Let battle commence (it's not literally a battle, it's a poll): it's the Alan Partridge poll

I’m Alan Partridge (series 1)

the peak of partridge, the peak of 20th century art

the rightful winner tbh

I received the audiobook of Nomad as a birthday present. Will have to hear it and report back...

KMKY radio and I'm Alan Partridge 1 are my favourites. Don't know anything beyond I'm Alan Partridge 2, except the movie, and that's going to win this poll.

Best show or best Alan Partridge show? The Day Today wins the former but I'm Alan Partridge wins the latter.

KMKY radio and I'm Alan Partridge 1 are my favourites.

this. the radio show is fantastic.

series 2 of I’m Alan Partridge is badly underrated imo, especially the visit to Bono's house

the Comic Relief bit with Peter Kaye and the boxing gym also deserves a mention

deres more to ireland den dis

The audio book of I, Partridge is essential.

I’m Alan Partridge (series 1)

Which is the one with Alan Partridge's super fan? Then that one.

Which is the one with Alan Partridge's super fan? Then that one.

― Dan Worsley, Tuesday, March 21, 2017 10:39 AM (six seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I’m Alan Partridge (series 1)

That's what I guessed, but had to check.

Honourable mention for this from series 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrp0wJsXNEA

Series 2 has some great bits and some really weak bits; I prefer everything post-comeback to it. It's amazing just how consistent and well-realised this character has been for so long, props to coogan for putting in just the right amount if his own awfulness

I accidentally voted for S2 of IAP. It's 1 obviously. Unimpeachable.

That said, the latter day stuff (especially MMM and I, Partridge really has no right to be as good as it is

wrt the latter day stuff, it's impressive how it rarely feels like they're straining for laughs despite how long it's been running for, and that Alan still always feels 'natural', like they can drop him in any situation and you think 'yes, this how Alan would behave in this set of circumstances'. (I agree with wins that a lot of this seems to be because Coogan is drawing on the renewable energy source that is his own awfulness)

wrt the latter day stuff, it's impressive how it rarely feels like they're straining for laughs despite how long it's been running for, and that Alan still always feels 'natural'

recently i heard graham linehan talk about how this one character has remained authentic and interesting for 25 years and shown no signs of getting boring. coogan's own infusion into alan is a big part of it, but i think it's also that they persist with really good writers and spend a huge amount of time rewriting and editing scripts to get them right. in the '90s at least, sometimes scripts would change so late they'd be rewriting them during the shoot.

another part of it is their refusal to get bogged down in catchphrases (not counting those alan comes up with himself). they've never relied on cliches or predictable responses, and sometimes they even evolve his views (e.g. by mid morning matters he seemed to have gotten over the worst of his homophobia). the fact that we can't really predict how he's going to respond to things, but we still know exactly who he is, gives him incredible longevity imo.

in fact this poll seemed like a good idea precisely because i, partridge can just as good as the '90s peak, depending on who you are and when you came into it. a friend of mine loves the hell out of mid morning matters and texts me quotes every couple of months.

except the movie, and that's going to win this poll.

of course it won't, it's one of the worst bits of Partridge ever. certainly the worst in the Gibbons era.

think you read that sentence wrong

My fault, I could have done with making that sentence clearer.

a friend of mine loves the hell out of mid morning matters and texts me quotes every couple of months.

MMM is wonderful and perfect, and I would vote for it if IAP 1 weren't such a towering behemoth of comedy.

IAP 2 definitely underrated; I was disappointed when it was first shown, but every time I catch a repeat of an episode I like it more. It's a deal whackier and less vicious than series 1, which I think was fairly jarring at the time.

The mugging from Coogan is painful at times. Also, the girlfriend is a useless, unfunny character.

It's still funny though.

sonja is possibly a racist construct but still brilliant and hilarious. it helps that she's simultaneously odd and nice, and nothing fazes her (which really is the best and only fit for alan).

i really love that she just left an enormous beefeater teddy bear in his static home because she thought it would be a nice surprise

I agree with Tom, although I laugh at the bit where he casually refers to her as "mildly cretinous" (in her presence iirc?)

She had her moments, but I always felt it was a waste of the actress who played her's talents.

that stuff works for me because (a) alan would realistically only be with someone who'll stay around despite those insults and (b) she's confident enough in herself that she doesn't give a shit. it treads a fine line as it is, but without (b) it would just be disturbing.

xp to wins

yeah sonja's not the most challenging role. there are moments when you can see the actor trying not to burst out laughing (e.g. the 'DAN' scene)

deres more to ireland den dis

i've sort of had to drift away from liking this due to the sheer amount of times it's been quoted at me by people who don't know me well enough to get away with racial abuse.

that sucks

thing is i find that whole scene absolutely brilliant and hilarious, and it perfectly parodies that sort of awkward english person. i guess this must happen with similar comedy all the time.

it also helps that linehan and mathews are in on the joke

Best show or best Alan Partridge show? The Day Today wins the former but I'm Alan Partridge wins the latter.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 22 March 2017 01:39 (twenty hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

best alan partridge show. i didn't want to leave out the formative stuff, especially the world cup segment.

