A-ha! It’ll be great getting to know Alan again
HARD though it is to believe, almost a quarter of century has passed since spoof chat show host Alan Partridge made his TV debut in the wonderful Knowing Me Knowing You.
I’ll happily admit to liking it so much at the time that I bought the VHS tape of the series – yes, it was that long ago – and watched the funnier moments time and time again.
There were so many highlights that it is difficult to single out any one bit in particular. But if I had to narrow it down, I’d go for the duet of Abba’s Take Chance On Me that Alan performed with a female West End singer (played by Rebecca
Front). Either that, or the time when he called a halt to wouldbe ventriloquist Joe Beasley’s (John Thomson) excruciatingly inept double-act with a soft toy called Cheeky Monkey.
The subsequent I’m Alan Partridge, which ran for two series, saw the great man reduced to living in a motel and working the graveyard shift as a DJ on local radio.
Even though it was darker and probably more sophisticated than the original, I just didn’t find it as funny.
So I’m in two minds to hear that Norwich’s finest export is due to make a return to our screens in the months ahead.
All that has really been revealed so far is that the new series will involve him getting an unexpected opportunity to revive his television career.
By way of a taster, Alan Partridge: Why, When, Where, How and Whom? took a look back at the creation and development of the character.
Contributors included longtime Coogan collaborators such as Armando Iannucci, Patrick Marber and the aforementioned Miss Front.
It all seemed a bit serious at times, but at least the interviews were interspersed with classic clips of the V-necked monster in action. Let’s just hope the 2018 production doesn’t spoil his legacy.