Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge

I have watched this series a few times and it still makes me laugh out loud each time. Superb!

For our transatlantic cousins, who only know Steve Coogan from small(ish) roles in Hollywood movies such as 'The Other Guys', 'Tropic Thunder' etc., the character he plays here is a British cult hero. Coogan's performance as Alan Partridge, a cringeworthy ex-TV presenter, now an equally cringeworthy radio DJ, is quite inspired. Mid Morning Matters is his latest venture, and though only short in length are incredibly high in quality.

It is rare that I would use the term 'comic genius', but Steve Coogan is one. The incredible observational skill of Coogan when it comes down to the finest detail that most of us would miss, is astonishing. Ricky Gervais is exceptional and has made a large impact on Hollywood for a number of reasons. But Gervais is more of an extrovert, and Coogan the man, is a lot more enigmatic.

I don't know if that is part of the reason as to why he is not a leading man in Hollywood to be honest. Maybe being more outspoken like Will Ferrell or Gervais off-camera gets more attention. Or maybe Coogan's comedy has too many nuances for mainstream audiences in the US. Maybe they need Sacha Boran Cohen's sledgehammer 'Borat' style comedy. But for me, as good as the previous three are, I think Coogan is better. I'd pick Steve Coogan for my screenplay's 'comic relief' any day of the week.

I recently re-watched the second season and had to keep regularly pausing so I didn't laugh over other parts of the show. I sometimes find 'cringe comedies' painful to watch on occasions but Coogan's Alan Partridge can do it to perfection. I enjoyed 'Knowing Me Knowing You' but this doesn't contain any canned laughter, which benefits the more subtle moments of humour.... "Do you know what one of the biggest killers in society is?" .."Harold Shipman?", "No obesity!"

This incarnation of Alan Partridge's (an always top notch Steve Coogan) career finds him at North Norwich Radio hosting a mid morning show that is not only on the radio but on the internet as well!

Along with his sidekick Simon (a bumbling but funny Tim Key), Alan interviews a variety of local notables, takes listener calls, and banters with Simon while revealing only a little of his own skewed psyche along the way.

I'll be honest, as big a fan as I am of Alan Partridge, I feel this entry is the weakest of all the others I've seen through the years. A lot of that has to do with the fact that it never leaves the tiny studio so we only see the insufferable Alan at work. It's his other life that tends to bring the most laughs, especially when he lived at a motor lodge in "I'm Alan Partridge." Hard to find, to be honest; I ordered a region 2 version via the eBay. But glad I can say that I've seen it.

While it takes a while to get going, "Mid Morning Matters" is a brilliant parody of commercial radio.

A decade after "I'm Alan Partridge", there's a number of differences with "Matters": the show's perspective is from a webcam (which takes getting used to), it focuses almost entirely on Alan's radio show (though we get glimpses of Alan's new romance), and episodes are only 12 minutes long (24 segments in total). The show is full of silly radio stunts, inoffensive pop music, disastrous interviews, and trivial talkback topics.

In the Partridge tradition, he manages to cheese off nearly every guest or caller. Even his relationship with co-host Sidekick Simon (Tim Key) is rocky at times: Simon is fired near the end of season one, but returns for season two.

There's two segments in "Matters" that really stand out and show different sides of Partridge.

The first is when Patridge fills in for a current affairs show. While it's meant to be a serious political discussion with a local politician, Alan tries to take over (even though he's clearly out of his depth) and attempts to 'ambush' the guest over bus prices.

The second one is with Dave Clifton (a fellow DJ who Partridge had a running battle with in "I'm Alan Partridge") - while it starts with Partridge and Clifton resuming their rivalry, Patridge is visibly moved by Clifton's addiction problems and how it affected his relationship with his son. It's a rare look into Partridge's human side, a nice change from his usual arrogance and ineptitude.