Times you were on Alan Partridge's side

[Rolf Lundgren]

What about the retired copper who Lynne dates? Ok so Alan could have treated her better, but it's still a bit much to threaten to knock his block off on a first meeting. Particularly as he's an upholder of the law and supposedly a committed Christian.

Alan has that coming. He does treat Lynne appallingly so it's nice to see somebody sticking up for her. Knocking his block off is a bit much but it doesn't have much malice considering it's from a middle-aged, church going ex-policeman called Gordon. 

[Custard]

The hotel staff WERE a bit rude, weren't they? All that sniggering, and talking to him in a sneery way.

These days they'd get a VERY candid Yelp review. Those days it was chaos, mate

[Nowhere Man]

I always thought Sophie from the hotel was quite an arse to Alan a lot of the time. Maybe it's just that smug smirk she often had though.

[clarkgwent]

His critique of "Big Yellow Taxi" on MMM....the parking lot would definitely "ease congestion on the outskirts of Paradise." That song as many of Joni's is riddled with rich hippy privilege.

[magval]

Call me Mr Simple but I thought the ABBA thing in KYMKYWAP was just over-extending the show's catchphrase to a comically absurd degree. (Like the bit where he says "She's come from Waterloo, very important that").

I've thought about this too. He even says in the radio series that he prefers the Geoff Love Orchestra version of the song itself, which I doubt a true Abba fan would. Yeah, it seems like just an extension of a bad idea beyond its logical stopping point. Total Alan.

[Lemming]

Firmly on Alan's side in I, Partridge when he orders his bullies to retrieve his piss-soaked trunks. He was their patrol leader.

His critique of "Big Yellow Taxi" on MMM....the parking lot would definitely "ease congestion on the outskirts of Paradise." That song as many of Joni's is riddled with rich hippy privilege.

For the longest time, I defended Big Yellow Taxi because I thought the crucial line, being the source of the title, was "a big yellow taxi took away my old man", which I'd always interpreted as being the singer's husband/boyfriend. The whining about parking lots and tree museums wasn't meant to be serious, just the narrator lashing out at random to deal with the pain of her significant other walking out on her, which I thought was pretty clever.

Then one day I saw Joni Mitchell directly state that the song was literally about parking lots. Agreed, I'm with Alan.

The hotel staff WERE a bit rude, weren't they? All that sniggering, and talking to him in a sneery way.

These days they'd get a VERY candid Yelp review. Those days it was chaos, mate

I always thought Sophie from the hotel was quite an arse to Alan a lot of the time. Maybe it's just that smug smirk she often had though.

They're dicks, especially Ben and Sophie, but it's easy to see yourself being the same if you were forced to deal with Alan every day for however many days he was stuck there.

[jobotic]

Actually the presence of Gordon led to this, which I often sing to myself while chuckling, so I'm reviewing my opinion.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2pa4PcpwdwI#

[St_Eddie]

hey're dicks, especially Ben and Sophie, but it's easy to see yourself being the same if you were forced to deal with Alan every day for however many days he was stuck there.

182 days according to these two quotes from episode 6...

===============================================================================

Alan: "Of course my mind's flying, Lynn. I've been living in a hotel for twenty-six weeks. A hundred and eighty two days in a Travel Tavern."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Susan: "I'll tell you what my problem is! Having to listen to your crap for the last six months! You've been in this hotel for a hundred and eighty-two days, you little shit!"

===============================================================================

182 days!  Alan could have gone around the world with Jackie Chan, twice over with change to spare, in that amount of time!

[Cuellar]

His critique of "Big Yellow Taxi" on MMM....the parking lot would definitely "ease congestion on the outskirts of Paradise." That song as many of Joni's is riddled with rich hippy privilege.

I don't think it would, because the song specifically states they paved over Paradise. So once the parking lot goes up there wouldn't be any Paradise for traffic to be eased in.

[The Lurker]

I also enjoy having the last laugh so I can understand why he'd end every anecdote with it

[Ferris]

I don't think it would, because the song specifically states they paved over Paradise. So once the parking lot goes up there wouldn't be any Paradise for traffic to be eased in.

Yeah but you wouldn't pave over the whole of paradise - you'd just pave over a bit if it in order to ease congestion on the outskirts. Joni takes umbrage with the paving of any amount of paradise, which Alan (correctly) concludes is a bit blinkered.

Still, nice song,

[Kryton]

The bit with the fruit sellers in Places of my life (or was it scissored isle) with the fruit sellers. The staff and customers all laugh at his expense - 'Just be yourself, oh actually better not Alan'...

[New Jack]

I have a lot of these, but this one is one I kind of have to argue:

Alan saying his favourite Beatles album is 'The Best of The Beatles'.

