0:00:02 > 0:00:03I remember...
0:00:03 > 0:00:05I think it was in a phone box - that's how long ago it was.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08I remember talking to Patrick Marber, my co-writer,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12and he said, "This character's going to change your life."
0:00:12 > 0:00:16People will be shouting "A-ha!" at you across the road.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18A-ha!
0:00:18 > 0:00:21It's one of those "be careful what you wish for" stories,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23because that's what happens now.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Armed police!
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Identify yourself, identify yourself!
0:00:28 > 0:00:29Alan Partridge!
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Who the...? Alan Partridge!
0:00:31 > 0:00:34You know who I am! I haven't been off the TV that long!
0:00:34 > 0:00:36"Identify yourself"!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Alan Gordon Partridge.
0:00:38 > 0:00:44Sports reporter, chat show host, regional disc jockey, broadcaster.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Give him another series, you swine!
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Yeah, give me another series, you shit.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52Alan has been on our radios and television screens
0:00:52 > 0:00:54for over 25 years,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57and is one of the most loved and acclaimed creations
0:00:57 > 0:00:59in British comedy history.
0:00:59 > 0:01:00Get back in the lift, Lynn!
0:01:02 > 0:01:05HE LAUGHS
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Dan!
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Yes, it's an extender!
0:01:09 > 0:01:10Dan!
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Guess which one of you two ladies I'm going to make love with now?
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Dan! Dan!
0:01:17 > 0:01:19My girlfriend's 33.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23I'm 47, she's 14 years younger than me.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Back of the net.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26To mark his return to the BBC,
0:01:26 > 0:01:30we trace Alan's life from his radio days and first move to TV,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33all the way to the big screen.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36- Got any last messages for your kids? - They don't speak to me any more.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Actually, yeah, "Why don't you speak to me any more?"
0:01:38 > 0:01:40We'll hear from the writers and actors
0:01:40 > 0:01:42who've helped bring Alan to life.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44Monkey tennis?
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Do you know you've got chocolate on your face?
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Yeah, I've just been eating some mousse.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53And of course, from Steve Coogan,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55the man behind the man himself.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Who is Alan Partridge?
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Time now for Alan Partridge. Got some sport for us?
0:02:07 > 0:02:09- Certainly have, Chris.- Great.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12He's every nightmare bloke you meet at a Christmas party.
0:02:12 > 0:02:13Jacka-nackanory!
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Alan Partridge is a little child, really.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19- Why don't you just apologise and make it nice and simple?- Moo!
0:02:19 > 0:02:22He's Mr Partridge. He's just Mr Partridge.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I like to think that 30 years from now,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28people will remember what they were doing when I first said "A-ha!"
0:02:28 > 0:02:33I guess it was 1991, so I would have been 25.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36And the phone rang, landline.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38It was Armando Iannucci, and he said...
0:02:38 > 0:02:42SCOTTISH ACCENT: "Oh, I'm doing this little pilot for a thing."
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Which is going to be semi-improvised.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46And I said, "OK, hold it right there, I don't improvise."
0:02:46 > 0:02:48And he said, "Oh, that's fine, that's fine,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50"just come in and do some of the sketches."
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Half the people who I knew... So there was Armando, Patrick,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and Rebecca, who I knew from Oxford -
0:02:56 > 0:03:00and then these token other people who weren't either at Oxford
0:03:00 > 0:03:03or at Cambridge, but seemed to have like, talent!
0:03:03 > 0:03:06They'd have lots of chats about their college days
0:03:06 > 0:03:08that I would just not be able to take part in,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10about who knew this person and that person,
0:03:10 > 0:03:11and blah, blah, blah.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15But I did feel like I'd sort of been able to bluff my way
0:03:15 > 0:03:17into their camp somehow.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Patrick, who I contacted,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22I think had been doing some writing with Steve,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24and suggested I give him a bell.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26So I did, and he was very...
0:03:26 > 0:03:27Er...
0:03:27 > 0:03:30He was very...enigmatic?
0:03:30 > 0:03:35Difficult? I don't know. He was very surly. I think he was just very...
0:03:35 > 0:03:39He didn't say very much, he just went... "Uh... Yeah. Yeah. Uh."
0:03:39 > 0:03:42And I thought, "Well, we'll see how it goes."
0:03:42 > 0:03:45He hired me because I did... I was good at impersonations
0:03:45 > 0:03:49and he thought I'd be a useful addition to the team.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52We all assembled for the first recording,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54and when we got to the improv,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I mean, Steve was extraordinary, and very funny, and in fact, very nice.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02The big hand's pointing to the seven. This is On The Hour.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06On the hour, the headlines.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Dinosaurs died out on a Tuesday, claim experts.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13It was probably one of the first shows to kind of take the techniques
0:04:13 > 0:04:15of the media and make them the joke.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17It felt really new and fresh
0:04:17 > 0:04:23and sort of avant-garde but still accessible and funny.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27I remember a piece of material that said "sports presenter".
0:04:27 > 0:04:31And Armando saying to Steve, "Why don't you do this one?"
0:04:31 > 0:04:33It shouldn't be an impression of anyone in particular,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35but it should sound like a sports reporter.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38I didn't really pay attention to any sport or sports commentators,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42I'd hear them in the background sometimes when my brothers were watching TV,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44and I thought, "Well, they sort of sound like this,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47they sort of sound like that, and they sound very confident.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52"And they are very knowledgeable, they APPEAR to be confident."
0:04:52 > 0:04:54And at the moment he started speaking,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57everyone else in the room started laughing.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00And somebody said, and to this day, I cannot remember,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05I don't think anyone remembers who said what when, but somebody said,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07"He's a Partridge.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09"He's Mr Partridge."
0:05:09 > 0:05:11And somebody else said, "And he's Alan."
0:05:11 > 0:05:14This is Sports Desk, I'm Alan Partridge.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Formula 1 driver Nigel Mansell gave up motor racing this week as,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21"It's too dangerous, and, anyway," claims Mansell,
0:05:21 > 0:05:22"I can get the same sensation
0:05:22 > 0:05:25"by sitting in a wind tunnel with dark glasses on,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28"and a paper bag of agitated wasps tied over my head."
0:05:28 > 0:05:31There was something about Partridge that, early on,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35you realised that this character had an incredible life.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37It was just accurate and funny...
0:05:37 > 0:05:42and Steve was very quick to be able to improvise as this man.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47I think Patrick became fascinated by what I was doing in a way that I
0:05:47 > 0:05:49actually wasn't, to be honest.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53I started saying, "This guy's brilliant, this character.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54"Steve's brilliant,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57"and we've got a ready-made team of actors from On The Hour
0:05:57 > 0:06:01"who could be all the other characters in a chat show."
0:06:01 > 0:06:05I pitched to Steve and Armando for a chat show called
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Knowing Me, Knowing You.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- MUSIC:- Knowing Me, Knowing You by ABBA
0:06:10 > 0:06:14But we decided to present Alan to the radio, to the live audience,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17even though he wouldn't be seen on the radio, to make him flesh.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19I remember I nipped out the day of recording,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21I just bought some clothes from Lilywhites.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25And came back with various items of Pringle wear...
0:06:25 > 0:06:27And...
0:06:27 > 0:06:31sort of went in the bathroom, and smoothed his hair down,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35and emerged in slacks and Pringle.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39And it was a magical moment where you said, "Yes,
0:06:39 > 0:06:40"that's what he looks like."
0:06:40 > 0:06:42That's the first time
0:06:42 > 0:06:44he'd been seen, as it were.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Those of you who know me from the world of sport will know that I like
0:06:47 > 0:06:49having a bit of a chat with brawny men on the rugby field, and...
0:06:49 > 0:06:52I have a bit of a chat with the soft, fair,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56waif-like moist creatures who you find in ladies' sports.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Please don't write in saying, "That's sexist".
0:07:00 > 0:07:02It's not.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03And I remember thinking,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06"This character can't sustain half an hour,
0:07:06 > 0:07:07"there's not enough of him."
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Patrick would then start asking the questions, saying
0:07:09 > 0:07:11"Where do you think Alan lives?
0:07:11 > 0:07:12"What kind of car do you think he drives?
0:07:12 > 0:07:15"What kind of relationship does he have? Does he have kids?"
0:07:15 > 0:07:17I didn't really want to answer those questions,
0:07:17 > 0:07:18but he sort of forced me a bit
0:07:18 > 0:07:20to sort of start considering that what...
