had a stroke and the first time I saw Partridge was an IAP2 episode and I was really put off by that stroke resemblance, the apparent grotesquery of that as an acting choice convinced me for a long time (as a young comedy fan) that this was not something worth pursuing. Eventually I saw enough episodes (on RTE) to realise how funny it actually was.

But even now, that series' Alan is inextricably associated with poor James Haughey.

Apparently Steve realised shortly before take one scene one that he'd forgotten how to play Alan. Still odd that Iannucci as director didn't pull him up on it though

[Magnum Valentino]

Was Armando director?

[BeardFaceMan]

Was Armando director?

Yeah, he didn't direct IAP1 but did all of series 2. Think he was the editor too, he tells the story on the commentary of having food poisoning while working on the scene where Alan is sick after impaling his foot on a spike, and vomiting every time Alan did.

[holyzombiejesus]

Not sure if this should go here (or if it's allowed) but the Accidentalpartridge twitter account is having a poll of the most partridge-esque moment. It's worth it just for the Barrymore clip in Round 1 Fixture 2.

https://twitter.com/AccidentalP

https://twitter.com/AccidentalP/status/1358131408779304961

[Mr Trumpet]

The Barrymore bit is great, but the boxing clip is so perfect it's astonishing that it's not a scripted skit.

[St_Eddie]

IAP2 has a some good scenes and good lines. But much of it is dire - indefensibly lazy and nonsensical.

Agreed.

I've said it before on here I think, but IAP2 feels like an alternate reality. Our current Alan is where it ended up, but the caravan Alan's the same age and entirely different.

Bizarro-Alan.

[jenna appleseed]

speaking of bizaro-alan (semi off topic but was linked by accidental Partridge)

I'm Alan Partridge the ai-bot pseudo disney/pixar remake
https://twitter.com/NeilMattocks/status/1351561361915047944

Alan


some bloke called Chris

[kalowski]

The Barrymore bit is great, but the boxing clip is so perfect it's astonishing that it's not a scripted skit.

Barrymore looks like he'll win but it's Steve Bunce for me, Clive.