This Time with Alan Partridge series 2

[popcorn]

I have enjoyed both series, though I can't help but fantasise about what Iannucci would have done with a new Partridge sitcom given the ability with drama and meaningful dramatic developments he displayed on Thick of It and Veep.

[jobotic]

I assume that was why so few people came out to shout along with him.

Yeah I did think that after I posted.

[PeasOnSticks]

'Is it snowing where you are?', 'Do you like fireworks?', and 'What's your favourite soup?' are not a million miles away from the kind of questions Alan seems to enjoy putting to his MMM audience. For him now to be railing against the very triviality that's been the bedrock of much of his broadcasting career (and which he has actively encouraged and taken pleasure in) seems a bit off. A strange hill for him to choose to die on.

[petril]

yeah. he's supposed to be the sort of person the BBC doesn't want to lose, but it's like the ultimate tragedy of Alan, that he'll always self-sabotage to the level of making them. even if he got the Filthy, Rich and Catflap ending, he'd still not be happy.

hope he ends up doing some ITV series or something. some shit version of The One Show that's clearly just an opportunistic attempt to get viewers out of him being sacked. afternoon version of That's Life where nobody is that bothered about the output so he can do what he wants. he gets away with it because there's no response. just bored Alan facing this purgatory of a setup and not caring.

or Skirmish where the contestants are all these sort of loners obsessed with military gear, and the calmest, most peaceful presence is the ex-special forces guy in Dictionary Corner

[jobotic]

GB News next

[thr0b]

hope he ends up doing some ITV series or something. some shit version of The One Show that's clearly just an opportunistic attempt to get viewers out of him being sacked. afternoon version of That's Life where nobody is that bothered about the output so he can do what he wants. he gets away with it because there's no response. just bored Alan facing this purgatory of a setup and not caring.

It's been done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAo-xyIEEkI&t=127s

[sevendaughters]

Felt like with the Anne pressure, Jennie outgaming him, and Seldom going to the basket in the sky, the breakdown was much more layered than at first glance.

[EOLAN]

I assume that was why so few people came out to shout along with him.

In fairness given the speed of events and not that large a segment anymore would watch live TV, I thought having a few people shouting in the area was quite a victory for him.

[JamesTC]

'Is it snowing where you are?', 'Do you like fireworks?', and 'What's your favourite soup?' are not a million miles away from the kind of questions Alan seems to enjoy putting to his MMM audience. For him now to be railing against the very triviality that's been the bedrock of much of his broadcasting career (and which he has actively encouraged and taken pleasure in) seems a bit off. A strange hill for him to choose to die on.

It is desperation. He is lashing out at a show he believes is about to kill his career and is then pathetically grasping to an idea so intrinsically anti-Alan in a bid to keep hold of his job. The sad thing is that it probably would keep him his career in modern TV even if it means it isn't on This Time specifically. Jeremy Clarkson did a racist and a lamping only to get a higher paying gig with Amazon.

[ASFTSN]

Felt like with the Anne pressure, Jennie outgaming him, and Seldom going to the basket in the sky, the breakdown was much more layered than at first glance.

Exactly, any one of these things and he'd be able to wobble on at his solid 4 out of 10 mental state that just about keeps him in This Time mode, but all of it together was the perfect storm.

[DrGreggles]

I have enjoyed both series, though I can't help but fantasise about what Iannucci would have done with a new Partridge sitcom given the ability with drama and meaningful dramatic developments he displayed on Thick of It and Veep.

Made it worse?

[Blue Jam]

I have enjoyed both series, though I can't help but fantasise about what Iannucci would have done with a new Partridge sitcom given the ability with drama and meaningful dramatic developments he displayed on Thick of It and Veep.

Yeah, but then he did Avenue 5 and David Copperfield...

[Ferris]

In fairness given the speed of events and not that large a segment anymore would watch live TV, I thought having a few people shouting in the area was quite a victory for him.

Yeah and me.

[Magnum Valentino]

'Is it snowing where you are?', 'Do you like fireworks?', and 'What's your favourite soup?' are not a million miles away from the kind of questions Alan seems to enjoy putting to his MMM audience. For him now to be railing against the very triviality that's been the bedrock of much of his broadcasting career (and which he has actively encouraged and taken pleasure in) seems a bit off. A strange hill for him to choose to die on.

I think that ultimately Alan enjoys and flourishes with personal interaction, and This Time is a completely one-sided version of what he tackles in a similar way on the radio. He can ask the questions, but he can't challenge or support the responses. Must be quite frustrating. Being on telly is its own reward, even if the work is shit. He's maybe seen now that that reward isn't worth it.

[Thomas]

Best episode of both series. So much in there.

We've seen Alan punching people before - this time I liked his immediate desperate contrition.

