This Time With Alan Partridge (One Show Spoof)

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

worn out by the 600 members inside her' (it's Alan's expression after saying the latter that makes it).

Yes. Glorious.

[Harry Badger]

Just watched the intro again and loved how the now-smiling receptionist's grin just begins to fade before the cut.

[seimaj]

Of all things Alan Partridge I only really enjoyed KMKY.

So I was looking forward to this. And it has been the first time since Homeland season 1 and 2 where I am actually counting the days down to the next episode of a tv programme.

I´ve been enjoying reading here what parts people are finding funny and which parts not.

I can´t seem to take my eyes off Alan during every episode, and for some reason  I am getting a lot of amusement from the Ruth Duggan sections and seeing him try to contain his frustration at all of her contradictions. I was almost cheering in the second skit when he turned the tables on her and started to correct her mistakes. I cannot wait to see how their final interaction plays out. (anyone else catch the name of her hubby to be, Mark Duggan....that meant to be a joke??)

Jenny is fantastic but I feel after 5 episodes it would have been nice to have some more development of the relationship between her and Alan.

[BritishHobo]

I have really enjoyed the way the Duggan sections have escalated. I can see why some people might find it like a repetitive sketch, but like others I really love seeing the way her disagreements get more and more obviously put-on (the endless list of ways to avoid just agreeing that her engagement is a good thing was a really funny twist, and it is eerily accurate to that feeling of someone just taking a dislike to you and always having their guard up), and the way Alan's got bolder and craftier trying to catch her out. It feels like we've really seen him grow in confidence over the weeks, which I love.

[Twed]

I felt almost protective of him when he was covering his mouth. He looked so vulnerable.

[dallasman]

Love Alan's new lips, so full and sexy. What made it work for me was the long, teasing reveal, and them being about 75% larger than the already comical size I thought I'd glimpsed. I think this series has had some absolutely incredible stuff in it, to rank alongside the best of previous Partridge. First ep left me a little unsure, but from the ep 2 line "I have kids!" on, I've been enthusiastically on board. Love the gradual sidelining of Jenny, and his new penchant for telling open-hearted anecdotes . No doubt his two autobiographies and tie-in TV specials have brought some of that out in him. Still sniping at Carol, though ("deeply unpleasant woman"/"functioning alcoholic" both had me snorting loudly), and with other running threads from the books and earlier series, and Coogan's jaw-dropping mastery of the character, the Partridgeverse just keeps getting richer. As long as the quality stays as high as it has on this project, with an excusable amount of broad or on-the-nose laughs, I dearly hope they stay with it.

Ep 5 was excellent. Intro sketch recalled Brass Eye/TDT, as others mentioned. Boy in a wig especially, but I guess that's bound to have many viewers thinking "Is this OK?", and some thinking "This is not OK", so they might as well have tried a little harder and come up with some other loophole. As others have said, I get the joke and didn't find it offensive or hurtful, but I accept that one can understand the joke and still have objections. Moving on, #metoo tone-deafness is a pretty fish-in-a-barrel subject for comedy, but I thought the TED lady interview did a good, Alanesque take, and ended on a killer callback. The continuity error in the Simon segment was a little distracting, but otherwise I was glad they skipped the "no files found" gag this time. Library segment was genius from start to finish (of course, why would they keep all that silent footage in, but we've agreed not to pick on that). And I love the escalation of the weird Duggan dynamic. She's almost like a Seinfeld or Curb character to my mind. Poker-faced, passive-aggressive, with somewhat inscrutable motivations - we're sort of on Alan's side, but also aware that he's likely to end up pursuing the beef too far; possibly into #cancellation territory. I think that bizarre interplay has been a fun little side story, and am curious to see if it comes to any kind of head in the last ep.

I also note with some regret that My Assistant is acknowledged and led off set by a stage hand, so the *brilliant* theory that she's all in Alan's mind must sadly be discarded. It would've been a fucking fantastic new weirdness to introduce, but she's good value all the same.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

On the reused material front, I personally felt that the 'I used to slow handclap women parallel parking, but now I just offer advice' gag was better in its original form. Having someone admonish his patronising behaviour kind of unnecessarily explains the joke, for me.

I've loved the series so far, but the lips definitely took a step towards the utterly cartoonish. I felt they worked best when we just caught brief glimpses.

[phantom_power]

Thought the lip reveal was hilarious.
But they over-egged the pudding with the lip singing - again pushing the comedy too far into the broad. The joke doesn't need to be rammed home.

I thought the joke in the singing bit was that it was the men at the front who took the lead on "Sisters are Doing It For Themselves" on a show that had a section on feminism

[petril]

would love an ending where Alan's got a week off to film the documentary and the temp replacement is Dave Clifton(or Cliff Thorburn)

[BlodwynPig]

Love Alan's new lips, so full and sexy. What made it work for me was the long, teasing reveal,

But you saw the lips very early on from the high camera angle...that was the best bit...you knew his lips had swollen and you caught glimpses of the absurdity but detached from the action. Hence, when he has his hand over his mouth you knew what they looked like, and the "reveal" was not a big a surprise for us than probably the in-show audience. Brilliant.