You've missed the joke - "Best of the Beatles" is a real album - was Pete Best's cash in album - there is no Beatles comp called "Best of the Beatles"

There is absolutely no way that Alan would be aware of such an obscure record.

So have you - he's blagging, assuming the Beatles have such an album, not knowing the above

Stop getting Partridge wrong!!!

[kittens]

that's not what the joke is at all.

[Ferris]

that's not what the joke is at all.

Kittens bang on the money here. He's just naming a (fictitious) compilation album, instead of selecting a concept record or whatever. It's a radio 2 listener's answer.

[St_Eddie]

Kittens bang on the money here. He's just naming a (fictitious) compilation album, instead of selecting a concept record or whatever. It's a radio 2 listener's answer.

Yep, I'm going to have to agree here.  That's clearly what the joke is.

[Blue Jam]

Going a bit off-topic, I am generally on Tommy Saxondale's side.

[Ferris]

Going a bit off-topic, I am generally on Tommy Saxondale's side.

I always found him very endearing. Rasmus Hardiker is from the same shit town as me so I like him and all.

[The Lion King]

In a way I side with Alan in his comments toward the Norwich farming community, or at least I always felt like they took his first joke way too seriously, phoning in and swearing on his show. Then when Peter Baxendale Thomas comes in to force an apology you can see in Alan's face he was ready to say sorry but wasn't expecting to be treated in such a condescending way so then decided to go full throttle with the insults.

Also at the end of the first episode of series 2, after Lynn draws a chalk penis on that other teacher's back, someone tells him and he immediately flips out and tries to break into the shop. Seems a bit weird that he wouldn't take that as a joke, especially after they made friends and he seemed like a pretty reasonable bloke.

[St_Eddie]

Going a bit off-topic, I am generally on Tommy Saxondale's side.

Me too.  I know that he's a pest controller but I didn't like him shooting the pigeon in the first episode.  Aside from that; yeah, I'm absolutely on his side.  I consider him something of a kindred spirit.  I see a lot of myself in him (good and bad).

[Glebe]

Wings.

[Blue Jam]

Me too.  I know that he's a pest controller but I didn't like him shooting the pigeon in the first episode.

"If you like killing things so much why don't you join the Army, eh?"
"I don't like the hours."

I was definitely on his side against those twats.

[Ferris]

"If you like killing things so much why don't you join the Army, eh?"
"I don't like the hours."

I was definitely on his side against those twats.

"Ming the merciful".

Side note - I love your little rabbit avatar. Could watch it for hours. Little rabbit! Lovely.

[St_Eddie]

"If you like killing things so much why don't you join the Army, eh?"
"I don't like the hours."

I was definitely on his side against those twats.

Oh, absolutely. I loved Tommy shooting the knife wielding protester; a proper "wheeyyy!" moment. I just didn't like him shooting the pigeon.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

When his geordie mate tells him a story whose 'punchline' is a monkey getting thrown in the sea, and presumably drowning, and Alan says, "well that's just upsetting," seemingly with genuine concern for the monkey.

When he escorts Kevin Eldon's character out of the room, after the latter remarks there's a few 'too many blacks," where he lives.

[Bobloblawslawbomb]

Absolutely everything re Edmonds

https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,61782.0.html

[QDRPHNC]

The bit with the fruit sellers in Places of my life (or was it scissored isle) with the fruit sellers. The staff and customers all laugh at his expense - 'Just be yourself, oh actually better not Alan'...

Alan in the background of that part is one of the best physical bits of acting he's ever done. Confusion to sheepish laughter to a mocking belm in the space of 2 seconds.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

When he escorts Kevin Eldon's character out of the room, after the latter remarks there's a few 'too many blacks," where he lives.

I recall Coogan once saying something along the lines of Alan being someone who is aware of political correctness, he sort of understands it and wants to go along with it He's right-wing and ill-informed, but he's not an out and out bigot. 

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Alan in the background of that part is one of the best physical bits of acting he's ever done. Confusion to sheepish laughter to a mocking belm in the space of 2 seconds.

I love how Alan attempts to get his own back in the edit by blatantly implying that the market stall owner would be a menace to society if he didn't have a job to occupy his time.

[the]

Also at the end of the first episode of series 2, after Lynn draws a chalk penis on that other teacher's back, someone tells him and he immediately flips out and tries to break into the shop. Seems a bit weird that he wouldn't take that as a joke, especially after they made friends and he seemed like a pretty reasonable bloke.

There's that poor/clunky characterisation in IAP2 again.

That entire scene makes no sense anyway. The teacher turns up unexpectedly, so Alan couldn't have prompted Lynn to draw on his back, and Lynn is stood about 10 feet away from him throughout anyway. It's bizarrely careless. The writing of IAP2 must have been badly rushed.