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21 years ago, Steve Coogan created a multi-platform comedy personality for British radio, and now the hapless DJ and former television presenter has finally made the transition to the big screen. Alan Partridge originally appeared as a sports presenter for The Day Today (1994), Chris Morris and Armando Iannucci’s current affairs parody show for the BBC, before being awarded his own show. Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge (1994) was broadcast as a live chat show, bringing the character into the centre of “cringe comedy” and deriving painful humour from Alan’s repeated counts of ineptitude in social situations.
Alan would scale his greatest critical heights in I’m Alan Partridge (1997-2002), a sitcom with an almost fly-on-the-wall aesthetic yet filmed in front of a live audience. Years later he would reappear in one-off specials for Sky Atlantic and also on the webcam webcasts Mid-Morning Matters with Alan Partridge (2010), delving into his world as a radio broadcaster. By the time Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa was announced, the character had transcended the confines of any one medium and forged his place in popular culture as well as the popular imagination. He is about as real as a fictional character can get having appeared on television, radio, stage and even in autobiographical book form with I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan (2011), with its own accompanying audiobook of course. The only medium left waiting for one of Norfolk’s biggest exports was the big screen.
In his debut feature, Alan makes his mark in the action genre as he is unwittingly thrust into a siege as the chief negotiator. He finds that, despite his failure to truly make a name for himself in the entertainment industry, the publicity he gets in such a risk-filled state of affairs not only gives him a much sought after showbiz break but also an opportunity to live out his action hero fantasy. As was the case with Knowing Me, Knowing You and I’m Alan Partridge, the self-proclaimed legendary DJ appears in almost every shot with his ego seeping into the fabric of the film itself. This is demonstrated in a daydream sequence in which Alan overpowers the film’s villain, Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney), whilst bathing in the compliments of his own cloned imaginary self.
Unlike in I’m Alan Partridge, Alan is a much more positive individual in Alpha Papa and certainly appears to be a little more content and perhaps even a little more comfortable in his own skin. Although this has instigated a minor backlash from a handful of fans on the commentary pages of the YouTube trailer, it is a necessary change to keep up with the increased pace of the medium in which we find him. Nevertheless, key character traits remain including his trademark social incompetence, lack of modern-day cultural understanding and a bravado masking his insecurity. Director Declan Lowney does not squander the opportunity to utilise a larger budget, introducing action set-pieces and a filmic use of cinematography, while the regular team of Partridge writers (Coogan, Baynham, Iannucci and the Gibbons brothers Rob and Neil) ensure it remains a very British and even regional affair with Norwich firmly at its centre.
One of the more notable, and perhaps integral, changes that the big screen has brought is a soundtrack which fades in and out of the diegetic and non-diegetic world. The 1989 Roachford track “Cuddly Toy” accompanies the opening credits through Alan’s car radio as he mimes along with the lyrics. It is clearly possible that the film’s soundtrack could help to revive the careers of 1970s novelty hits and soft rock with golden oldies accompanying many memorably moments in the film.
Alan, as ever, is an acquired taste, but while the 1990s rendition of the character may have changed a little too much for some, the film is undoubtedly still a love letter to his fans. Whereas most beloved British sitcom characters translate poorly when they make the leap into mainstream cinema, Alpha Papa still retains a sense of its roots while turning up the drama, which the character adapts to very well. From the notorious On the Buses (1969-1973) film adaptations to The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse (2005), movie translations of classic British sitcoms are seldom regarded highly by film critics, but with the success of The Inbetweeners Movie (2011) and now Alpha Papa, perhaps this is a trend that is beginning to shift.
Alan would scale his greatest critical heights in I’m Alan Partridge (1997-2002), a sitcom with an almost fly-on-the-wall aesthetic yet filmed in front of a live audience. Years later he would reappear in one-off specials for Sky Atlantic and also on the webcam webcasts Mid-Morning Matters with Alan Partridge (2010), delving into his world as a radio broadcaster. By the time Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa was announced, the character had transcended the confines of any one medium and forged his place in popular culture as well as the popular imagination. He is about as real as a fictional character can get having appeared on television, radio, stage and even in autobiographical book form with I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan (2011), with its own accompanying audiobook of course. The only medium left waiting for one of Norfolk’s biggest exports was the big screen.
In his debut feature, Alan makes his mark in the action genre as he is unwittingly thrust into a siege as the chief negotiator. He finds that, despite his failure to truly make a name for himself in the entertainment industry, the publicity he gets in such a risk-filled state of affairs not only gives him a much sought after showbiz break but also an opportunity to live out his action hero fantasy. As was the case with Knowing Me, Knowing You and I’m Alan Partridge, the self-proclaimed legendary DJ appears in almost every shot with his ego seeping into the fabric of the film itself. This is demonstrated in a daydream sequence in which Alan overpowers the film’s villain, Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney), whilst bathing in the compliments of his own cloned imaginary self.
Unlike in I’m Alan Partridge, Alan is a much more positive individual in Alpha Papa and certainly appears to be a little more content and perhaps even a little more comfortable in his own skin. Although this has instigated a minor backlash from a handful of fans on the commentary pages of the YouTube trailer, it is a necessary change to keep up with the increased pace of the medium in which we find him. Nevertheless, key character traits remain including his trademark social incompetence, lack of modern-day cultural understanding and a bravado masking his insecurity. Director Declan Lowney does not squander the opportunity to utilise a larger budget, introducing action set-pieces and a filmic use of cinematography, while the regular team of Partridge writers (Coogan, Baynham, Iannucci and the Gibbons brothers Rob and Neil) ensure it remains a very British and even regional affair with Norwich firmly at its centre.
One of the more notable, and perhaps integral, changes that the big screen has brought is a soundtrack which fades in and out of the diegetic and non-diegetic world. The 1989 Roachford track “Cuddly Toy” accompanies the opening credits through Alan’s car radio as he mimes along with the lyrics. It is clearly possible that the film’s soundtrack could help to revive the careers of 1970s novelty hits and soft rock with golden oldies accompanying many memorably moments in the film.
Alan, as ever, is an acquired taste, but while the 1990s rendition of the character may have changed a little too much for some, the film is undoubtedly still a love letter to his fans. Whereas most beloved British sitcom characters translate poorly when they make the leap into mainstream cinema, Alpha Papa still retains a sense of its roots while turning up the drama, which the character adapts to very well. From the notorious On the Buses (1969-1973) film adaptations to The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse (2005), movie translations of classic British sitcoms are seldom regarded highly by film critics, but with the success of The Inbetweeners Movie (2011) and now Alpha Papa, perhaps this is a trend that is beginning to shift.
