Posted in: TV | Tagged: alan partridge, bbc, this time

Alan Partridge Just CC'ed Everyone at the BBC In to a E-Mail

Tonight sees the return of Alan Partridge to the BBC. Steve Coogan's sports reporter-turned-chatshow host character was first created for BBC Radio 4's On The Hour, before getting spinoffs Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge, The Day Today and I'm Alan Partridge, becoming the country's biggest comedy character until Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant brought us David Brent.

Somewhere between John Motson, Jeremy Clarkson, Mike Read and Nigel Farage, he was a character with lazily-thought out bigoted opinions, which he tempered in the knowledge that he had to maintain a facade to remain on air, the only thing that gave his life meaning.

He found a new home on ad-sponsored webseries, which then turned into a TV show for Sky, reduced from his own BBC chatshow to a local digital radio station. There was also the spinoff movie from that, Alpha Papa. In his chat show he was out of his depth, in his radio show, he was a medium-sized fish in a small pond – but found himself shrinking further.

But today, he returns with a new series, a parody of BBC's The One Show magazine programme, This Time with Alan Partridge parachuted in as a host by a corporation who believe they have lost the voice and trust of Brexit Britain. And, staying in character, 'Alan Partridge' has just emailed every BBC employee urging them to watch the show. Which is just the kind of thing Alan Partridge would do. I am reminded of his claim in Knowing Me, Knowing You that there was a conspiracy to deprive him of viewers…

25th February 2019

Clearing the air

Dear colleague,

I'm Alan Partridge and tonight sees my return to the BBC for the first time in two decades.

Yes, some 24 years after my last presenting gig, the BBC have sidled up to me with a short-term offer to co-present your much-loved magazine show This Time, standing in for John Baskell who's been taken ill. My response, Well, although my diary is as clogged as John's arteries (get well, John!) I have agreed to drop everything and step up.

Now, some of you aren't going to like that. Some of you made clear when I left that I wouldn't be welcome back; a woman who worked in compliance called Karen or Kate or Kath who had long wavy hair and apparently still works here sneered so hard I thought her face would turn inside out.

But back I am, as evidenced by this, my own official BBC email address. And with it I reach out to you, my colleagues – not to gloat, or settle old scores, or say, 'Hey, Karen/Kate/Kath, why don't you kiss my arse' – but to be the bigger man and clear the air of any residual stench.

No, it's time for a clean slate and no hard feelings. Because I love the BBC and I always have. While others might say it's a smug anachronism full of braying, know-nothing chancels doling out fat commissions to their braying, know-nothing Oxbridge mates, I don't. I think the BBC is great and watch its programmes avidly, regardless of their quality.

All I ask is that you return the favour. All of you. From on-screen talent right the way down to off-screen staff. I ask every one of this email's 20,000+ recipients to tune in tonight at 9.30pm on BBC One. Even if nobody else in the country does, we're already hitting the kind of numbers my shows were getting on Sky Atlantic. Spread the word to a few more and my viewing figures will show the upward trajectory management is bound to want a piece of.

So once again, please, please please, please tune in. Please tune in.

Your colleague (and I am your colleague),

Alan Partridge

Here's a few Alan Patridge memories…

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