Television Alan Partridge returns - New series of This Time begins Friday April 30th, 9:30pm

[2 man midfield]

Deffo a better episode. Still seems more forced and less energy in the character but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.

I just watched the 'tomato, tomato' bit with the South African, from season two of IAL before it. One of the my favourite bits

"You cahnt!"

 

[VeevaVee]

"You cahnt!"

oh my god...

"You could be a Bond femme fatale, with your broken English. You're sexy but I don't trust you"


"Have you made allowances for visiting my mother's grave?"
"Yes, that's in the schedule. Visiting your mother's grave, then Dr No. The underground base of an evil genius...and then Dr No"

 

[VeevaVee]

Didn't like Lynn up til this point but she seems to get more sure of the role and is nailing it

 

[CallyRed]

Watched the Jed Maxwell episode this evening.

"It's like Kilroy, but with tea, wagon wheels and Sue Cook"

"Sunday Bloody Sunday'. What a great song. It really encapsulates the frustration of a Sunday, doesn't it? You wake up in the morning, you've got to read all the Sunday papers, the kids are running round, you've got to mow the lawn, wash the car, and you think "Sunday, bloody Sunday!".

 

[2 man midfield]

oh my god...

"You could be a Bond femme fatale, with your broken English. You're sexy but I don't trust you"


"Have you made allowances for visiting my mother's grave?"
"Yes, that's in the schedule. Visiting your mother's grave, then Dr No. The underground base of an evil genius...and then Dr No"

Brilliant

 

[Phil Jones Face]

Back on top form in episode 2. Genuine laugh a minute.

 

[Irish Jet]

That last 10 minutes...

 

[sincher]

Yeah, much better 2nd episode, playing a bit more to the strengths of AP being, underneath the veneer of a twat and a twonk, kind of a hero. I mean the best AP stuff for me is Alpha Papa where they played this angle really well. There is a lot of potential there, they have Jenny just very slowly losing her extremely calm front, which I would eventually expect to be a full blown rant which makes her look like the real bad person, by the end of the series.

There are still problems though. The subtle stuff is great (like the bloke falling off the edge of the set, which I didn't even notice), but the bits where he is too completely incompetent, and the parts of the show that are just way too shite/rude to ever be on actual TV, just don't work for me.

 

[VeevaVee]

but the bits where he is too completely incompetent, and the parts of the show that are just way too shite/rude to ever be on actual TV, just don't work for me.

Yeah, and it's different to what he's been like previously I think. Mentioned it before, but he's also strangely lacking some of his energy and confidence the character has had in the past.

 

[beedoubleyou]

Yeah, much better 2nd episode, playing a bit more to the strengths of AP being, underneath the veneer of a twat and a twonk, kind of a hero. I mean the best AP stuff for me is Alpha Papa where they played this angle really well. There is a lot of potential there, they have Jenny just very slowly losing her extremely calm front, which I would eventually expect to be a full blown rant which makes her look like the real bad person, by the end of the series.

There are still problems though. The subtle stuff is great (like the bloke falling off the edge of the set, which I didn't even notice), but the bits where he is too completely incompetent, and the parts of the show that are just way too shite/rude to ever be on actual TV, just don't work for me.

That bit there is the issue. It's the issue because we're so familiar with The One show and this feels like something from our universe. That's when it hit me and stopped being an issue. Alan doesn't live in our universe, Knowing Me, Knowing You was too silly to be realistic, as was The Day Today, Mid Morning Matters and (the quite brilliant) Scissored Isle too.

 

[Mockney]

It’s werid to me how many people seem to be wilfully ignoring how Partridge began as a way of justifying why they think this one “isn’t Partridge”... it’s the absolute perfect modern updating of KMKY, in theory at least. Everyone’s going to have their favourite interpretations, since the character has deliberately straddled many mediums (most of the creators actually dislike I’m Alan Partridge Season 2, and Patrick Marber disliked the very idea of doing a sitcom in the first place) but pretending that the character doesn’t work in this setting, or when he’s in charge, or that it isn’t realistic enough is a bit bonkers. He shot a man dead in the finale of his first TV series, which was presented in much the same way, on both TV and Radio before it.

