Getting to Know Alan Partridge

There's apparently a sort of cult character named Alan Partridge, who's played by actor Steve Coogan - one of several British comedic actors whom I used to mix up. This year, after years of speculation and development, Alan Partridge got the big screen treatment with Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. Here's the trailer:


I went and saw it. I was really pleased that it featured Colm Meaney of Star Trek fame, but otherwise, I was pretty confused - there were a lot of details that really required you to be familiar with the source material, which wasn't top notch for the character's first feature film. What I enjoyed far more was a promotional bit that ran in theaters ("cinemas"). Have a look for yourself.


I probably found this bit at least as entertaining as the whole movie, because it offers an encapsulated view of what makes the character funny: being arrogantly out of touch with reality while trying to seem relevant, despite working at a radio station in Norfolk. Now that's comedy.