Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge

Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge character just wouldn't lie down. After filling the sport slot in Christopher Morris's brilliant TV news show spoof "The Day Today", Coogan and his co-writers devised this devilishly funny and close-to-the-bone mickey-take of the ever-popular celebrity chat programme, with all the accoutrements of real-life prototypes by the likes of real-life stereotypical hosts (we know who they are) complete with guest house-band, fake starry guests and all their other familiar trappings (mix and match guests, the shared couch, the shallow content).

Coogan in particular rips into the title character with relish, a gormless, ignorant, sexist, bigoted, power-crazy narcissist who says what he thinks before he even thinks it. To play his guests, stock supporting actors like Rebecca Front, David Schneider and Patrick Marber change clothes and personalities from show to show, but somehow always end up as the unwilling victims of Partridge's prejudices.

All of the shows in the series are big on laughs, my favourite characters being the dead-on-his-feet ventriloquist act Cheeky Monkey, the cringe-worthy "Knowing Another Alan Partridge" section involving a recently deceased namesake and of course his quite literally go-out-with-a-bang climax.

Once you settle down to watch it, so convincingly played are the characters that you actually do end up thinking it could somehow be for real on an obscure satellite channel, although after the final bombshell which ends each episode, you snap out if it but realise how close to the truth it actually was.

For Coogan the character has never gone away, spawning the brilliant "I'm Alan Partridge" sequel and most recently a movie incarnation "Alan Partridge Alpha Papa", which I've not yet seen but it will be hard-pressed to beat the plentiful laughs on show here.

KMKY gets off to a great start in the opening edition when Alan`s guests include a showjumper , an egotistical DJ and the world famous Roger Moore . No seriously Roger Moore is a guest on the first show . The later episodes drag slightly especially the French edition but KMKY picks up in the final two shows which feature Terry Norton a boxing promoter who has just beat a murder rap ( Alan kindly reconstructs the murder in question ) " Partridge Over Britain " which is a political debate , some revelations about Glen Ponder the band leader , and Joe Beasley and cheeky monkey - Abbadabadoo.

This is a really funny show which is very well remembered even though only six regular episodes and a Xmas special were made . This says an awful lot about the quality of the writing and performances . Perhaps the best compliment paid to the show is the fact that some viewers actually phoned up the BBC to complain about the content and the way Partridge treated his guests !!!!! I kid you not , some people didn`t realise this is a spoof chat show with Steve Coogan playing a comedy character called Alan Partridge !

And on that bombshell - AHA

If you're not familiar with Alan I seriously recommend you get some of his stuff pronto, cos it is just too much fun.

And I have to say it: A-HA!

From the classy opening, to the parodies of guests ("Vivienne Westwood" is still the greatest thing ever) to "Glen Ponder and Debonair!" to Peter and Berni's Philosophical Steakhouse I just can't get enough of it. And Sports Casual!

Is this moribund?

Hots Pants! Tssssssss.

Elevated from his radio show onto television this is presenter Alan Partridge's big break to take the art of chat to new heights. Unfortunately from the faulty studio fountain onwards it's all downhill for his ambitious project.

KMKY is six episodes of chat show spoof comedy heaven. There are too many funny bits to list but my favourite is the political debate where harrassed Conservative candidate Adrian Finch finally loses his nerve with the 'Bald Brummies' candidate and turns violent.

It is probally true that many presenters have skeletons locked away in the cupboard, but with Alan the skeletons tend to be released on camera, to ruin things for him every time. Maybe the real genius of the series is the fact that I have met people who genuinely believed that Alan was for real.

A program delivering a laugh a minute ratio is a rarity, which makes Knowing Me, Knowing You all the more essential viewing.

Steve Coogan is Alan Patridge (A-HA) in this parody of talk shows using England's famous perchant for dry humor. Poor Alan doesn't have much luck with any of his guests in the 6 episode series, and his handling of said guest is what makes this series worthwhile and I frequently found myself laughing at the deftly scripted show. I can't believe how great British comedies can truly be and most of the 'comedies' in my native land of, America can be so truly dreadful. The differences truly seem like night and day. If this had an American counterpart it would likely be "the Larry Sanders Show", but whereas that deals with the behind the scenes of a talk show as much, if not more so than in front of the camera, this one just deals with the talk show proper and I believe I like both the aforementioned shows equally.

My Grade: A-

DVD Extras: Disc 1) Commentaries on all the episodes (which are frequently as funny as the shows themselves) ; Promos for BBC America, and "Little Britian"

Disc 2) the 46 minute "Knowing me, Knowing Yule" special (with optional commentary); 16 minutes of the Test shoot with optional commentary; 5 minute, 16 seconds of Alan rambling on; 3 skits (totalling 6 minutes and 15 seconds) of Alan's appearance on BBC's "Comic Relief 1995"; 9 commercials for the TV show; photo gallery; Cast & crew Bios; and Trailer for "Men Behaving Badly" & "Manchild"