[BlodwynPig]

sorry blurry, but you can deffo see them with the sex pistols in the background

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

When Coogan hisses "I'm fucking brilliant!" in The Trip, he's mocking his own pretensions while being entirely, angrily sincere. He is fucking brilliant, his performance as Alan is one of the greatest pieces of comic acting ever recorded on tape.

[neveragain]

Amen Ballard.

[JesusAndYourBush]

I cannot wait to see how their final interaction plays out.

He could ask her a question she wouldn't dare disagree with (The holocaust?).

[dallasman]

But you saw the lips very early on from the high camera angle...that was the best bit...you knew his lips had swollen and you caught glimpses of the absurdity but detached from the action. Hence, when he has his hand over his mouth you knew what they looked like, and the "reveal" was not a big a surprise for us than probably the in-show audience. Brilliant.

Probaby just me not paying proper attention, then. I did notice the swelling earlier, but I got an extra laugh out of the reveal because they were that bit bigger than I  expected, so I feel I came out ahead, all told.

[BlodwynPig]

Probaby just me not paying proper attention, then. I did notice the swelling earlier, but I got an extra laugh out of the reveal because they were that bit bigger than I  expected, so I feel I came out ahead, all told.

Yeh, they had swollen a bit further by that time, fair play young man, rättvist spel indeed.

[Cuellar]

He could ask her a question she wouldn't dare disagree with (The holocaust?).

I was expecting him to say something like "You're very much in love, then?"

Get out of that one, Rommel!

[holyzombiejesus]

Huge spoilers in this week's Rad T. Apparently, the mic picks up Alan saying something derogatory about Jenny, leading to her walking off set, leaving Alan to present the article on women's fashion without her. It also said something about a doom laden ending but they hope that the programme will be back.

[ASFTSN]

Anyone else mentioned yet that it's interesting to see a lot of Liam Williams' and the 2016 Year Friends crew appear as bit parts in this so far? We've had Liam, Ellie White and Jamie Demetriou. Wouldn't be surprised to see Tash Demetriou appear in the last episode. 

[BlodwynPig]

Huge spoilers in this week's Rad T. Apparently,

fuck the Radio Times, trying to stay relevant by printing clickbait spoilers.

[BlodwynPig]

Anyone else mentioned yet that it's interesting to see a lot of Liam Williams' and the 2016 Year Friends crew appear as bit parts in this so far? We've had Liam, Ellie White and Jamie Demetriou. Wouldn't be surprised to see Tash Demetriou appear in the last episode.

Who did Jamie play? what is the 2016 Year Friends Crew, I know those actors and their work - is it a collective?

[Mango Chimes]

Jamie was the oyster chef. I didn't know 2016 Year Friends, but it looks like the same lot who did the People Time sketch pilot(?) a few years ago. Presumably they're friends and that.

[BlodwynPig]

Jamie was the oyster chef. I didn't know 2016 Year Friends, but it looks like the same lot who did the People Time sketch pilot(?) a few years ago. Presumably they're friends and that.

and brother and sister in the case of Jamie and his sister

[ASFTSN]

what is the 2016 Year Friends Crew, I know those actors and their work - is it a collective?

Completely silly and often deliberately dumb recurring comedy thing they did (seemingly semi-improvised and ramshackle) over the course of 2016. I like it!

Here's the first one.

[kitsofan34]

After People Time didn't get picked up the crew from that, minus Claudia O'Doherty, decided to write a monthly sketch show on vimeo. I'm not sure if there's anything particularly deliberate about all of them being cast, that gang seem to pop up in an awful lot of shows in the last few years.

[PeasOnSticks]

When Coogan hisses "I'm fucking brilliant!" in The Trip, he's mocking his own pretensions while being entirely, angrily sincere. He is fucking brilliant, his performance as Alan is one of the greatest pieces of comic acting ever recorded on tape.

Yep, Coogan is indeed fucking brilliant. An exceptional comic actor, hard to think of a better one.

[big bottomed anarchist]

Guardian culture page has also got a picture that looks a bit spoilery, so be cautious.

[Keebleman]

Did anyone notice the Ted Talk woman said it was 2018? Is that because the show was originally meant to air last year? Surprised they didn't overdub that.

But for John Baskell's obituary his dates were 1953-2019.

[Twed]

But for John Baskell's obituary his dates were 1953-2019.

Seems likely that the slides were produced after filming and they didn't remember to match the two things up.

[Tony Tony Tony]

SPOILER KLAXON

Next weeks highlights from British Comedy Guide...

Faced with some of the toughest challenges that live TV can throw at a man - rancour behind the scenes, a viewer in danger, a segment on ladies fashion - Alan calls on 'Sidekick' Simon Denton to step up to the plate. But will they sink or swim?

Hmmmm.