Alan Partridge Live: Stratagem

There's no question that Alan Partridge is one of the greatest comedy creations in British TV history. The subtlety and sharpness of Mid Morning Matters or The Oasthouse podcast is about as good as comedic writing gets.

Stratagem, however, is complete trash. This format simply doesn't work well for this character and I think Coogan knows this. Every joke seems forced and the overall performance is far more slapstick than parody.

The reaction of the crowd tells you everything. They are quiet and look visibly bored. In fact, many people look quite agitated as if their intelligence is being insulted by this shoddy effort.

Really terrible stuff from Coogan. Not my words, the words of Shakin' Stevens.

It has its moments, if by "moments" you mean very light laughter or smiles at some of the jokes and references. In most places though, it's just a cringeworthy performance from one of the greatest comics and finest character actors of our generation (in my opinion).

I wasn't expecting it to be as funny as the Partridge we all know and love, but this is almost like a different character altogether. The sharp wit and awkward charm that made Alan Partridge an iconic figure seem to be missing here. Instead, what we get is a diluted version that leans too heavily on forced gags and an odd attempt to translate the character into a live show - which, if you've seen any of Coogan's live shows in the past you know is certainly possible.

Coogan is quite an underrated musical comic, but the musical numbers here really don't make sense and seem like filler.

The live interaction with the audience, a hallmark of any great comedy special, feels stilted and awkward. There are moments where the cringe is palpable, not because of Partridge's trademark social faux pas, but because the humour falls flat and the attendees seem to be forcing themselves to enjoy what they likely had higher expectations for.

While it's always a pleasure to see Steve Coogan step into the shoes of his characters for live shows again, this special feels more like something to fill the gap in his schedule.

Steve Coogan is one of my all-time favourite comedians but seriously this is awful... I kept watching hoping it'd improve but sadly an hour and a half of my life I won't get back.

So glad I didn't go see it live As I'd have probably ended up walking out.

It just drones on without the usual creativity and ironic humour associated with Partridge. Jokes were tired and the songs were pointless and seemingly just to fill in tine rather than add anything. The audience seemed just to be perplexed and a little embarrassed with some rather forced laughter usually at him swearing. Could have been brilliant but just tired and unoriginal.

I had high hopes for this and all I can say is I'm glad I didn't make the effort to go and see it live (something I very nearly did)

It's hard to provide a synopsis of the show as it's just so odd and confusing. One thing though is abundantly clear, with this and indeed any other modern Partridge stuff, and that is it lacks the input of Armando Iannucci. Neil and Rob Gibbons are fans first and directors/script writers second and as with all geeky fans the concept and character has become far too deep and detailed in all the wrong ways. They seemed to have evolved Alan Partridge into a quasi cool, reformed success. You do see glimmers of the old Alan we know and find hilarious peppering the show and the little pre recorded snippets with the fabulous Felicity Montague as Alan's long suffering PA, Lynn Benfield are amusing. Unfortunately for the most part though, the show is weird, disjointed, confusing and rather sadly, simply not funny.

The first half of the show is palatable if not particularly amusing but the second half of the show is genuinely awkward and almost desperate in its execution. The singing doesn't work, the narrative is weak and the entire show makes you cringe but not in the way Alan Partridge should.

It's a sad demise and the combination of Neil and Rob Gibbon's weak abilities and Steve Coogan's complete loss of focus for the character and dare I say it arrogance, has led to this being a complete train wreck of a show. Perhaps the saddest element of this is they've dragged the character of Alan Partridge down with them.

It really needs to be watched to appreciate how poor it is - you'll be left gob smacked I promise you...

I'm sure Steve has made a lot of money from this tour, however I along with many other people have never watched so much drivel in all ours lives. The character Alan Partridge is absolutely superb and one of the finest comedy series of all time, however this effort falls short of being remotely amusing. As someone sat watching this live I cringed along with other audience members when no one was laughing. I know it's the character, however it's supposed to still be funny. It's a perfect example of leaving a classic memory behind and not trying to rekindle it for more money. Don't waste your time, don't watch it.