Youtube: Alan Partridge

by Matt on 15 June 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucrpgmJxx0E

Alan's back but this time in bitesize chunks and with a sidekick.

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Pros

Cashback!

So Coogan’s revived his most popular (and possible his only genuinely funny) character, Sir Alan of Partridge, and put him on Youtube for some short episodes with the help of a lager brand. Why this is a great thing:

1. This could be a model for future comics or popular characters that TV isn’t so interested in: get a bit of sponsorship (the right sponsor who is prepared to give creative freedom); bypass the commissioners; go straight to the fans. This kind of thing is a great use of the web.

2. The setting of a digital radio station is spot-on for Partridge. Are there any other comedy characters we’ve been able to watch the career trajectory of quite like this? From a mainstream chat show to the smallest of niche radio stations, it’s a brilliant study in modern celebrity. And it understands the current media landscape with the webcam-style views and the memo/jingle in episode one is very apt: “sustaining and maintaining our core listenership, in an increasingly fragmented marketplace…”.

3. Tim Key. Filling the role of Sidekick Simon, Key is the perfect foil for Partridge and could genuinely be his sidekick for years to come. A lot of his comedy is in the subtle stuff: facial expressions, use of language etc. He knows how to wring laughs out of the smallest of lines. I’m already a massive fan of his but if you like him in this, you should definitely see him live, he’s unlike anyone else.

4. Finally, putting any character in a one set location is a great test of just how funny they are. Very few could pull this off. Arguably this is Coogan at his best.

Cons

You can’t!

The news that it is likely to get picked up by television is a mixed one for me. Having the show re-packaged into a six-episode TV series might just mean it loses something: this truly was designed to be watched online and is built around that concept. Also, like any protective fan, I like it more that less people know about it…

But then if it means they make another series from it then you certainly won’t hear me complaining. It’s genius stuff.

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