0:07:22 > 0:07:25The iceberg beneath the surface.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Instantly, we knew that he lived a little bit too far away
0:07:29 > 0:07:32from London for his convenience.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35That touched on Milton Keynes as a possibility,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38and then rushed beyond it, because Milton Keynes was too obvious.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40It was like the first stop on the comedy station,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and you had to stay on and go further,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and then the agreement that Norwich was an appropriate place because it
0:07:46 > 0:07:49was like a blank canvas that didn't have any prejudices,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52so we could pour plenty of prejudices into it.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Bought one of those African masks.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56My son and daughter had come home late,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58they'd been out clubbing with their friends,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01and Denise and Fernando came in...
0:08:01 > 0:08:03They walked into the living room with their friends,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05and I hid behind the curtains with the African mask.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Oh, no, no. I jumped out and said, "Boogaboogalooga!
0:08:07 > 0:08:10"I'm a big cannibal, and I'm going to boil you in a pot and eat you!"
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- I bet they loved that! - No, they found it very offensive,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16said it was racist. Said it was racist!
0:08:16 > 0:08:19The BBC liked us as a group of people and Armando,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23and I think it was quite an easy pitch to say,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25"Can we now do our show on telly?"
0:08:25 > 0:08:28And so there was that sort of ambition of scale about On The Hour,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31and to translate that to television was quite difficult.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34But the BBC gave Armando and Chris a lot of money, I think,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37to achieve these effects.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40So The Day Today looked very prestigious and hi-tech.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Welcome!
0:08:52 > 0:08:55The idea was to say stupid things in as straight a voice as possible.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57And to get that straight voice,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01I think the show had to sound and then, as The Day Today,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03look as realistic as possible.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Goal!
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Yes! Yes!
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15YES!
0:09:15 > 0:09:18That...was a goal!
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Goal!
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Striker!
0:09:24 > 0:09:25Eat that!
0:09:25 > 0:09:27And another!
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Bing, bang, stick it in, thank you and good night!
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Twat!
0:09:34 > 0:09:36That was liquid football!
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Shit! Did you see that?
0:09:40 > 0:09:44He must have a foot like a traction engine!
0:09:44 > 0:09:46It was that desire to do stuff that didn't appear to be funny,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50but that just sort of snuck up on you and was funny anyway.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53One more thing, it's a great model, it goes like a bomb
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and the car's not bad either!
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Come on, let's go burn some rubber!
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Steve was just like, yeah,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04he was possessed by the spirit of Alan from day one.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06You just... Alan was in the room.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09And you see, it's got a roll cage in here, to stop us
0:10:09 > 0:10:10if we should roll, God forbid.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13You are the queen, and I like it!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16- Whoa!- Which really gets you in... - Watch that, watch that!
0:10:16 > 0:10:18- Careful, Alan, don't do that! - You nearly hit a rock!
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Watch that there, watch that there! See what I'm doing with the steering? Yeah.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26What are you... Don't be stupid! Watch out for that! Careful!
0:10:26 > 0:10:27Katrina...
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Sorry, you appear to be changing.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- No, no, don't worry.- Fine, it's OK.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35Springing to mind is the Katrina Parfitt, a lady,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38when I had to take my clothes off as a show jumper,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41and Steve had to pretend not to look at my breasts.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44What about the horse, how is that handling?
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Well, Sir Danzig wasn't doing too well,
0:10:46 > 0:10:47he shied away from the water jump,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and that's when I really began to lose it.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Yeah, well, let me tell you, if you have any more problems with him,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54you can ride me around the paddock.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55Thank you.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56Uh, anyway, I think that...
0:10:58 > 0:10:59Next year, I'll have better luck.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04When, when...are you... how do you ride a horse?
0:11:05 > 0:11:07- How do I ride? - How do you ride a horse?
0:11:07 > 0:11:10It's that kind of strange awkwardness that, you know,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14you see a lot of awkwardness, comedy awkwardness in shows now -
0:11:14 > 0:11:16it's become...
0:11:16 > 0:11:18become a part of lots of different comedies,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20that you have this uncomfortable feeling of, like,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23you want to look away, but you can't look away.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26And that was an early...
0:11:26 > 0:11:27He's a genius at that.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29What do they think of you? Shouldn't you be at school?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Do they think you're missing out on school work?
0:11:31 > 0:11:33I think they'll be a little bit over that now.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- I'm 33 years of age. - What?
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- That's right, I'm 33 years of age. - You're 33?- That's right.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I thought... I mean, you look about 14.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Well, I'll take that as a compliment, you know?
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Are you really 33 years old?
0:11:47 > 0:11:4833 years of age, that's right.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50My God!
0:11:50 > 0:11:53There was more laughter with Alan Partridge than any other character
0:11:53 > 0:11:55that had been created.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58It just was so great to see it grow from sort of a jumper and a
0:11:58 > 0:12:00haircut to something so iconic.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04This Partridge had legs, and...
0:12:04 > 0:12:09they wanted to see how many legs, and how they could use them.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12So when Knowing Me, Knowing You started on TV,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15that was really what put Alan on the map.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20A-ha!
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Because it a was much more accessible, broader show
0:12:26 > 0:12:27than The Day Today.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Tss!
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Welcome, welcome to Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36It's not the talk of the town, it's the chat of the town!
0:12:36 > 0:12:37DRUM ROLL
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Tonight, we're going to climb the mountain of conversation.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Yes, I'm going to get my grappling hook
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and scale the North Face of Chatmandu.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47DRUM ROLL
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Yeah, I really enjoyed the fact that we were doing a big audience show,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53really, a kind of a light entertainment show.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Even though we were, you know, subverting it,
0:12:56 > 0:12:57but it was done with affection.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09So within a few weeks of Knowing Me, Knowing You going on television,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11I had people shouting "A-ha!" in the street,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15exactly the way that Patrick Marber had predicted.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Isn't she, isn't she lovely? WOLF WHISTLE FROM AUDIENCE
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Yes! Phoo-phoo.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26I nearly forgot. Knowing me, Alan Partridge, knowing you,
0:13:26 > 0:13:27Daniella Forest, a-ha.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- A-ha!- Ooh!
0:13:29 > 0:13:31The fundamental given of the character,
0:13:31 > 0:13:36which was the case from the very beginning, is desperation.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37That's his trait.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39And gaucheness.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42It really would be great if you could stay a little bit longer.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Oh, you know, I'd love to, Alec,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47I'd really love to stay for the whole show, but I just can't.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- Please?- Well, I'd love to, I really would, but I'm late as it is.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- Please?- I just can't!
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Please?
0:13:55 > 0:13:57No, I can't.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Please?
0:14:00 > 0:14:03There is something about Alan that wants to aspire to be something
0:14:03 > 0:14:06better than he is, but he doesn't quite know what that is.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Now, I'm not Giorgio Armani - I'm Alan Partridge -
0:14:09 > 0:14:13but my name has become associated with a certain look,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16a look I define as sports casual.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20When Knowing Me, Knowing You went on TV, as with the radio show,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23a lot of people thought it was a real TV show.
0:14:23 > 0:14:29And among the people who were fooled was Roger Moore's dad.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- I said...- Hang on, sorry, can I just stop you there?
0:14:32 > 0:14:36I... I've just been told that Roger Moore is at Chiswick Roundabout,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39so he should be with us very soon indeed. Stay tuned.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41But of course, he never turns up because he's late.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Roger!
0:14:44 > 0:14:46ROGER!
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Roger Moore, in relating the story, said to me,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51AS ROGER MOORE: "I spoke to my father,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54"and he said, Roger, it was very rude of you not to show up on this
0:14:54 > 0:14:57"television talk show. You missed your slot,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59"and it was very disrespectful."
0:14:59 > 0:15:03And I said, "Father, it's a satire."
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Knowing me, Alan Partridge, knowing you, Bridie McMahon.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- A-ha.- A-ha.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10BAD IRISH ACCENT: Bridie McMahon, Bridie McMahon!
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Lovely name - that's the kind of name you imagine
0:15:13 > 0:15:15an Irish, flame-haired fiery woman
0:15:15 > 0:15:17to have in a film with John Wayne, isn't it?
0:15:17 > 0:15:20You can just imagine him saying, "Bridie McMahon,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22"I'll have you over my knee and give you six of the best!"
0:15:22 > 0:15:24And you'd be saying, you'd be saying,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27"Oh, I'll have nothing to do with you, keep your hands to yourself!"