IAP 2 definitely underrated; I was disappointed when it was first shown, but every time I catch a repeat of an episode I like it more. It's a deal whackier and less vicious than series 1, which I think was fairly jarring at the time.

― chap, Wednesday, March 22, 2017 10:24 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

series 1 of IAP obviously brilliant, but maybe just *too* bleak for me to actually enjoy watching it, I sort of appreciated the fact that things were going a little better for Alan in series 2

things were going a little better for Alan in series 2

because he was...

although tbh the irony of the book title is driven home right at the end when he... wasn't so much. he seemed in high spirits at the pulping mill though.

Alan at Michael's house is classic - "You haven't got a spoon?" "Aye, I might have one - in the bathroom."

^^^
From memory, probably inaccurate.

accurate iirc, which is how he ends up with a sausage in a cup of beans

all the michael scenes are incredible. the entire dream about the helicopter etc. the monkey. cup of beans. he likes american stuff.

michael is spectacular. he's barely in alpha papa but that cupboard scene in act 2 sends the whole thing hurtling into space.

only michael could have pulled that off (and i don't know what american audiences made of it)

Lynn's baptism scene is probably my favourite Michael scene ("Oh Nerys, right, so I know your name now.") and Alan vs Rob Brydon doing the anecdote is great.

STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!!

michael is also the voice of compare the meerkat iirc

Why did you have to tell me that? 2nd series doesn't have enough Lynn in it, or it just could be that her relationship with Alan isn't as interesting and doesn't seem as important to either of them.

it also helps that linehan and mathews are in on the joke

Coogan is 'Manchester Irish', of course.

A mug of baked beans with a sausage in it is a great window into Michaels life but also totally the kind of thing partridge would actually eat

Knowing Me Knowing Yule - "God's a gas", "Do you want fanny?", weeping with a turkey fist as Mick Hucknall sings...

"Jews are good". LOLz galore.

series 2 of I’m Alan Partridge is badly underrated imo, especially the visit to Bono's house

― soref, Wednesday, 22 March 2017 02:27 (six days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i'm rewatching both and series 2 is definitely underrated. maybe people forget how many of the classic moments occurred in series 2 (the sex people, getting bond wrong, michael's apache attack helicopter anecdote, the prayer wave interview ("needles to say i took drugs"), medium-size toblerones, this, alan's pre-coital full english breakfast review, the cup of beans, climbing the fence at choristers, the wholly unsuccessful speech with the glitter cannon).

series 2 is the only alan partridge i can remember being on australian telly back then (a commercial network aired it at midnight in 2003 or 2004). it's practically unheard of here, even though mid morning matters went out on the abc last year iirc.

Voted IAP1. Funniest moment ever is when he overhears them impersonating him and comes in swinging the bag. That's season 1 right? The "dere's more to Ireland dan dis" episode

same series different episode iirc. it feels like the bag swinging happened when the hotel was shut for repairs (and alan later dressed up as a tungsten-tipped shower zombie to entertain himself).

and yeah, the travel tavern was series 1

which is the episode where he puts his foot on a spike and has that meeting on a front door with the SA man? cos that's p much the only one I know and it's the funniest thing ever

that's series 2 and it's straight up genius (michael's school teacher revenge fantasy is also in that one)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

michael is tipping my vote in favour of iap series 2, but then series 1 is the reason series 2 even exists, and kmkywap is proper genius. even welcome to the places of my life is a stunning piece of work. this is too hard.

Mentioning series 2 highlights, then "DAN! DAN! DAN! DAN! DAN! … … DAN!" has to be in there.

would never have thought S1 could be topped at the time, so voted that as it's such a huge part of my life, but s2 was a great direction to take it in and it's just as good if not better.

IAP S1 for me. the rant at the farmer about sheds full of gmo chickens "THEY DONT KNOW WHY THEYRE SO BIG!!", and Michaels rude army story that ended with "so I flipped er over... and she started first go!" win for me

"...strangest story I've ever heard."

I got my quote a bit wrong lol "and he flipped her over and he fu.....and fu....and funnily enough it landed on all four wheels and they drove away."

"Theres nae porn on it!"

IAMP2 underrated? Perhaps

As good or better than S1? No chance

Did they get you on the old jeans rule? Nazis! But with excellent facilities… as had the Nazis.

I got my quote a bit wrong lol "and he flipped her over and he fu.....and fu....and funnily enough it landed on all four wheels and they drove away."

― Stoop Crone (Trayce)

I love the "ahhh I get what you were doing there" look he gives Michael when Lynn steps into the room and it finally dawns on him

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

"I get 'Dan' shouted at me almost every day," Mangan told Digital Spy, adding that festivals are "a dangerous area for me. If it gets around the crowd that I'm there, I've had 6,000 people shouting 'Dan' at me.

poor dan

The Trip to Spain premieres tonight btw