There are a few little things I’m not feeling about this yet, but it’s very fittingly Partridge. Whatever you may think that means.

The only things that seem a little “off” to me are the way he makes his voice deep and growly at times in a very OTT way that I’m not aware of him doing in the much earlier incarnations.

In fact it’s possible one of the things that’s making it seem a little more low energy than KMKY, could be the lack of a laugh track, which was ever present in early Alan but I don’t think anyone actually wants a return to in this day and age...or maybe just the off camera laugher/chatter of the crew, which you do frequently hear on the actual One Show? It’s all quite eeriely silent, letting the full awkwardness reverberate, which comes from the Mid Morning Matters period more than anything.

 

[beedoubleyou]

It’s werid to me how many people seem to be wilfully ignoring how Partridge began as a way of justifying why they think this one “isn’t Partridge”... it’s the absolute perfect modern updating of KMKY, in theory at least. Everyone’s going to have their favourite interpretations, since the character has deliberately straddled many mediums (most of the creators actually dislike I’m Alan Partridge Season 2, and Patrick Marber disliked the very idea of doing a sitcom in the first place) but pretending that the character doesn’t work in this setting, or when he’s in charge, or that it isn’t realistic enough is a bit bonkers. He shot a man dead in the finale of his first TV series, which was presented in much the same way, on both TV and Radio before it.

There are a few little things I’m not feeling about this yet, but it’s very fittingly Partridge. Whatever you may think that means.

The only things that seem a little “off” to me are the way he makes his voice deep and growly at times in a very OTT way that I’m not aware of him doing in the much earlier incarnations.

In fact it’s possible one of the things that’s making it seem a little more low energy than KMKY, could be the lack of a laugh track, which was ever present in early Alan but I don’t think anyone actually wants a return to in this day and age...or maybe just the off camera laugher/chatter of the crew, which you do frequently hear on the actual One Show? It’s all quite eeriely silent, letting the full awkwardness reverberate, which comes from the Mid Morning Matters period more than anything.

I agree with all that.

The voice thing I put down to a mix of Alan being nervous about being back on TV and being quite proud/showing off about it.

 

[iammemphis]

Just watched it and thought, on the whole, it was great. I didn’t find the monkey voice over bit by him very funny but everything else was pretty good.

I was loving the battlefield re-enactment fecking great that was. When he eyes the dagger on his belt, all the way down to the camera angle for it . Brilliant.

 

[Oggmonster]

It’s werid to me how many people seem to be wilfully ignoring how Partridge began as a way of justifying why they think this one “isn’t Partridge”... it’s the absolute perfect modern updating of KMKY, in theory at least. Everyone’s going to have their favourite interpretations, since the character has deliberately straddled many mediums (most of the creators actually dislike I’m Alan Partridge Season 2, and Patrick Marber disliked the very idea of doing a sitcom in the first place) but pretending that the character doesn’t work in this setting, or when he’s in charge, or that it isn’t realistic enough is a bit bonkers. He shot a man dead in the finale of his first TV series, which was presented in much the same way, on both TV and Radio before it.

There are a few little things I’m not feeling about this yet, but it’s very fittingly Partridge. Whatever you may think that means.

The only things that seem a little “off” to me are the way he makes his voice deep and growly at times in a very OTT way that I’m not aware of him doing in the much earlier incarnations.

In fact it’s possible one of the things that’s making it seem a little more low energy than KMKY, could be the lack of a laugh track, which was ever present in early Alan but I don’t think anyone actually wants a return to in this day and age...or maybe just the off camera laugher/chatter of the crew, which you do frequently hear on the actual One Show? It’s all quite eeriely silent, letting the full awkwardness reverberate, which comes from the Mid Morning Matters period more than anything.

Yeah I agree. I've really enjoyed it so far.

He did some similar voice stuff in Scissored Isle on Sky from what I remember (which I thought was really good to for what it's worth) and it seems to have carried on since.

 

[Dave89]

Episode one was OK, ditto the first half of 2, but that second half of episode 2 was comedy gold.

 

[Drifter]

First episode was ok, but the second had some vintage Alan Partridge moments ,especially twitter moment towards the end.