0:15:27 > 0:15:30You know, but of course, in the end, you marry him.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34And... But of course, that's not going to happen - you're a lesbian.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36And so this character, Alan Partridge,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40who was in his mid-to-late 40s, was to us an old man.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Now obviously, we're older than that Alan Partridge, we think,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45"What were we thinking of?"
0:15:45 > 0:15:47He was a youngster.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50I think we tried to make Alan ten years older than I actually was.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53So when I was 26, we said he was 36.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55I had sort of latex around my eyes
0:15:55 > 0:15:59that revealed creases and wrinkles that I was yet to acquire,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01and now I have acquired.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Glenn, if this chat show was a train,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06do you know what kind of train it would be?
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- No, Alan?- The Chattanooga Choo Choo.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10DRUM ROLL
0:16:10 > 0:16:13But seriously... TRAIN WHISTLE
0:16:15 > 0:16:17What was that whistle noise, what was that?
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Oh, you know, meant to be the train, Alan.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Right, you didn't do that in rehearsal.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It was meant to be a surprise, Alan.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Surprise me in rehearsal, Glenn,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29don't surprise me on a live television show.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33We spent ages working out what the story would be,
0:16:33 > 0:16:34and that's the really hard bit,
0:16:34 > 0:16:39because it's 30 minutes of a chat show from beginning to end
0:16:39 > 0:16:41in real time,
0:16:41 > 0:16:43so we don't cut backstage, we don't jump in time.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47And yet we kind of want a story to take place, almost like a sitcom.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49None of my, none of my British friends
0:16:49 > 0:16:51will forgive me if I didn't say,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53we love the Channel Tunnel, but for goodness' sake,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55don't send us any of your rabid dogs!
0:16:55 > 0:16:58LAUGHTER
0:16:59 > 0:17:04Well, we won't, Alan, as long as you don't send us any of your mad cows.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Well, I think you'll find that our cows went mad
0:17:07 > 0:17:09because they were bitten by your dogs, so...
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Steve just doesn't leave anything to chance, he's really, really,
0:17:14 > 0:17:19really on it and completely in control and owns that character.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Which is why from time to time, if something did go awry,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27or if we needed to change something or whatever on the hoof,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29he can just do it. He can do it as Alan, which is brilliant.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31The audiences used to love that.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34All right, get rid of the horse and the jump!
0:17:43 > 0:17:46That... That's your fault!
0:17:49 > 0:17:51She was nervous, I mean...
0:17:51 > 0:17:54You know, you really ought to get a dustpan and brush and tidy that up!
0:17:54 > 0:17:57That could've been spectacular!
0:17:57 > 0:17:59I think we thought, at the end of the TV series,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01something catastrophic should happen,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03and the idea of him killing a guest.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Do you want me to lie and say I like the bagpipes?
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Yes, yes, I would, if you wouldn't mind!
0:18:08 > 0:18:10All right, I love the bagpipes.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13I love the screeching, wheezing, rasping din they make.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16- Be careful with that. - GUNSHOT
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Oh, my God! What happens now?
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Ladies and gentlemen...
0:18:20 > 0:18:22What happens now?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24We just thought, "It's good, it's over,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27"the chat show that he was so proud of and excited about
0:18:27 > 0:18:29"has been taken away from him."
0:18:29 > 0:18:32It's not my fault! It wasn't mine! I didn't know it was loaded!
0:18:32 > 0:18:35I remember when we went to the BBC, and I said,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37"We want to do an Alan Partridge sitcom.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40"We don't want to do another series of Knowing Me, Knowing You,
0:18:40 > 0:18:41"we want to do an Alan Partridge sitcom..."
0:18:41 > 0:18:43And the guy at the BBC just went, "Oh, God".
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Hi, I'm Alan Partridge, I'm just being made up.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48This is my new haircut.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51It's a new haircut for a new millennium.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53In '96, when we started talking about,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56"What's Alan going to do next?",
0:18:56 > 0:19:00I had written another play, a play called Closer.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03And I said, "Look, I don't think I can commit
0:19:03 > 0:19:05"to the six or eight months necessary."
0:19:05 > 0:19:09We were sort of putting off showing the script to Patrick,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11because...
0:19:11 > 0:19:13You just worried that you might have gone
0:19:13 > 0:19:16completely down the wrong route.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20When Armando and Steve showed me the first sort of work-in-progress script
0:19:20 > 0:19:25that they had, charmingly seeking my approval, I didn't give it.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Patrick said, "You've lost the DNA of Alan,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30"you've got to go back to square one."
0:19:30 > 0:19:32I can't quite remember what the detail...
0:19:32 > 0:19:36I mean, you can see how much I've blanked out of my mind!
0:19:36 > 0:19:41On the page, it seemed to me too obviously comedic,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43and a bit of a sitcom, to be honest.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45I remember him saying that,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48and me breaking into a cold sweat.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51It just felt a bit jokey to me.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54I was like, before all he said all this stuff,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57we thought it was good. I think it was Armando or Pete said,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00"I think he's wrong," and I think someone else said, "Yeah,
0:20:00 > 0:20:01"I think he's wrong too.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05"Let's just ignore him and carry on doing what we're doing.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10I should've had the sense to imagine what it would actually be like
0:20:10 > 0:20:13when it was shot by Armando, and acted by Steve.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Very malty.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Well, what we've always tried to do with Alan
0:20:23 > 0:20:26is take the logic of what you've seen and continue it
0:20:26 > 0:20:28so that we don't contradict ourselves
0:20:28 > 0:20:30in terms of his biography.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Excuse me. Are you Alan Partridge?
0:20:33 > 0:20:36- ALAN SIGHS THEATRICALLY - Yes!
0:20:36 > 0:20:39You dropped this, your ID card, Radio Norwich?
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Oh, right, thanks.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44We decided to have him living at a hotel because it felt like
0:20:44 > 0:20:48a kind of limbo, someone who is not settled, hadn't resolved his life,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50everything was in flux.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Right, well I'm afraid, Susan, I've got some very bad news.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- Oh?- I'm leaving you, you cow!
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Just a bit of a joke there, it's backfired.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01No, I only meant to say
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I'm going to be checking out at the end of the week.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Are you going back to your wife?
0:21:05 > 0:21:08No, no, God, Carol? No, God, no.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10No, no, she's living with a fitness instructor.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13He provides all her...
0:21:13 > 0:21:15sexual...
0:21:15 > 0:21:16intercourse.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Take him away from this broadcasting mould, which we did,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24at the start of every show, we had him still doing the radio show...
0:21:24 > 0:21:27That was Roxanne by the Police, or, as they're now known, "Sting".
0:21:27 > 0:21:30A song there about a prostitute.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Doesn't say what her surname is. Must give her a call sometime.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Although the effects of 23 years on the game
0:21:37 > 0:21:40would not render her pleasurable to mine eye.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45But take him away from that, he kind of...
0:21:45 > 0:21:47I'm not sure "blossomed" is the right word.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49He, um...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52inflated into something a little bit more solid.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54What, no, look, you've got a choice, you can either book me now,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56or wait for Cliff Thorburn.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58But if Cliff Thorburn goes AWOL, you're up Slack Alley.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Now, who's it to be, me or Cliff Thorburn?
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Thank you very much indeed.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05- Kiss my face!- Wa-hey!
0:22:05 > 0:22:08I am going to present a corporate video for Hamilton's Water Breaks.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09Champion.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12What if Tony Hayers sees "Cook Pass Babtridge"
0:22:12 > 0:22:13painted on your car?
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Don't worry, Lynn, I'll play it down.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19"Partridge" I can understand. But then "cock" and "piss".
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- Table for two, Sir?- Yes, please.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- Oh, no, sorry, you. - Yeah, name of Hayers.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27When Alan goes to see Tony Hayers,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29he sees it as an opportunity
0:22:29 > 0:22:31to be able to reinvent his career at the BBC,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34because he's put two and two together and made five.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38I just think it's time for you to consider moving on to new pastures.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39Have I got a second series?
0:22:39 > 0:22:44- There are so many opportunities for...- Let me rephrase that. Erm...
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Can I... No, actually, I'll just repeat the question.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48Have I got a second series?
0:22:48 > 0:22:50No.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Well, thank you. That's all I wanted to know.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54- Tony!- Ah, Peter, how are you?
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Fine, fine.
