I'm Alan Partridge

Once upon a time the BBC was the world leader in situation comedy . It was also the world leader in telefantasy and hard hitting drama but by the 1990s those days were long gone , then a show like I`M ALAN PARTRIDGE comes along to remind you that when it really tries the BBC can still be a world leader.

For those of you who have never heard of him Alan Partridge is a crass , ignorant , undertalented former talk show host who now finds himself working the graveyard shift of Radio Norwich . The first episode finds Alan trying a sales pitch to BBC controller Tony Hayers someone he manages to cheese off ( Geddit ? ) during lunch . The second episode finds Alan trying to strike up a relationship with a woman while the third sees him cause a revolt amongst the Anglian farming community . All the episodes are very very funny but the best episode is the one with a dual plot line of Alan getting it into his head that two Irish TV producers are in fact members of the IRA as the episode mutates into a stalker storyline . I can`t begin to communicate how funny the episode is , I`ve seen it many times over the years and I still laugh out loud everytime I see it .

There is a danger that Steve Coogan`s character can be described as a one trick pony and I`m glad that he`s not going to do anymore Alan Patridge which is a good idea because Alan Patridge is to the 1990s what Basil Fawlty was to the 70s and Edmund Blackadder was to the 80s

Along with series 6 of Only Fools and Horses, I'm Alan Partridge series 1 is the greatest set of episodes of any comedy I have seen. The sheer quality of the acting and writing makes you weep at those who think My Family is good TV.

The first I saw of I'm Alan Partridge was the final episode of the original run. I can still remember being in tears of laughter from start to finish; seeing 'Castrol GTX' revealed on Alan's jacket at Tony Hayer's funeral nearly killed me. Then I saw the first run of repeats and was completely hooked.

The genius of Alan Partridge lies in how many different layers of his persona are evident - his fixation with transsexuals, his obsession with war and death, his desperation to be liked, his hatred of criminality and his xenophobia to name a few. Then there's the little things - the way he has to explain his jokes, his bad breath, the daydreaming, his bad skin and receding hairline, his love of driving. The genius of many of Alan's traits lies in the fact that they were established gradually ever since his first appearance on The Day Today. We discover on Knowing Me, Knowing You that he has bad breath, he has his first run-in with a transsexual and he refuses to pull onto the hard shoulder for sex.

Steve Coogan's performance as Alan is simply sublime. For example, when he is presenting the boat video and tries to ingratiate himself with 'the lads' by ogling a passing woman. Notice the look on his face just after he says "oooooooooooohhhh sex" when he starts drinking his pint, the little expressions like that are genius.

Many of the strongest scenes take place in the radio studio - the Joni Mitchell rant; "Mmm, a nice big thick slice of Thin Lizzy"; the war with Dave Clifton; "So give me a call, PLEASE!! Seriously, though, do give me a call." These were certainly the better parts of the second series, which I thought was generally embarrassing and took the character in completely the wrong direction.

I hope I haven't bored anyone, but it's hard not to look so closely at such an incredible series. Here are my favourite quotes: "Never throw water on a fat fire. It'll take your face off." "You know the breakfast buffet, all you can eat but from an 8-inch plate? 12 inches. Keep it in my room." "That is the best Valentine's Day I've had in 8 years." "What did you do 8 years ago?" "Just had a better one. Went to Silverstone, shook Jackie Stewart's hand - superb. My marriage fell apart soon after that." "What was he doing on the bloody roof?!" "He was getting the aerial down..." "Yeah, I was being rhetorical." "He had a second class honours degree in Media Studies from Loughborough University. What a waste." "I'd love to feel an airbag go off in my face. It'd be 'Huh, boosh, boosh'...cushion effect on the face." "Looking at the big girdles section? Amazing to think that some of these women are technically models." "Jet from Gladiators to host a Millennium barn dance at Yeovil Aerodrome. Properly policed, it must not, repeat not turn into an all-night rave."

Ten on ten, Lynn

The comic genius that is Steve Coogan has done it again. This series is certainly as good as the previous which had some genuine laugh out loud moments. Excellent! The First episode being the best, followed by the fourth, an absolute classic BRITISH gem of a comedy

I'm a big Partridge fan, and enjoyed Knowing Me, Knowing You, and the 1st I'm Alan Partridge. I have to say this is a more than welcome addition to the series, if not the best. Alan's character is even more childish than ever, and he's also developed a slight arrogance towards people as he has become more self-confident (at least he thinks so). Alan's interaction with the builders is classic and his ever evolving friendship with Michael is superb. I was so glad that Michael got more to do in this one, everything he says is funny, especially when describing what he'd do with the Apache helicopter. Classic. The episode with Alan making friends with Dan (the kitchen man) is absolutely hilarious, and his antics at the Norfolk bravery awards is so crude and funny. "Beep, beep, got room for a brave one ?" hehe. There are so many hilarious parts to this series - its the best English comedy I've seen for a long time, I really cant understand why some people here found it disappointing (perhaps because you wanted to see Alan succeed ??). I recommend to watch it again and pay close attention, this is genius comedy. Series 3 soon please ! Highly recommended.

"You've never had a cup o' beans Mr Partridge" ?

It was much anticipated by us Partridge fans, Knowing Me Knowing You on both radio and television had been comedy gold. The Christmas Special saw Alan's Television career collapse. How could 'I'm Alan Partridge' possibly keep up with such high standards?

It did and a whole lot more. The hilarity of Alan's misguided belief that he is still a major player in the industry and the meaningless conversations with the hotel staff combine to make his series essential watching. And the indignity of his prolonged stay in a 'one night stop venue' Travel Tavern adds to the tragic hilarity of the series.

Steve Coogan delivers his finest work to date and is ably assisted by a cast whose strongest delivery is the varied reactions their characters display when in the company of the failed chatshow host.

Perhaps the ultimate magic of Alan Partridge is that to fans his barrowload of catchphrases and inane comments are never forgotten and are always liable to be joyfully relayed in the company of a fellow fan.

And to think there are people out there who still don't get the joke.

as Alan might say,

'who, who, who do you think you are?'