From his role as sports reporter on The Day Today to his appearance as the BBCs most underrated chat show host, Alan Partridge has become a British institution and one of the world’s all-time great comedy characters. Listed below are ten classic moments, each offering insight into the delusional world of Mr Alan Partridge.
1. Foot through a spike
This is a classic Alan Partridge moment whereby he climbs a fence after being refused entry into Choristers Country Club. While trying to scale the fence he puts his foot through a spike and clings on, trying to ‘be normal’ to passersby and arguing with Lynn.
2. ‘Alan describes art’
A feature in episode 2 of Mid Morning Matters whereby Alan describes a piece of art sent in by his listeners. He is sent a drawing of a naked woman and describes it in the typical forthright Partridge style ending with the question, ‘When does something stop being art and start being point blank rude?’.
3. Comic Relief
Alan Partridge teams up with Peter Kay for comic relief. Peter Kay plays Tony Maloney, a boxing coach from Manchester. The live interview with Alan falls apart when Meals on Wheels arrive and Alan makes fun of the Northern Accent causing Tony to take offence and incur Alan’s ire.
4. ‘This tea tastes like chicken!’
During episode 3 of Mid Morning Matters, Alan has an issue with his tea as he repeatedly yells, “this tea tastes like chicken!” After complaining bitterly about his beverage to listeners and his co-presenter, he finally realises, ‘oh no, I just ate some chicken’.
5. ‘Smell my cheese!’
In a fit of anger after being told he is not receiving a second series, Alan shoves a block of cheese into the face of Tony Hayers, Chief Commissioning Editor for the BBC while shouting, ‘smell my cheese!’. Realising his mistake, he then flees the restaurant taking the cheese with him before escaping to the safety of Lynn’s parked car.
6. Ladyboys
Trying to impress some chauvinistic beer-swilling filmmakers, Alan devises a new drink called ‘Ladyboys’ in an attempt to show his drinking prowess and masculinity. The drink involves a pint of lager (for boys) followed by a gin and tonic and Baileys chaser (for ladies) and ends with Alan falling asleep at the bar, before being woken a few minutes later feeling “confused”.
7. Sex people
Alan visits Dan’s ‘big house’ to talk about kitchens but gets a bit of a surprise when he discovers that Dan and his wife are ‘sex people’. As Alan watches their private sex tape, he narrates everything on the screen in typically understated Partridge fashion, before making his excuses and leaving (joining with Lynn in refusing to participate in Dan’s ‘sex festival’).
8. Alan Partridge on farming
Alan is given the opportunity to apologise to the Norfolk’s farmers after his earlier remarks offending them, but in his mea culpa interview with Norfolk Farmers’ Union representative Peter Baxendale-Thomas, he digs himself deeper and deeper into the mire, including these classic lines addressed to farmers:
“If you see a lovely field with a family having a nice picnic and there’s a nice pond in it, you fill the pond with concrete, you plough the family into the field, you blow up the tree and you use the leaves to make a dress for your wife who is also your brother!”
9. Cone lap dance
Alan has some horrific yet hilarious visions of himself lap dancing. There are some disturbing scenes involving platform shoes, leather underpants, a peep hole Pringle ‘modelled on an SAS balaclava’, a traffic cone bra and far too many close ups of his gyrating crotch.
10. ‘Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan!’
Alan finally finds himself a friend called Dan who he sees from a distance and shouts his name as loudly as he can to get his attention. Most people would give up after 2 or 3 shouts of ‘Dan!’ but not Alan. He shouts ‘Dan!’ a side-splitting 15 times before finally taking the hint and muttering, ‘No, he’s not seen me. I’ll get him later.’