0:22:56 > 0:22:57Alan, this is Peter Linehan.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02He's revamping our current affairs outputs.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06And he just does that shrug, that, you know, "I don't care."
0:23:06 > 0:23:10And I remember at the time, just trying to hold it together.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11Who...
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Who..
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Who do you think you are?
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Unfortunately for you, I am the chief commissioning editor
0:23:21 > 0:23:23of BBC Television.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Oh, let's forget about all this!
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- Want some cheese? - No, thank you.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35It's quite nice.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- Smells. Do you want to smell it? - No, thank you.- Smell the cheese!
0:23:38 > 0:23:40No, I don't want to smell the cheese.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41- Smell my cheese!- Alan, please.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Smell my cheese, you mother!
0:23:43 > 0:23:45I think that's quite enough, thank you!
0:23:46 > 0:23:49The cheese went in my face, that worked all right,
0:23:49 > 0:23:54I could just feel the tickling end of the fork just tickling there.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57That all worked, went fine, we did all pretty much in one take,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59I seem to remember.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03But I remember going away saying, "Oh, I think it was funny, but...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05"Anyway, we'll see."
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I've got cheese! This is cheese!
0:24:14 > 0:24:16We've had a call from Norwich Radio.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19There have been more complaints from farmers about what you said.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- All right, how many? - 50.- Oh, your age!
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Well, Hamilton's have...
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Alan, you've, er, come free at the side.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Oh!
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Well, there's an awful lot of talk about Lynn's relationship with Alan.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38A lot of people think that Lynn's in love with Alan.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40She's not in love with Alan,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44she's very, very fond of him. She adores him.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46I think Lynn does love Alan...
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Yeah, I do.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Now Alan, you're going to have to trade down your Rover 800
0:24:51 > 0:24:54for a smaller car.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- Go on.- I picked up these brochures for the new Metro.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59It's a lovely car.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Lynn, look, I'm not driving a Mini Metro.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Look, but you do have to make substantial savings.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Lynn, I'm not driving a Mini Metro.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07But if you do, you can keep Pear Tree Productions going
0:25:07 > 0:25:09with a skeleton staff of two...
0:25:09 > 0:25:11There's no point in finishing the sentence, Lynn,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13- because I'm not driving a Mini Metro.- But if it...
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- Lynn, I'll just speak over you. - But I...
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Go on, try and finish the sentence and see what I do.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27- Go on.- With a skeleton staff... - I'm not driving a mini Metro,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30I'm not driving a mini Metro, I'm not driving a mini Metro...
0:25:30 > 0:25:32So we knew, you know,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Alan would want to kind of befriend a kind of a handyman
0:25:34 > 0:25:37around the hotel who was a bit older than you would expect
0:25:37 > 0:25:39for the job that he's doing.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40So clearly, there's a story there.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Aye-aye, Mr Partridge, morning.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Hey, Valentine's Day today - love is in the air!
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- YORKSHIRE ACCENT:- But I was going to do him Yorkshire originally,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I thought, "I know what, I'll do him Yorkshire, it'll be quite funny."
0:25:51 > 0:25:53"Maybe from Leeds, you know, don't go to Dewsbury."
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- OWN ACCENT:- And then that morning, I'd done a voiceover as a Geordie,
0:25:57 > 0:25:58so I thought, "I know...
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- GEORDIE ACCENT:- "I'll try Geordie, see how that works, you know?"
0:26:01 > 0:26:02So, and at first when I did him,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04he was a Geordie who was like nice and clear, and straight,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06and just kind of fairly normal.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09And it was Armando's idea to make him really clear, like, you know?
0:26:09 > 0:26:12It was Armando's idea to make him like, you know,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14so you can't understand what he says.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15So you know, he talks quite fast and that,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and he's also got a bit of a stutter and stuff, you know? A bit of PTSD.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Talk of the Devil.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22- Morning, Mr Partridge.- Yeah, I've just... Michael, Michael,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24I was just saying to, er, Susan, a bit of a job for you.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Er, unfortunately, some vandals have sworn all over my car again.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29Vandals, eh, Mr Partridge?
0:26:29 > 0:26:31You know, makes you wonder what it's all aboot.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Mmm. Aboot?
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Aye, you know, vandals. You know, what is it all aboot?
0:26:37 > 0:26:38Oh, ABOUT. Sorry.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Sometimes it's difficult
0:26:40 > 0:26:43to understand the, er, the Geordie...people.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46You know, what I reckon is that if they had themselves proper jobs,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49- they wouldn't be up to all this, you know, larking every night.- What?!
0:26:49 > 0:26:53Suddenly, the comedy there was of Alan befriending this guy...
0:26:53 > 0:26:56who he doesn't understand! Erm... HE LAUGHS
0:26:56 > 0:26:58If they had themselves proper jobs, you know, for to gan till,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00then they wouldn't dae it. A lot of them's from broken homes.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Sorry, that was just a noise.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06All I got there was, er, "broken homes".
0:27:06 > 0:27:09I went in and started, er, improvising,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11because it was just an improvised audition.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Oh, erm, there was a call for you. A Mr Nesshead rang.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Right, never heard of him. Did he leave a first name?
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Er, no, it was just a Mr P Nesshead.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Sophie, that... That...
0:27:25 > 0:27:28That's a crank call. It's another crank call.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30- Is it?- Read it back to yourself.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, I can see what he's...
0:27:35 > 0:27:37- what he's done now.- Yeah.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Shall I put it on the list, with all the others?
0:27:39 > 0:27:40If you would.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I think I laughed straightaway.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And then I thought, "Well, the funniest thing to do at this point
0:27:45 > 0:27:46"is to laugh and leave,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48"but if I laugh and leave, I won't be in it very much,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50"which would be kind of gutting."
0:27:50 > 0:27:54I remember even after the show went out, people would say,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56"I don't mind, but is she laughing for real?
0:27:56 > 0:27:58"Has she got the giggles? Did you just have to keep that?
0:27:58 > 0:28:02And then you realise, "Oh, no, no, no, it's the character, who just..."
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Because I kind of like that, because it can makes it real, you know?
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Because, you know, in fiction, people don't laugh at other people.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10"£8 miscellaneous services".
0:28:10 > 0:28:13That sounds disconcertingly vague.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15You used this pay channel?
0:28:17 > 0:28:19Oh, right, yeah.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Er, yeah, it's very confusing.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Sophie, I... I find the pay channels very confusing.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Can I just explain? I was trying to access Driving Miss Daisy.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32Oh, right. And that's why you only watched it for 15 minutes?
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Yes, yes. Because it was the wrong...
0:28:35 > 0:28:38wrong film. Have you seen it, is it good?
0:28:38 > 0:28:41What, Driving Miss Daisy, or Bangkok Chickboys?
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Dri... Driving Miss Daisy.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49We do see Alan sometimes outside of his show, and we see...
0:28:49 > 0:28:52a very small...man.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- Oh, quick tip, Lynn.- Yeah?
0:28:55 > 0:28:58You know the, er, breakfast buffet - eat as much as you like,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00but from an eight-inch plate?
0:29:00 > 0:29:02See that?
0:29:02 > 0:29:0412 inches.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Keep... Keep it in my room!
0:29:07 > 0:29:12But when we see him with a microphone and a platform,
0:29:12 > 0:29:13then he comes alive.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15In the meantime, it's seven o'clock.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Ooh, guv'nor, he's got me bang to rights!
0:29:18 > 0:29:20It's Chief Constable Dave Clifton,
0:29:20 > 0:29:24of Scotland Yard's very own plainclothes Pop Force.
0:29:24 > 0:29:25- Yes, good morning.- Wait, hang on...
0:29:25 > 0:29:29- Alan, yes...- Whoa, let me finish! 'Ello, 'ello, 'ello!
0:29:29 > 0:29:32I like Alan's relationship with Dave Clifton, erm,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35because it's ostensibly friendly,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38like those DJ relationships are,
0:29:38 > 0:29:42it's all surface, but you know there's a kind of, er, contempt.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44I think you're splidding hairs a little bit there, Alan.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- Sorry, "splidding"? - Yeah, splitting, you know?
0:29:47 > 0:29:49Sorry, it's difficult... difficult to understand you when you say
0:29:49 > 0:29:52"splidding", because I know in real life, you say "splitting".
