Let's discuss the Partridge universe? The Partriverse.

[Twed]

Because they want people to watch it.

[McChesney Duntz]

I'm personally distraught.

[purlieu]

Not many shows can provide a thread like this, can they? One thing that appeals so much about Partridge is the various formats give him so much scope to meet people, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, etc., in a way that most sitcoms don't (almost every sitcom character seems to only have four friends, all of whom are regulars in the show).


The link between On the Hour/The Day Today and later Partridge is always a difficult one. There's the fan theory that, in-universe, it was actually a parody show and he just didn't realise, but even that doesn't take into account him interviewing athletes, reporting live from horse racing, etc. It's not quite possible to bring the two together completely satisfactorily.

I hope we don't see Michael for a while. Having him back one day would be a nice surprise, but I already feel he's bordering on 'contrived recurring character', so letting Alan be a character away from him is a good thing.

[Avril Lavigne]

Possibly it's been discussed at length in the main thread, but how are people coping with the fact that the show that we're watching is called This Time with Alan Partridge, whereas in Alan's world it's just called This Time?

I'm happy about that.  It adds to the delineation of the show we're watching not being the exact version being broadcast on TV in the Partridgeverse, which helps explain why we're able to see Alan having off-air chats with Lynn etc.

[BritishHobo]

The link between On the Hour/The Day Today and later Partridge is always a difficult one. There's the fan theory that, in-universe, it was actually a parody show and he just didn't realise, but even that doesn't take into account him interviewing athletes, reporting live from horse racing, etc. It's not quite possible to bring the two together completely satisfactorily.

That could be part of the gag though, especially since the whole idea (which I love) implies that Chris deliberately hired Alan to trick him into thinking it's a real show. Makes sense Chris would let him go and interview sportspeople to keep the illusion up. Alan would need to think he is doing genuine sports journalism/commentary.

I know there's no basis for this theory whatsoever, but it really makes me laugh. What I really like is that it explains why Chris always singles out Alan to talk to and fuck with (asking if he supports the law, and then ridiculing his answer) - Alan's the only real person on there.

[jamiefairlie]

That could be part of the gag though, especially since the whole idea (which I love) implies that Chris deliberately hired Alan to trick him into thinking it's a real show. Makes sense Chris would let him go and interview sportspeople to keep the illusion up. Alan would need to think he is doing genuine sports journalism/commentary.

I know there's no basis for this theory whatsoever, but it really makes me laugh. What I really like is that it explains why Chris always singles out Alan to talk to and fuck with (asking if he supports the law, and then ridiculing his answer) - Alan's the only real person on there.

In his book, did he not mention that he thought they'd spiked his drinks with something, to explain the weirder bits? He does talk about TDT as a real show that he did.

[Avril Lavigne]

That could be part of the gag though, especially since the whole idea (which I love) implies that Chris deliberately hired Alan to trick him into thinking it's a real show. Makes sense Chris would let him go and interview sportspeople to keep the illusion up. Alan would need to think he is doing genuine sports journalism/commentary.

I know there's no basis for this theory whatsoever, but it really makes me laugh. What I really like is that it explains why Chris always singles out Alan to talk to and fuck with (asking if he supports the law, and then ridiculing his answer) - Alan's the only real person on there.

I could be totally wrong here but I feel like I didn't read or hear anything of this theory until I thought of it and posted about it in one of the previous Partridge threads.  Not that other folks couldn't easily come to the same conclusion themselves but the only citation for the theory I know of currently is me.

[H-O-W-L]

Is there much to contradict TDT being a wind-up, especially considering Brass Eye (its spiritual successor? I always assumed it was the same Christopher Morris) was clearly a wind-up itself?

[Captain Z]

It's also been mentioned here before but there's the idea that Alan is too terrified of Chris (and who wouldn't be) to question anything, and just goes along with it for an easier ride.

[Avril Lavigne]

It's also been mentioned here before but there's the idea that Alan is too terrified of Chris (and who wouldn't be) to question anything, and just goes along with it for an easier ride.

Not only that but he was just starting out and would presumably sign up for anything without looking into it much if it meant advancing his career.

[BritishHobo]

I could be totally wrong here but I feel like I didn't read or hear anything of this theory until I thought of it and posted about it in one of the previous Partridge threads.  Not that other folks couldn't easily come to the same conclusion themselves but the only citation for the theory I know of currently is me.

