This Time With Alan Partridge Page 8

Quote: Sitcomfan64 @ 18th March 2019, 10:12 PM

Well that was the funniest episode so far. The burp, the hidden camera (His 'This is Your Life' then awkward run to the car was perhaps the most Partridge thing this series). Finally even Tim Key is given something to do, I really loved that tiny glimpse of Alan really caring about him when he asks that girl to look after him.

Not everything works though. Lolly Adefope's character gets less funny every time she appears to the point of being infuriating.

View original

You are watching a totally different prog. to me or summat because THIS IS NOT FUNNY.

You mention the burp - man, I could see that coming from a gazillion miles away when she said something about her glass of water being fizzy - might have been funnier if she had said that afterwards, and the This is Your Life? Per............lease, give me a break.

Quote: jsg @ 11th March 2019, 7:40 PM

It's not on Blu ray unfortunately, few TV comedies are, but yes, it's on DVD a week after the final episode. https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/this_time_with_alan_partridge/shop/6196/series_1/

There isn't a fixed time frame for releases by any distributor as far as I'm aware

View original

Cheers for the link

I take it Coogan was the Centenarian on the phone as well.

On paper doing CPR on a sex doll sounds far too I'm Alan Partridge series 2 for my liking, but in the programme it didn't feel that way, which is odd. While there are flaws, I really rate the story telling on this programme and the believability and consistencies of it. I like the mixture of the surreal stuff with the more realistic One Show segments.

Plus, his face after the connection problems fix when Jennie talks to Ruth

Quote: jsg @ 19th March 2019, 11:41 AM

I really rate ... the believability and consistencies of it.

View original

Somewhere between slim and none at all in my book! A great pity. Still, some good laughs here and there.

Improved since the first episode, but does create the impression you can get a first draft broadcast if your character happens to be Alan Partridge.

The magazine segments seems to have the best ideas (Partridge undercover. More please!) as well as getting Partridge at his rambling best and accurately evoking how weirdly dull magazine show segments often are. On the other hand, the live show has far too many jokes which are either one note (touch screen confusing, just like last week...) or recourse to the joke being that the segment's going on too long. Worse still are the bits which aren't tight enough when being too long isn't the joke (the hacktivist item was like a study in ruining good ideas)

If they trimmed some of those down, they might have more time to develop the co-presenter into something slightly more than a polished screen persona.

Some of the important bits don't quite pass the common sense test either - Partridge shouldn't have been publicly relating Twitter allegations about a man he was desperate to replace in front of his adoring fans, he should have been doing it slyly to his co presenter & rival just before they came back on air. Think the whole "adored TV personality may have been unpleasant sex pest" topical issue would have worked much better as an ongoing reason for Partridge to be backhanded and two-faced than as a one-hit set piece anyway.

Still, if you can isolate the good bits, I think they'll stand alongside classic Partridge clips in future

Quote: Aaron @ 19th March 2019, 12:09 PM

Somewhere between slim and none at all in my book! A great pity. Still, some good laughs here and there.

View original

In isolation definitely, and I see what you mean, but I thought the format did it justice. In a similar way The Day Today doesn't take you out of it when it exaggerates

Quote: enigmatic @ 19th March 2019, 12:26 PM

Improved since the first episode, but does create the impression you can get a first draft broadcast if your character happens to be Alan Partridge.

View original

Hardly, the BBC turned down Mid Morning Matters.

Quote: jsg @ 19th March 2019, 12:38 PM

the BBC turned down Mid Morning Matters.

View original

Did they?

My understanding is that the show was taken to Sky because the BBC wanted to make unacceptable changes to it and broadcast it in a late-night slot after Newsnight on BBC2.

Quote: Rood Eye @ 19th March 2019, 12:44 PM

Did they?

My understanding is that the show was taken to Sky because the BBC wanted to make unacceptable changes to it and broadcast it in a late-night slot after Newsnight on BBC2.

View original

You're right, not turned down, they wanted something a bit different, which sounds more like IAP:

BBC executives also wanted to broaden the scope of the show, which is set entirely in a fictional Norfolk radio studio, to outside the confines of the fictional broadcaster.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/sep/11/iannucci-alan-partridge-sky-bbc

There was a continuity gaffe with the credit card.

When Alan got it out, he was holding it upside down on both sides. I think his fingers were obscuring the numbers too.

But the photos of it on the digiwall showed Alan holding it the right way up, numbers visible and the camera angle was a bit different.

The cuts when they're in the studio are really noticeable. Alan does so much with his mouth, it rarely stays still!

I'm enjoying it but I think it's a bit too dense for BBC One primetime, it's not broad enough.

And the conceit doesn't really make sense, the BBC would have sacked him by now. He didn't issue an apology the other week for holding up 'COCKSUCKER' to Simon. They wouldn't let him do the face thing last week.

They could have had it that the BBC had to put This Time out to tender and it was Pear Tree Productions that won it, maybe a trial run. Then it would be a bit more plausible.

There seems to be some very mixed reviews around This Time. I'm very much enjoying them, the VT scenes especially the one he did this week with Monty Don was for me IMO, top drawer Partridge. Reminded me very much of the Sky Atlantic specials he did a few years ago: Scissored Isle and Welcome To The Places of My Life.

It's not always clear which bits are "broadcast" and which bits are behind the scenes. I assume that when we audibly hear Alan swear for example, this is for "our eyes" only and not what would be seen during the broadcast. Same with a few comments to Simon, on broadcast he could be shouting off-screen but we see it all to catch Simon's reaction.

The Irish look-a-like was some great character work by Steve but it was almost too good, it was distracting.

I really like this show but I can understand why others wouldn't. Alan Partridge is my favourite comedy character and I enjoy watching him whatever he's doing, as long as he's being himself as it were.

I think these types of shows are easy to lampoon, as they're quite comical themselves anyway, so it must be much harder to actually find something original to say about them. This is probably where this show struggles the most, to finding the balance between authenticity and the absurd. I'd rather it be more Knowing Me... with no behind the scenes footage but then maybe that wouldn't have worked out either?

Quote: Lee @ 20th March 2019, 1:13 PM

It's not always clear which bits are "broadcast" and which bits are behind the scenes. I assume that when we audibly hear Alan swear for example, this is for "our eyes" only and not what would be seen during the broadcast. Same with a few comments to Simon, on broadcast he could be shouting off-screen but we see it all to catch Simon's reaction.

View original

I think the only off-air bits are where it goes to a VT not involving Alan. Then the cameras go skew-whiff, as we remain focused on the studio.

Tonight's is the #MeToo episode, which should be interesting

Quote: jsg @ 25th March 2019, 5:52 PM

Tonight's is the #MeToo episode, which should be interesting

View original

I have two main reservations about this:

I doubt Steve Coogan is willing to sacrifice his TV career by having Alan (as Alan certainly would) denounce the #MeToo Brigade as a load of moaning Minnies.

Even if Steve were willing to do that, I doubt the BBC would allow the episode to be broadcast.

He could I suppose, attempt some Partridge-style irony and appear on set bound hand and foot, masked and strapped to a gurney in the style of Hannibal Lecter about to take a trip outside prison. He would, of course, announce to camera that he's being restrained because, as a man, no woman in the building is safe unless he is so restrained.

No, upon reflection, he won't even go that far - because even that classic Partridge-ism would see his career in tatters.

There appear to be only three possibilities therefore: they're going to skirt (see what I did there?) around the subject, or Steve is going to prove he's the bravest comedian on British TV or he's going to prove he's a total sell-out like all the rest of them.

I look forward to tonight's show with interest.