0:29:52 > 0:29:55It's interesting the way you substitute a D for a T when you're
0:29:55 > 0:29:58broadcasting. If you ask me, it's the behaviour of a dosser.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00- A dosser?!- Yes, a dosser and a dwad.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04Alan's failures can be alleviated a little bit
0:30:04 > 0:30:06when he can focus on someone else
0:30:06 > 0:30:08who he sees as even more of a failure.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11And there's dalendless shid.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14And if rumours are to be believed, you're back on the boddle!
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Er, this is Einstein A Go-Go.
0:30:17 > 0:30:18Dave Clifton's biography,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21he's always sort of struggling with his demons,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24but I think, at the same time, maintaining a sort of, er,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27a smile in the voice, but deep down, there's this void.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30The hole in the soul,
0:30:30 > 0:30:34which he tries to cover up by being all sort of, "OK!"
0:30:34 > 0:30:38It's 1am. As the whole of Norfolk sleeps,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41something truly evil stirs.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43- All right, Alan.- Shh! - Actually...- No.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45His coffin lid opens with a shuddering creek.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47CREAKING SOUND EFFECT
0:30:47 > 0:30:49An owl hoots.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51Danny Franchetti's Jazz Box!
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Sorry, it's the new digital system.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55OWL HOOTING SOUND EFFECT
0:30:55 > 0:30:59We always used to sometimes joke that, er, in Alan's...
0:30:59 > 0:31:03when Alan would smile and gesture, there'd be slightly dead eyes.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05So instead of smiling like that,
0:31:05 > 0:31:09there'd be a slight sort of deadness to the eyes, where he'd be smiling,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11but he would look lost inside at the same time.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14That desperation would manifest itself in the fact
0:31:14 > 0:31:19that he would go to the funeral of the Commissioning Editor of the BBC,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21who'd died after falling off his roof.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24I wonder if he's up there now, looking down on us.
0:31:24 > 0:31:25What, on the roof?
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Oh, I see! Oh, you mean...
0:31:27 > 0:31:30You mean in heaven with the, er...with the Apostles.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33Interesting thing about news and current affairs...
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Would it be terribly rude to stop listening to you
0:31:35 > 0:31:37and go and speak to somebody else?
0:31:37 > 0:31:42- No, no, of course.- Cheers. Cheers.
0:31:42 > 0:31:43He hijacks the funeral,
0:31:43 > 0:31:46to use it as an opportunity to maybe make a connection.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49To network, basically.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51Oh, Alan! Have you met Jane?
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- Yeah, I've done her. - Oh, oh, good.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Peter Baynham had been writing on The Day Today,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59and I remember we said, "Why don't we get Pete to come along?"
0:31:59 > 0:32:02And Pete was very different because he was...
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Well, his background was in the Merchant Navy
0:32:04 > 0:32:05and he was from Cardiff.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08She's like Burt Reynolds.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10She's very reliable, but she's got a...
0:32:10 > 0:32:12She's got a moustache!
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Jesus!
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Lynn's a good worker but, er,
0:32:20 > 0:32:22I suppose she's a bit like Burt Reynolds -
0:32:22 > 0:32:25very reliable but, er, she's got a moustache.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29We would record things on video camera
0:32:29 > 0:32:31and then get them transcribed.
0:32:31 > 0:32:32Any manual on, like,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35any book on how to write TV shows would probably say,
0:32:35 > 0:32:39this is no way to write a show, because we ended up with, like...
0:32:39 > 0:32:42We ended up with, like, 90-minute scripts for each show.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44The hit rate was quite good
0:32:44 > 0:32:49so, you know, if you got 10% of all the stuff you improvised
0:32:49 > 0:32:53that was usable, that was a good use of time.
0:32:53 > 0:32:54- I love the Beatles.- Yeah, so do I.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56What's your favourite Beatles album, then?
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Tough one. I think I'd have to say...
0:32:59 > 0:33:01..The Best of The Beatles.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05But sometimes, we'd write in a normal way - sit around,
0:33:05 > 0:33:06talk about it. And then Armando would say,
0:33:06 > 0:33:08"Let's get the camera up and do some stuff."
0:33:08 > 0:33:10I mean, we'd start off just the three of us, as the writers,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12just improvising the characters.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Then we'd get maybe Simon in as Michael, or Felicity in as...
0:33:15 > 0:33:16..you know, and muck about a bit.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19And sometimes, it'd be very loose and, "Let's just see what happens."
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Part of the fun of it was that we would always pitch Alan
0:33:22 > 0:33:23in Alan's voice.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Steve, as Alan, will start something,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28maybe it's in the script, and then he'll improvise a bit.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30And then he'll be looking for a word,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32and then one of us will chuck in that word, as Alan.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34So there's then three of you in the room being Alan.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36There's three Alan Partridges all of a sudden.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39But it felt that I was the one who actually, when it came down to it,
0:33:39 > 0:33:40was the one that would...
0:33:41 > 0:33:43..you know, a bit like NASA, you know,
0:33:43 > 0:33:47and the whole team there but, actually, in the end,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49only one person gets into the rocket and goes to the moon,
0:33:49 > 0:33:50and that was me.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54You... You farmers, you don't like outsiders, do you?
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Like to stick to your own.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58What do you mean by that?
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Well, I've seen the big-eared boys on farms.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04Oh, for goodness' sake!
0:34:04 > 0:34:05When we watched back the tapes sometimes,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08if we wanted to find something that was funny,
0:34:08 > 0:34:10what we'd do is fast-forward the tape
0:34:10 > 0:34:13and when I started laughing, we'd stop there and rewind,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15cos we knew that whatever had just happened was very funny.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17You drown tourists!
0:34:17 > 0:34:19You drive your tractors over...
0:34:19 > 0:34:23..chickens! You crush them up and...feed them...
0:34:23 > 0:34:25If you see a lovely field with a family having a picnic
0:34:25 > 0:34:28and there's a nice pond in it, you fill in the pond with concrete,
0:34:28 > 0:34:30you plough the family into the field, you blow up the tree
0:34:30 > 0:34:33and use the leaves to make a dress for your wife,
0:34:33 > 0:34:34who is also your brother!
0:34:36 > 0:34:39OFF-SCREEN: I knew he was an interesting character,
0:34:39 > 0:34:40but as the character emerged...
0:34:40 > 0:34:41I think certainly,
0:34:41 > 0:34:45when I'm Alan Partridge came out and won all these awards...
0:34:45 > 0:34:46"I'm Alan Partridge".
0:34:46 > 0:34:50Steve Coogan, for I'm Alan Partridge!
0:34:50 > 0:34:54OFF-SCREEN: And had these, like, parodically good reviews.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56Right, very quickly, erm...
0:34:56 > 0:34:58- Why are you still here? - I dunno!- Erm...
0:34:58 > 0:35:02I think at that point, I thought, I've done the sort of...
0:35:02 > 0:35:07..The Holy Grail of TV comedy was... we'd sort of, like, got there.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Mr Alan Partridge!
0:35:11 > 0:35:13That was where it really, really hit a peak.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16It was everyone's favourite show that year,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18the reviews were off the scale.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20So it allowed us to put Alan into the real world,
0:35:20 > 0:35:24and the line between fiction and reality became blurred.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Alan was, like, sort of comedy royalty.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Anyone we asked to talk to would say yes.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31We did an interview with Bryan Ferry for Comic Relief.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33We've got a celeb...
0:35:33 > 0:35:36..rity in the studio, because we're about to take a ferry to an island
0:35:36 > 0:35:39called Bryan. That's because it's Bryan Ferry.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43There he is. Bryan, welcome to Norwich and Comic Relief.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- Ah-ha.- Yeah, I don't... I don't do that any more.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49And I think I was asked to close the Comedy Awards
0:35:49 > 0:35:51by doing a duet with Elton John,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54who jumped at the chance of interacting with Alan.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56We played with Alan's homophobia.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00I think Elton even agreed to wear his pink suit to help.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03CHEERING Elton, you are a legend.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07Your songs are admired by the many,
0:36:07 > 0:36:09despised by the few.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Now, I have to say, one of my favourite songs of yours
0:36:13 > 0:36:17has to be the classic Yellow Brick Road.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19Erm, unforgettable.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22# Follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road! #
0:36:23 > 0:36:27No, no, no, that's the Wizard of Oz, please, thank you!
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Yeah. Yeah, I know. Pinball Wizard of Oz.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32OFF-SCREEN: We'd created a sort of a very funny Frankenstein.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35So, obviously, the BBC wanted another series of the sitcom.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44See you later!