You're probably right. Cook'd and Bomb'd is the only place I've seen it mentioned, and I remember replying to what seemed to be the first instance of it being theorised. It's not come up much since then, and I don't think it's been pitched anywhere else.

[Avril Lavigne]

You're probably right. Cook'd and Bomb'd is the only place I've seen it mentioned, and I remember replying to what seemed to be the first instance of it being theorised. It's not come up much since then, and I don't think it's been pitched anywhere else.

I think it was when I was reading the autobiography and there was a bit of discussion about how the OTH/TDT universe could really make sense being mentioned in the book.  If you just think of the young opportunistic Alan as being Chris' test-run for the duped celebs in Brass Eye it does fit quite neatly.

[St_Eddie]

Personally, I consider On The Hour and The Day Today to take place in an alternate universe to other Partridge related material.  One where up is down and everything is off-kilter.  Bizarro-Partridge, if you will.

[Avril Lavigne]

Personally, I consider On The Hour and The Day Today to take place in an alternate universe to other Partridge related material.  One where up is down and everything is off-kilter.  Bizarro-Partridge, if you will.

This is pretty much how I thought of it up until I read the book and those works were brought together with the later canon for the first time.  I think both interpretations work well, but I'd hate to actually catalogue the inconsistencies in trying to stick to a single cohesive Partridgeverse because there are just too many, especially when taking into account all the lesser-known live/bonus/promotional/charity material done in-character, not to mention the time he shook my Dad's hand.

[purlieu]

That could be part of the gag though, especially since the whole idea (which I love) implies that Chris deliberately hired Alan to trick him into thinking it's a real show. Makes sense Chris would let him go and interview sportspeople to keep the illusion up. Alan would need to think he is doing genuine sports journalism/commentary.

I suppose I include the horse names like Trust Me, I'm a Stomach and Massive Bereavement in with TDT's bizarre universe, so unless Chris actually hired out a racing track and all the spectators to have the false horse names, it still doesn't quite tie together for me.

[petril]

or just had him fed fake betting information to report on, as part of the wind-up (or alternatively, Alan suspected but couldn't bring himself to say anything)

[Keebleman]

The actual race shown in that Day Today report is the fantastic duel between Monksfield and Night Nurse in the Templegate Hurdle at Aintree in 1977.  The race that immediately followed it was Red Rum's third Grand National victory.

[Enzo]

Did we ever find out what happened to his mum in Hull?

[Menu]

There's definitely been a bit of fudging his age over time. Just watched the 1999 Comic Relief special. Alan, whilst providing her bank details, gives Carol's date of birth as 14/4/1943. That would make her 75 now! He also talks about his new Canadian girlfriend Toni.

[BritishHobo]

or just had him fed fake betting information to report on, as part of the wind-up (or alternatively, Alan suspected but couldn't bring himself to say anything)

I think that's what I like most about the theory. The idea that Alan probably would know that there was something weird going on with the show, but either was too scared to speak up, or even better just played along because he assumed it was something clever that he didn't quite understand, and didn't want to be seen as the idiot of the team.

[PeasOnSticks]

Personally, I consider On The Hour and The Day Today to take place in an alternate universe to other Partridge related material.  One where up is down and everything is off-kilter.  Bizarro-Partridge, if you will.

I would include KMKYWAP in this, in so far as that is essentially the Alan of The Day Today relocated to a different context. It's only with IAP that he leaves that heightened, bizarro-world and begins to function in more prosaic, 'real world' settings, and becomes the fully realised, more human character that we now know.

[Thomas]

I'm with the advocates of Alternate Bizarro-Partridge World Theory.

Iterations of On the Hour and The Day Today did happen for the canonical Alan of KMKYWAP onwards, only they were ordinary news programmes, rather than the surreal versions we heard and saw.

I admire the Partridge Obliviousness Theory to explain them, but he does fully agree in On the Hour that his wife has died and returned to life. Also, I prefer the idea that OTH and TDT (and BE) are true representations of their own absurd universe, rather than being wind-ups even within the fiction (also the theory that Chris Morris' monologue character in Blue Jam is a post-breakdown Christopher Morris - though I do not personally subscribe). We're lucky, either way, that most of Alan's TDT reports are relatively sensible, and could be included in an in-universe retrospective.

