What Martin Short's fake talk show host Jiminy Glick is to the states, Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge is to the U.K. (albeit funnier and more sophisticated). Coogan's fictional alter ego Partridge had his own "chat show" in 1995 called "Knowing Me, Knowing You- with Alan Partridge" (which many British viewers thought was the real thing!). The show was strategically made to only last one season in order to bring about the spin-off "I'm Alan Partridge", which dealt with the demise of Partridge's show and his not-so-brilliant career.
Rubber-faced, snaggle-toothed Coogan creates one of the best unlikable characters since John Cleese's Basil Fawlty. Alan "A-Ha!" Partridge is an untalented, unprofessional, self-deluded, insensitive buffoon who's blissfully unaware of the fact that no one likes him and that no one misses his short-lived show. Forced to work as an early morning disc jockey and live in a fleabag hotel, Partridge struggles to rebuild his career, but always failing due to his own stupidity and tactlessness. He is a burden to the hotel staff (he's lived there a whopping six months), a tyrant to his loyal assistant Lynn, and thorn in the side of BBC executive Tony Hayers.
It is a bit depressing, watching Partridge fail episode after episode, but he's such a pompous twit you quickly stop caring and just enjoy the darkly comic ride. One episode dealt with Partridge's insulting England's farmers (I don't dare spoil how they exact their revenge). Coogan hams it up as vile Alan Partridge, who's unsympathetic to the point of pure evil (in one episode, he uses a recently dead man's hand to finish signing the TV contract to relaunch his career). The supporting cast gamely keep straight faces amid Partridge's idiotic antics.
Watching someone else's failure was never so much fun!
Rubber-faced, snaggle-toothed Coogan creates one of the best unlikable characters since John Cleese's Basil Fawlty. Alan "A-Ha!" Partridge is an untalented, unprofessional, self-deluded, insensitive buffoon who's blissfully unaware of the fact that no one likes him and that no one misses his short-lived show. Forced to work as an early morning disc jockey and live in a fleabag hotel, Partridge struggles to rebuild his career, but always failing due to his own stupidity and tactlessness. He is a burden to the hotel staff (he's lived there a whopping six months), a tyrant to his loyal assistant Lynn, and thorn in the side of BBC executive Tony Hayers.
It is a bit depressing, watching Partridge fail episode after episode, but he's such a pompous twit you quickly stop caring and just enjoy the darkly comic ride. One episode dealt with Partridge's insulting England's farmers (I don't dare spoil how they exact their revenge). Coogan hams it up as vile Alan Partridge, who's unsympathetic to the point of pure evil (in one episode, he uses a recently dead man's hand to finish signing the TV contract to relaunch his career). The supporting cast gamely keep straight faces amid Partridge's idiotic antics.
Watching someone else's failure was never so much fun!