0:36:44 > 0:36:45Between Series One and Two, Alan,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48we thought it would be interesting if he'd a breakdown of some sort,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51and that he'd become very overweight after gorging on Toblerones.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53You see a corporate video
0:36:53 > 0:36:55that he must have made in the intervening years.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58SCREECHING Crash!
0:36:58 > 0:36:59Bang!
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Wallop!
0:37:03 > 0:37:05What a video!
0:37:05 > 0:37:07We wanted to change Alan's location,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10but keep the kind of claustrophobia and not have his life resolved.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15So we thought if we had Alan living in a static home,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19then we would continue Alan being in this limbo.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22I'm in quite a good mood today because I just found out my, er,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25my wife's been struck off my life insurance.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Spice World!
0:37:27 > 0:37:29Are you married?
0:37:29 > 0:37:31- Yeah.- Yeah, divorced.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34I've got access to the kids but they don't wanna see me!
0:37:36 > 0:37:40We decided for Alan to have a girlfriend called Sonja,
0:37:40 > 0:37:41who was Eastern European.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43He wastes no opportunity in telling people
0:37:43 > 0:37:46how much younger his girlfriend is than he is,
0:37:46 > 0:37:49as if that's some sort of achievement!
0:37:49 > 0:37:50I've got a girlfriend.
0:37:53 > 0:37:54I've got a wife.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Is she older than you or younger than you?
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Well, if you must know, Alan, she's older than me. She's 52.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01My girlfriend's 33.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04I'm 47, she's 14 years younger than me.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06Back of the net!
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Hello, Alan.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12- Oh! I told you!- Hello, the builders. - Watch.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18See? She's not stopping me!
0:38:18 > 0:38:20I must admit, I still find it...
0:38:20 > 0:38:24..slightly upsetting to see Alan kiss someone.
0:38:24 > 0:38:25Er, I don't...
0:38:25 > 0:38:29I feel a bit queasy at the thought of it!
0:38:29 > 0:38:31He's not a... He shouldn't be a kisser.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34That was classic intercourse.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38So, er...
0:38:38 > 0:38:39So, thanks.
0:38:39 > 0:38:45There's something about Alan being sexual that makes you wince.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48And a lot of the comedy that defines Alan on TV
0:38:48 > 0:38:51is stuff that makes you sort of look through your fingers.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53What have you been up to?
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Er, trying to outdance a computer.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Impossible! And then I fought some zombies with a boy in care.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02Wiped the floor with him, yeah.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Your... your hand is about 30mm from my gland.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08Erm... And if I was dressed on the other side,
0:39:08 > 0:39:10it would be in contact...
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Your little finger just touched it!
0:39:12 > 0:39:16In retrospect, we probably should have done two in the hotel,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18two series in the hotel, and just carried on.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20But it's this sort of, erm,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24fear of just getting lazy and repeating ourselves.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26But I think some of the best moments are in Series Two.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28I will, but, Lynn,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31please have a word with the builder because the other day,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33his jeans were so far off his backside,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35you could more or less see his anus.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37- Mm, OK.- There's Dan.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40Dan!
0:39:40 > 0:39:41Dan!
0:39:42 > 0:39:44Dan!
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Dan!
0:39:46 > 0:39:47Dan!
0:39:48 > 0:39:49Dan!
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Dan! Dan!
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Dan! Dan!
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Dan!
0:39:56 > 0:39:58Dan!
0:39:58 > 0:40:00Dan!
0:40:00 > 0:40:01Dan!
0:40:01 > 0:40:04No, er, no, he's not seen me.
0:40:04 > 0:40:05I'll get him later.
0:40:07 > 0:40:08Dan!
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Fine, come on.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13The name Dan is a catchphrase now.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15You cannot just say, "Dan!"
0:40:15 > 0:40:16You can't, I can't...
0:40:16 > 0:40:18No-one can shout "Dan" any more.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Series Two's quite dark, I think.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22There's not much hope in it.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24And I remember the foot on the spike...
0:40:24 > 0:40:28whilst he's supposed to be presenting a sales conference
0:40:28 > 0:40:31for Dante Fires is a real low point.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33- Alan, what are you doing?! - I'm climbing over a fence.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35You should watch yourself, you're nearly fi...
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Were you going to say I was nearly 50, Lynn?!
0:40:37 > 0:40:39I might be nearly 50, Lynn, but at least I can...
0:40:39 > 0:40:41- HE GROANS - What?
0:40:41 > 0:40:43Lynn, I've pierced my foot on a spike!
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Oh! It ruddy frigging hurts like mad, Lynn!
0:40:47 > 0:40:48Can you get yourself in the recovery position?
0:40:48 > 0:40:50You're just quoting bits of Casualty now.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52We were thinking what would be
0:40:52 > 0:40:55literally and metaphorically painful for Alan?
0:40:55 > 0:40:59First of all tonight is for best... Christ!
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Not Christ. Er, sorry, I keep saying "Christ".
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Er, I know some of you may be religious
0:41:05 > 0:41:07and, to those people, I apolo...
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Urgh!
0:41:16 > 0:41:17Sorry, I...
0:41:17 > 0:41:20I was supposed to hit that later.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23I'll just wait for it to finish.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25A...a glittering year ahead.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31That feeling where you want to puke, but there's nothing more inside,
0:41:31 > 0:41:35and that's sort of metaphorically what happens to Alan in Series Two.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39On now, as we look back at a fantastic year for...
0:41:39 > 0:41:41I'm going to be sick again.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47HE HEAVES
0:41:51 > 0:41:53You know that feeling when there's nothing coming up?
0:41:53 > 0:41:57It was good fun to shoot, I think it was hard work to write.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01And I remember at one or two points, things got a bit tense,
0:42:01 > 0:42:04when you're just stuck in the room with the same people.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06And also, I have to say,
0:42:06 > 0:42:09when one of them is Alan Partridge for a long time -
0:42:09 > 0:42:11and it's nothing to do with Steve,
0:42:11 > 0:42:13it's to do with the fact that it's Alan Partridge -
0:42:13 > 0:42:15it does... It does wear you down after a while,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18when you just hear Alan,
0:42:18 > 0:42:22you know, eight or nine hours a day, seven days a week,
0:42:22 > 0:42:24for months.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27It felt like, "We need to sort of stop this now."
0:42:28 > 0:42:30And we did stop it, for a long time.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34I'll never work in broadcasting again!
0:42:34 > 0:42:38And on that bombshell, it's time for me, Alan Partridge, to say -
0:42:38 > 0:42:41knowing me, Alan Partridge, knowing you, wherever you are,
0:42:41 > 0:42:43and whost so...
0:42:43 > 0:42:46"Whost"? Is "whost" a word? I don't know.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49I stopped thinking about Alan and started to do other things.
0:42:49 > 0:42:50I suppose my...
0:42:50 > 0:42:53A little bit of it was a bit wildernessy
0:42:53 > 0:42:57because I was trying to find out what to...how to reinvent myself.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59I found myself - even in quiet moments - thinking,
0:42:59 > 0:43:02"I wonder what Alan would think about this?"
0:43:02 > 0:43:03I sort of missed him.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07In 2008, I was doing a live tour and Rob and Neil Gibbons -
0:43:07 > 0:43:10these two writers I'd worked with briefly -
0:43:10 > 0:43:13I asked them if they wouldn't mind having a go
0:43:13 > 0:43:14writing some material for Alan.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17When they submitted that material to me, it was a Eureka moment.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24This is North Norfolk Digital,
0:43:24 > 0:43:26sustaining and maintaining our core listenership
0:43:26 > 0:43:29in an increasingly fragmented marketplace.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31# North Norfolk! #
0:43:31 > 0:43:34I've just realised I read that from an internal memo.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Er, it wasn't for you to hear.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Sorry. Sorry.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41One day, we got a phone call saying,
0:43:41 > 0:43:46"We're interested in doing an online show, er,
0:43:46 > 0:43:48"that is essentially those bits in I'm Alan Partridge
0:43:48 > 0:43:51"where you see Alan on-air, cobbled together."
0:43:51 > 0:43:53And then when we started working on it,
0:43:53 > 0:43:55it sort of took on a bit more of a life of its own.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58Today, we're talking forced celebrity breeding.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01If you could take two famous people and force them to mate,
0:44:01 > 0:44:03who would it be, and why?
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Er, line two, we have Duncan, in Beccles.