[kalowski]

It's been done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAo-xyIEEkI&t=127s

Jesus Christ.

[H-O-W-L]

"Who gave you that tooth?" "Me mate, Michael."
Shat me up. Like seeing Michael Myers (HAH!) through the window in Halloween.

[BlodwynPig]

"Who gave you that tooth?"

"An Internet forum, Cookdandbombd"

[H-O-W-L]

I think this is like... Peak Partridge, this ending of the final ep. It's pretty perfect as a close to the character. We have a lot of real Partridges nowadays, whom get away with doing shit far more stupid than what Alan gets tossed out for (short of shooting someone on TV) so I think him emerging in some kind of bizarre Network victory is great. Especially with that shot of him going "They won't let me back in the BBC."

I'm sure there's more Partridge to come but if that was the end of his TV appearances I'd be fine with it.

[petril]

It's been done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAo-xyIEEkI&t=127s

aye, I was thinking that, but much lower stakes, and nobody particularly cares if it does anything.

[notjosh]

I believe we're seeing This Time episodes a few weeks after the fact, so it's possible that his recent national arena tour was announced on the back of his newfound popularity as the voice of the silent majority.

Mind you, if Coogan was really commited to the realism of Partridge world he would have purposefully only sold about 1/4 of the seats. Would love to see Partridge in the O2 with just a handful of weirdos dotted around the floor.

[H-O-W-L]

I believe we're seeing This Time episodes a few weeks after the fact, so it's possible that his recent national arena tour was announced on the back of his newfound popularity as the voice of the silent majority.

Mind you, if Coogan was really commited to the realism of Partridge world he would have purposefully only sold about 1/4 of the seats. Would love to see Partridge in the O2 with just a handful of weirdos dotted around the floor.

Realistically it's going to be a socially distanced audience, isn't it? Same effect. Plus I doubt the O2 would let him do that.

[badaids]

I believe we're seeing This Time episodes a few weeks after the fact, so it's possible that his recent national arena tour was announced on the back of his newfound popularity as the voice of the silent majority.

Mind you, if Coogan was really commited to the realism of Partridge world he would have purposefully only sold about 1/4 of the seats. Would love to see Partridge in the O2 with just a handful of weirdos dotted around the floor.

Perhaps his arena tour will be based on a full on Edmonds style meltdown. I'd love to see it but the ticket prices are far too much.

I really  enjoyed this finale - absolutely packed with stuff, even if it did have a lot of the things that have bugged me about the series. The colour palette was awful on this one. The purple and blue set with Alan in green and yellow and Jenny in orange was just eye jarringly gross. Yes I know they must have done it on purpose.

[kidsick5000]

I reckon the next version of Alan is either set for one of these GB News things that Andrew Neil went to or it's his life as a sidekick on This Time.

Might even be a change in format and become more fly-on-the-wall

[Bently Sheds]

I liked the comments about how the cleaner wanted paying more to clean his cottage after his weekend away. Added to Alan's reluctance to really talk about the weekend and his disappearance after the night of passion with Tiff (and her having to get the train back) kind of hinted at bleak goings on in the Partridge holiday bedroom that night.

[JamesTC]

His reaction to the make-up lady in general feels a little odd. I get that he doesn't want to give any impressions that might get him unintentionally #MeToo'd but she is a good-looking younger lady who is clearly infatuated with him. The Alan Partridge of old would be proudly shouting about dating a woman two decades his junior.

[BlodwynPig]

I reckon the next version of Alan is either set for one of these GB News things that Andrew Neil went to or it's his life as a sidekick on This Time.

Might even be a change in format and become more fly-on-the-wall

sidekick5000?

[DrGreggles]

I reckon the next version of Alan is either set for one of these GB News things that Andrew Neil went to or it's his life as a sidekick on This Time.

Might even be a change in format and become more fly-on-the-wall

With the other BBC Partridge project happening, I think the (unbroadcast/cannnon) thinking will be that Alan can't be trusted to do 'live' telly.

[JamesTC]

He would be put on paid suspension while an "investigation" takes place. Simon would not press charges and they would be friends again. Alan would be quietly dropped from This Time but due to his popularity they would to keep him on for another BBC project. Alan stars in a new sitcom about him and his robot dog.

[paruses]

Will have to rewatch as it didn't work for me as well as it seemed to for the rest of you. Been on a right Partridge binge recently too.

Same. Enjoyed the first 1/3 and really laughed at Alan setting Simon up on the Anne's, and Simon's response. The rest of it was perhaps too dense and I was quite tense watching it. Lots of nice bits though - it just didn't drag me along enough like last week's (for example)

I also hate things where the famous guest/character is a stand-in shot from the back. But that is purely a personal thing.