Alan Partridge Live: Stratagem

There's no question that Alan Partridge is one of the greatest comedy creations in British TV history. The subtlety and sharpness of Mid Morning Matters or The Oasthouse podcast is about as good as comedic writing gets.

Stratagem, however, is complete trash. This format simply doesn't work well for this character and I think Coogan knows this. Every joke seems forced and the overall performance is far more slapstick than parody.

The reaction of the crowd tells you everything. They are quiet and look visibly bored. In fact, many people look quite agitated as if their intelligence is being insulted by this shoddy effort.

Really terrible stuff from Coogan. Not my words, the words of Shakin' Stevens.

The gigantic Stratagem arena tour rolled around the arenas of the UK in the summer of 2022 and this filmed show in London is the only chance of someone without a billion pounds to spend on a ticket to see it. Stratagem is a fairly loose concept - Partridge doing a sort of motivational speaking/life coaching schtick after breaking up with a girlfriend - which feels like a sort of flabbier rendition of the Partridge segment from Coogan's "Less Successful Characters" tour. It does go on for ages, and Emma Sidi is great, but it rarely feels vital and occasionally he drifts out of character. Not at all anywhere near essential Partridge, and he's far sharper in the Gibbons era as a podcast host/author.

Firstly, Mr Coogan, should your read this, I am sorry for this review

I saw this pop up on prime and I was very excited as I had no idea there was a live show of one of my all time favourite comedy characters of all time, I have seen all the series, and some of the podcasts, the film, and love them.

The first 20 minutes of this really made me laugh, then turned into a weird segment (no spoilers but about 20 minutes in) which was just so odd and left me scratching my head, it wasn't funny, and it wasn't Alan Partridge. I stress again, I am a real fan of the character and the series

I struggled on, and an hour in with 20 minutes to go, I really wished I had stopped after 20 minutes, I am currently writing this review while watching the last 20 minutes but its just not funny, it goes from odd segment to odd segment, I feel quite sad honestly, I really thought this was going to be great, I know this review is a little vague because maybe its just me? And I don't want to leave spoilers

In short, I think the character only works with script writers, this feels like Mr Coogan has tried to carry on the character with no help from good script writers, maybe he did have them, maybe I am being unjustly unfair in presuming that Steve Coogan wrote all this alone, but if he did, he shouldn't.

3/10. First 20 minutes or me 8/10 and then awful afterwards.

It has its moments, if by "moments" you mean very light laughter or smiles at some of the jokes and references. In most places though, it's just a cringeworthy performance from one of the greatest comics and finest character actors of our generation (in my opinion).

I wasn't expecting it to be as funny as the Partridge we all know and love, but this is almost like a different character altogether. The sharp wit and awkward charm that made Alan Partridge an iconic figure seem to be missing here. Instead, what we get is a diluted version that leans too heavily on forced gags and an odd attempt to translate the character into a live show - which, if you've seen any of Coogan's live shows in the past you know is certainly possible.

Coogan is quite an underrated musical comic, but the musical numbers here really don't make sense and seem like filler.

The live interaction with the audience, a hallmark of any great comedy special, feels stilted and awkward. There are moments where the cringe is palpable, not because of Partridge's trademark social faux pas, but because the humour falls flat and the attendees seem to be forcing themselves to enjoy what they likely had higher expectations for.

While it's always a pleasure to see Steve Coogan step into the shoes of his characters for live shows again, this special feels more like something to fill the gap in his schedule.

I'm sure Steve has made a lot of money from this tour, however I along with many other people have never watched so much drivel in all ours lives. The character Alan Partridge is absolutely superb and one of the finest comedy series of all time, however this effort falls short of being remotely amusing. As someone sat watching this live I cringed along with other audience members when no one was laughing. I know it's the character, however it's supposed to still be funny. It's a perfect example of leaving a classic memory behind and not trying to rekindle it for more money. Don't waste your time, don't watch it.