0:44:05 > 0:44:06Hello, Duncan.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09Hello, Alan. I'd go for Stephen Hawking and Pamela Anderson,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11then you'd create a beautiful genius.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13Or, a disabled lifeguard.
0:44:13 > 0:44:18Oh... Oh, yeah. Oh, God, yeah.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20I think we tried to take it back to the BBC,
0:44:20 > 0:44:22but it felt like, it's like, you know...
0:44:22 > 0:44:25There's a sort of period where something goes from being
0:44:25 > 0:44:27old comedy to vintage comedy,
0:44:27 > 0:44:29or second-hand comedy to vintage comedy.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32We were in the second-hand period where it was, like,
0:44:32 > 0:44:34"Oh, that stuff's out of date."
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Today, we're talking condiments.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38You're stuck on a desert island, you're allowed one condiment,
0:44:38 > 0:44:41which is it to be? John, in Sprowston.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44- Ketchup.- Harry, in Bodham.- Mustard.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46- Kev, in Norwich.- Gravy.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48That's not a condiment, it's a hot sauce.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50- Bisto, then. - That's a brand of gravy.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53- Branston Pickle, then. - And that's a relish.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55It's 11.52.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58Foster's, who were sponsoring it at the time, said,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00"We're going to put big billboards up with,
0:45:00 > 0:45:02" 'Alan Partridge is back, courtesy of Foster's'."
0:45:02 > 0:45:04And we said, "I don't want any advertising.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07"I don't want..." which they didn't understand. They were like,
0:45:07 > 0:45:08"Don't you want as many people as possible
0:45:08 > 0:45:10"to click online and watch it?"
0:45:10 > 0:45:12And I was like, "No, I'd rather, actually,
0:45:12 > 0:45:13"a lot of people didn't know about it."
0:45:13 > 0:45:15Like it was a little bit of a secret.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17Because that way, you don't suffer from hype
0:45:17 > 0:45:20and you start a little whispering campaign.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23And that sort of led to that same series
0:45:23 > 0:45:26being done again on...for Sky.
0:45:26 > 0:45:27And a quick correction.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Yesterday, I read out a text saying that oestrogen was a kind of gas
0:45:30 > 0:45:31used to blow up balloons.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33Er, of course, it isn't.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36It's a hormone used by women to, er,
0:45:36 > 0:45:41perform a number of tasks relating to, er, themselves.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43- And others.- Thank you.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47It's myopic and microscopic.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49It's all about what's going on in Alan's head
0:45:49 > 0:45:50because it's really close in.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53I was going to say it's like any job on your first day at work,
0:45:53 > 0:45:54but it's not really.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Cos your first day of work is going into a small room
0:45:56 > 0:46:00that's smaller than this room, and it's soundproofed,
0:46:00 > 0:46:04and it's only you and, erm, you know,
0:46:04 > 0:46:07basically, a real hero of yours.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09T&T. On the A17, a truck has overturned,
0:46:09 > 0:46:12shedding its load of Pampers over both carriageways.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14Sounds like the set-up to a joke, doesn't it?
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Er, the police don't yet know which skid marks are...
0:46:16 > 0:46:19Just stop you there, there has been a fatality.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22Sidekick Simon allows Alan to be funnier.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25I guess to a certain extent, he is the viewer in that world.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27He's sort of... He's sort of the everyman.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29And I think Tim is naturally so funny
0:46:29 > 0:46:32that he's able to be a funny straight man.
0:46:32 > 0:46:33We're all familiar with charities, er,
0:46:33 > 0:46:35from the important ones like the National Trust,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39- to less important ones like Help the Aged.- Or Help For Heroes.
0:46:39 > 0:46:40- No, that's the top one.- Yeah?
0:46:40 > 0:46:43Yes. Er, I donated a jacket to them last...only last week.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46It didn't have an arm, but then I thought, you know, perfect.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48Er, but today, we're going local
0:46:48 > 0:46:52and we mean to raise £3,000 for Addiction Action.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53Addiction can take many forms.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Er, from booze, to drugs, to quite simply having it off.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59- Michael Douglas.- Er, yes, that's indeed if it was...
0:46:59 > 0:47:01..if it was, er, sex addiction.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05It could quite simply have been the guy was very, very randy.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07He can have the make-up and the wig and walk around, you know, set
0:47:07 > 0:47:09and sort of have a coffee or whatever
0:47:09 > 0:47:11and you don't think, "That's Alan."
0:47:11 > 0:47:13Alan's socks, please.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16I want to see my socks. Socks are fine, yeah?
0:47:16 > 0:47:18- Yeah, yeah.- OK, fine, let's do it.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22But there is a moment where it just...
0:47:22 > 0:47:23..it just possesses him.
0:47:24 > 0:47:30Steve drops away and in drops this monster.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32The only thing that's got a bright future at this station
0:47:32 > 0:47:34is nasal hair! HE LAUGHS AND SNORTS
0:47:38 > 0:47:40Was that your gum?
0:47:50 > 0:47:53- Do you not know the Heimlich manoeuvre?- Yeah.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55Wow!
0:47:55 > 0:47:56People kept saying,
0:47:56 > 0:47:58"When are you going to do this Alan Partridge film?"
0:47:58 > 0:48:01And it was almost like, in the end, we decided to make the film
0:48:01 > 0:48:03just to stop people asking me when I was going to make it.
0:48:03 > 0:48:07HE MIMES ALONG: # So, you've got to feel for me, baby
0:48:07 > 0:48:11# Yeah, you've got to feel for me, baby
0:48:11 > 0:48:13# Girl, you've got to feel for me, baby
0:48:13 > 0:48:15- # Feel for me, baby - # Oh
0:48:15 > 0:48:19# Give me some love Come on now... #
0:48:23 > 0:48:25Your fog lamps are on!
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Your fog lamps are on! There's no fog!
0:48:31 > 0:48:33There's no fog!
0:48:33 > 0:48:34No fog!
0:48:34 > 0:48:38# Oh, a cuddly toy, that's my only joy
0:48:38 > 0:48:42# Waiting for me when I get home... #
0:48:42 > 0:48:44You do feel a certain pressure to come up with a story
0:48:44 > 0:48:47that justifies being told on the big screen,
0:48:47 > 0:48:49but I guess it's how you do that.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52I mean, really, the film was very low-key.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54It was basically Alan in a radio studio,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57and then trapped in the offices of a radio company.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01OK, I am here as one of the more senior D-jocks at this station.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03I'm going to talk about jobs.
0:49:05 > 0:49:06Like a Nazi officer, this, isn't it?
0:49:06 > 0:49:09I should snap my heels together.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11- Achtung!- Guten tag.- Silence!
0:49:11 > 0:49:12Sorry. Meant to miss you.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15Comedy characters to movie transitions...
0:49:16 > 0:49:17..are very difficult.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21And quite often, you don't want to make the On the Buses movie.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23We were aware that the film was a bit of a tightrope
0:49:23 > 0:49:24because you don't want to, er...
0:49:25 > 0:49:30..take Alan too far away from his sort of small, local origins.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Tell them to stop pointing their guns at me!
0:49:32 > 0:49:34- Lower your weapons! - Yeah, lower your weapons.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37Take your hand off your gun!
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Take your hand off your gun!
0:49:39 > 0:49:42And the other hand. I can wait here all day.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44- Do as he says.- Thank you.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46Why do you have to turn it into a competition?
0:49:46 > 0:49:47Just cos I won.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50We very much felt, tonally, it has to be...
0:49:50 > 0:49:52It has to be the same Alan.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55If you start making him into some sort of a hero,
0:49:55 > 0:49:57I think you've lost the DNA of the character.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59And the way I think we squared that circle
0:49:59 > 0:50:03was by putting him in a genuinely dramatic situation of a siege,
0:50:03 > 0:50:06but focusing on the minutiae of it.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10You know, the sort of little kind of, erm, the politics of it,
0:50:10 > 0:50:13who gets to speak to the media, who doles out the food,
0:50:13 > 0:50:15where do you go to the toilet?
0:50:15 > 0:50:17I've just got to stay alert and focused.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20I'm playing them like an oboe, Lynn. How effed up is that?!
0:50:22 > 0:50:23- OH PHONE:- Alan?
0:50:23 > 0:50:24- Oh.- Alan?
0:50:29 > 0:50:30Christ's sake.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35Not now! Oh...
0:50:35 > 0:50:37Caught on the latch.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Oh, come on! Please!
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Stop, armed police!