 

[The Cat]

Enjoyed both so far.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

I've just seen the second episode. There were some fantastic bits and pieces, the battle VT being the highlight for me: "I wanted to illustrate how the river would have looked by emptying this bucket of butcher's waste into it..."

 

[Pexbo]

Why the hell isn’t it Alan off yet?

 

[Chairman Steve]

It’s so weird seeing Jonathan Watson in something that isn’t Only An Excuse.

EDIT: Holy feck those naked pregnant women photos

 

[Dobba]

Loved Scissored Isle, MMM and the two books, but that corporal punishment segment is the best Partridge the Gibbons brothers have written yet. Absolutely sublime.

Alan dusting off the ice white shoes and ice white socks with navy blue double cadet stripes at the gym was a great nod to the past too.

 

[Castia]

He’s never quite the same for me. Like the voice is there and the look but the character is always different. The character in this show is nothing like Alan from ‘I’m Alan Partridge’ it’s weird.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

I was unsure of the first episode but the last 2 have been great.

The bit with the reporter who constantly disagrees with Alan shows how the character and humour has changed over the years I think.

With early Alan she'd have just disagreed with everything he said every episode and he'd have always ended up losing but now they let Alan win the odd battle so he was able to get back at her by being just as pedantic as her.

 

[ivaldo]

The young Partridge is the stuff of nightmares.

 

[Dobba]

The young Partridge is the stuff of nightmares.

Like a living waxwork of Rodney Bewes.

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Loved Alan fecking up the uniform transition by stepping back from behind the column.

 

[ivaldo]

Like a living waxwork of Rodney Bewes.

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Loved Alan fecking up the uniform transition by stepping back from behind the column.

There was so many laughs in that segment. The dodgy slide down the rail, the crunching knees as he squatted, classic stuff.

Edit: and then the dozens of hidden gems like this:

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and this:

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[CassiusClaymore]

That entire school segment . Best one yet. Bound to be loads I missed in that on first watch too.

 

[NinjaFletch]

There was so many laughs in that segment. The dodgy slide down the rail, the crunching knees as he squatted, classic stuff.

Edit: and then the dozens of hidden gems like this:

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That had me in hysterics.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

He drew that photo of Michael to try and get over the grief of him going missing

 

[Carlsen19]

I really didn’t have high hopes after the first episode but the next two have been fantastic. Tonight’s reminded me so much of ‘Welcome To The Places of My Life’ which I loved.

 

[Hammerfell]

There was something very cathartic about watching him get one over the pedantic lady.

 

[R.N7]

I could never get into the first series because of the laugh track, does this have one as well?

 

[Hammerfell]

I could never get into the first series because of the laugh track, does this have one as well?

No.

 

[ivaldo]

There was something very cathartic about watching him get one over the pedantic lady.

He's been getting a few wins in the last few episodes which I like. I'm sure it'll all go up in smoke in episode 6 though!

 

[predator]

So far of this new series I think episode one was good, episode 2 was very good and episode 3 was quite poor. I understand that it's difficult to repeat such comedy after his older stuff with the same character and also Coogan may be trying to appeal to the wider audience. Still, as a massive fan I will watch everything with Partridge in it.

 

[Mockney]

I was unsure of the first episode but the last 2 have been great.

The bit with the reporter who constantly disagrees with Alan shows how the character and humour has changed over the years I think.

With early Alan she'd have just disagreed with everything he said every episode and he'd have always ended up losing but now they let Alan win the odd battle so he was able to get back at her by being just as pedantic as her.

He had plenty of little wins in KMKY (The MP with the rent boys, the Patrick Marber character who couldn’t see his son, etc) The joke has always been that he’s unbearable when he gets them.

 

[Eckers99]

I think every episode has improved. Maybe that's just me getting used to the format.

Tiny Alan was truly hideous.

 

[squiggle]

After thinking the film was poor I was apprehensive but it’s been very good so far.

 

[ivaldo]

So far of this new series I think episode one was good, episode 2 was very good and episode 3 was quite poor. I understand that it's difficult to repeat such comedy after his older stuff with the same character and also Coogan may be trying to appeal to the wider audience. Still, as a massive fan I will watch everything with Partridge in it.

I think you've got that backwards.

 

[Pexbo]