Panbaams smartly notes the discrepancy between the title of the in-universe This Time, and the our-universe This Time with Alan Partridge. I'm fine with that, for the same reasons given by Avril Lavigne, but how on earth can Alan possibly hope to explain ever having toured under the banner Steve Coogan Live: As Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters?

[Ferris]

I'm with the advocates of Alternate Bizarro-Partridge World Theory.

Iterations of On the Hour and The Day Today did happen for the canonical Alan of KMKYWAP onwards, only they were ordinary news programmes, rather than the surreal versions we heard and saw.

That has always been my understanding - he refers to Rosie May as "Environment" reporter, rather than "Enviromation" and describes his best as "Sport (plus Paralympics)". That might just be added as a gag, but it isn't included in his title in the TDT/Brass Eye universe.

Completely tenuous bullshit, but it clinches it for me.

Has anyone asked Coogan/Iannucci?

...how on earth can Alan possibly hope to explain ever having toured under the banner Steve Coogan Live: As Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters?

A wizard did it.

[hummingofevil]

I would include KMKYWAP in this, in so far as that is essentially the Alan of The Day Today relocated to a different context. It's only with IAP that he leaves that heightened, bizarro-world and begins to function in more prosaic, 'real world' settings, and becomes the fully realised, more human character that we now know.

Would that not lead to the conclusion that the in-world Alan would be aware that he is interviewing actors playing different characters AND that the actors would be the same people who played the characters in The Day Today? TDT Alan interacted with Doon as Collaterlie Sisters and Rebecca Front as the racing driver so if this theory was true would suggest that he would at least recognise them.

You could get round this by having Alan being aware that things are not quite right in KMKY but going along with it as didn't want to upset the producers who booked the guests as he didn't want to risk not getting another series but I'm not convinced.

[BritishHobo]

That I'd just see as a bit like The Thick of It and In The Loop, how it's a coincidence that someone in the office for International Development looks identical to Olly, and Glen had a doppelganger in the Foreign Office, but it never occurs to Malcolm.

[BritishHobo]

I'm with the advocates of Alternate Bizarro-Partridge World Theory.

Iterations of On the Hour and The Day Today did happen for the canonical Alan of KMKYWAP onwards, only they were ordinary news programmes, rather than the surreal versions we heard and saw.

I admire the Partridge Obliviousness Theory to explain them, but he does fully agree in On the Hour that his wife has died and returned to life. Also, I prefer the idea that OTH and TDT (and BE) are true representations of their own absurd universe, rather than being wind-ups even within the fiction (also the theory that Chris Morris' monologue character in Blue Jam is a post-breakdown Christopher Morris - though I do not personally subscribe). We're lucky, either way, that most of Alan's TDT reports are relatively sensible, and could be included in an in-universe retrospective.

Panbaams smartly notes the discrepancy between the title of the in-universe This Time, and the our-universe This Time with Alan Partridge. I'm fine with that, for the same reasons given by Avril Lavigne, but how on earth can Alan possibly hope to explain ever having toured under the banner Steve Coogan Live: As Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters?

I like to think the dead wife thing is Alan deciding to enthusiastically get on board with the weirdness to show that he definitely gets it, but I've not re-listened since coming up with that so it probably doesn't work.

[DrGreggles]

I've decided that 'Welcome To The Places Of My Life' was a song by These Anglian Men, and they used it as the ad bumper music for Alan's show of the same name.

[petril]

how on earth can Alan possibly hope to explain ever having toured under the banner Steve Coogan Live: As Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters?

A wizard did it.

Steve Coogan is well known as a comedian who does impressions, and did a show based around impressions of other known figures, like the comedian-cum-proto-reality fad lad Paul Calf(look him up, he was popular for a few years in the 90s.) Alan probably heard after and intended to make a strong phone call. He lost the plot a bit, carried over BT's network and Coogan took pity, realising the real Alan is comedic enough to not need lampooning.

Nobody really knows what happened to Calf after his slight brush with fame. Probably dead, or alive and bitter about the whole thing. Still hates students.

[deleted stupid "imagine Alan trying to bully Paul Calf into being on telly again" fanfic pish]