0:50:58 > 0:51:00Put your hands above your head.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03- I just...- Get your hands above your head!
0:51:03 > 0:51:05- I just want to get those trousers. - Get your hands above your head,
0:51:05 > 0:51:06- do it.- They're my trousers.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08Get your hands above your head now.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14What are you doing? It's weird.
0:51:17 > 0:51:18There are paparazzi all over the place
0:51:18 > 0:51:21and I do not want them to get a photograph of my genitals.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Oh, come on.
0:51:25 > 0:51:26It was nice to bring Lynn back
0:51:26 > 0:51:28because she disappeared in Mid Morning Matters,
0:51:28 > 0:51:31so it was great to bring Lynn back for the film, and Michael.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35I rather missed those characters being a regular part of Alan's life.
0:51:35 > 0:51:36I loved the film.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39Alpha Papa, I thought, was just fantastic
0:51:39 > 0:51:42and when I watched that, I just felt pride.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46I felt so pleased that this character is still around.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50I'll always be proud of knowing Alan.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52Hello, Mr Seagull,
0:51:52 > 0:51:54have you come to take my spirit away?
0:51:56 > 0:51:58Go, gull.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Gull. Gull.
0:52:02 > 0:52:03Gull.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26What you doing? I'm watching it fly off.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29I became obsessed with how far can you take a character
0:52:29 > 0:52:31and where can you explore...?
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Having the platform of affection and faith that people have in it,
0:52:34 > 0:52:40you can go to sort of really quite strange places
0:52:40 > 0:52:42with the comedy that is...
0:52:42 > 0:52:44that you couldn't do unless you'd had a character
0:52:44 > 0:52:46that you'd been doing for 20 years.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48From the dawn of the Industrial Revolution
0:52:48 > 0:52:50to sometime in the late 1970s,
0:52:50 > 0:52:52Britain was the workshop of the world.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54For the people of Manchester,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57employed in cushy jobs - mills and factories -
0:52:57 > 0:53:01where there was work for Mum, Dad, and even the kids...
0:53:01 > 0:53:03- CHEERING - Factory work!
0:53:03 > 0:53:07..it must have seemed like the good times would never end.
0:53:07 > 0:53:08But then...
0:53:08 > 0:53:10..China happened.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13That sort of Pear Tree Productions style of documentary
0:53:13 > 0:53:16that we did with Places Of My Life and Scissored Isle,
0:53:16 > 0:53:19I think that's my favourite Partridge to make.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Hello, I'm Alan Partridge.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27Every detail has Alan's sort of fingerprints all over it.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30If Alan has made it, Alan can have...
0:53:30 > 0:53:32can style everything
0:53:32 > 0:53:35from the credits to the music to the graphics.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38And again it's that thing of him being too ambitious, you know.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41There's no doubt that Alan looks at the world of documentaries
0:53:41 > 0:53:43and thinks, "Well, I can do that better."
0:53:54 > 0:53:56See ya!
0:53:56 > 0:53:58It's a bit like letting a kid into a sweet shop and saying,
0:53:58 > 0:54:01"Just have a couple of sweeties". There's no way he can do that.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04He's got all these toys and all this technology at his disposal,
0:54:04 > 0:54:06he's always going to use it too much.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08It's basically self-sufficiency, isn't it?
0:54:08 > 0:54:10Give a man a fish, he eats for a day.
0:54:10 > 0:54:11Give him a fishing rod...
0:54:11 > 0:54:13He'll probably come back the next day saying,
0:54:13 > 0:54:15"You know that fishing rod you gave me?" "Go on."
0:54:15 > 0:54:16"Can I have another?"
0:54:18 > 0:54:20"What happened to the one I gave you?"
0:54:20 > 0:54:22"I sold it." "Let me guess, to buy some skag."
0:54:22 > 0:54:24"No, to buy some fish, I was hungry."
0:54:24 > 0:54:27"Did it not occur to you that you could have used the fishing rod
0:54:27 > 0:54:29"to catch some fish?"
0:54:29 > 0:54:31"Oh, I haven't got a permit and I don't know how to get one."
0:54:31 > 0:54:32"Google it!"
0:54:32 > 0:54:34- When did this happen?- Hm?
0:54:34 > 0:54:36Oh, it didn't.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40It's just a generic annoying man who lives inside my mind.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42A head squatter.
0:54:42 > 0:54:43I don't mean a dominatrix.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46There's much more poignancy and pathos to Alan
0:54:46 > 0:54:48than there was early on.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50There was some in I'm Alan Partridge,
0:54:50 > 0:54:54but I think when Pete came along, he brought more of that.
0:54:54 > 0:54:59And the Gibbons, when they came on, they have given Alan sort of...
0:54:59 > 0:55:01He feels much more rounded now.
0:55:01 > 0:55:02- Morning.- Morning.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04Do you want to pop your things on the conveyor?
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Don't worry about that, we're just making a documentary.
0:55:07 > 0:55:08Pop your things on the conveyor belt.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10No, not the basket, just the items.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13Don't put them on the floor,
0:55:13 > 0:55:15cos you'll have to keep bending down to pick them up,
0:55:15 > 0:55:17so just pop them back at the end.
0:55:17 > 0:55:18- Sorry.- That's all right.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21But not on the conveyor. The very end.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24OK. Shall we scan your items?
0:55:24 > 0:55:26- Yes, please.- OK.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29Don't bring them to me.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31I move them forward like this.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33So, just... So, put the beans back.
0:55:35 > 0:55:36No, not in the basket.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38Not in the basket.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42No, don't bring them to me, just put them on the conveyor.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44No, back at the end.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46No, not in the basket.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49Put the beans down on the conveyor belt.
0:55:49 > 0:55:50Now get off.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52No, down! Leave the beans alone.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55Not in the basket, on the conveyor belt!
0:55:55 > 0:55:57- Alan!- She's not listening to me.
0:55:58 > 0:55:59He's already changed
0:55:59 > 0:56:01from one version of Alan in one stage of his life
0:56:01 > 0:56:03to another.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07So I think there's definitely scope for a third act.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10The new show is Alan getting an unexpected
0:56:10 > 0:56:14and probably undeserved second chance.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17It's interesting bringing Alan back to the BBC
0:56:17 > 0:56:21which is where he was born as a concept.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24The BBC is what Alan always wanted to be
0:56:24 > 0:56:27and in making the narrative work,
0:56:27 > 0:56:29in a logical sense,
0:56:29 > 0:56:34Alan is a creature of the BBC.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37Alan, whilst he's going to be very excited about this new chance,
0:56:37 > 0:56:38he's nervous,
0:56:38 > 0:56:41because he knows how badly he screwed things up last time.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43So the question is,
0:56:43 > 0:56:48can he sink his claws into this role and hold on to it? And...
0:56:48 > 0:56:50..you've got to doubt it.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52How long Alan will carry on, I've no idea.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54He's always seeing which way the wind is blowing
0:56:54 > 0:56:56in terms of broadcasting, in terms of politics.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58So as long as the world keeps changing
0:56:58 > 0:57:00then there's always going to be stuff for Alan to latch onto
0:57:00 > 0:57:03and think, "Oh, that'd be good, if I did that."
0:57:03 > 0:57:05I think he thinks he's got an opera in him.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09I don't know that he necessarily knows what an opera is.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12We will see him growing old.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16Definitely. We will want to see him, see what happens to him.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18But, I mean, what he'll be like, I don't know
0:57:18 > 0:57:23because, I mean, he's already absolutely all over the place.
0:57:23 > 0:57:29He'd be the same desperate, egomaniacal, sad
0:57:29 > 0:57:32kind of guy. Wouldn't want him to change.
0:57:32 > 0:57:37SONG: Baba O'Riley by The Who
0:57:41 > 0:57:45If I had to say goodbye to Alan forever, I'd be very upset.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47I would be genuinely upset.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49He's my friend.
0:58:06 > 0:58:11ALAN: All that remains is for me to bid you a fond farewell,
0:58:11 > 0:58:12for I must go now -
0:58:12 > 0:58:14back to my flock,
0:58:14 > 0:58:18certain to be welcomed with open arms by listeners,
0:58:18 > 0:58:21YouTube commentators and sponsors alike.
0:58:21 > 0:58:22Goodbye,
0:58:22 > 0:58:25or should I say...au revoir?
0:58:25 > 0:58:26Goodbye.
0:58:32 > 0:58:37MUSIC: Music For Chameleons by Gary Numan