Mid Morning Matters once again as Alan Partridge is back!
In 2010, socially awkward and politically incorrect DJ Alan Partridge (a.k.a. Steve Coogan) had his chat show career cut short when he was dismissed from the BBC partly for punching Chief Commissioning Editor Tony Hayers in the face with a stuffed partridge and partly because his programs were deemed to be of a low standard, delivering ever-declining ratings. After a series of appearances here and there, it wasn’t until 2010 that Partridge. ever the technological early adopter, shunned the dated concept of television and returned to his radio roots as a disc jockey on North Norfolk Digital radio’s 4th best time slot with his online, web-based series, Mid Morning Matters.
Hailed and vilified at the same time for this daring move, Mid Morning Matters is back with a 6-episode new series that premiered last night on Sky Atlantic. This second series will, once again, see the master at work as he broadcasts his daily radio show at North Norfolk Digital to literally hundreds of listeners. Whether reprimanding a celebrity chef for the use of fennel in a recipe, or making history by having a massage live on air, Alan never fails to push the boundaries of broadcasting.
In series two, we also get an introduction to his new boss, “one man Soda Stream” Craig, who is, according to Alan, “20% Steve Jobs, 10% Jesus, 50% Peter Sissons, a splash of Gandhi (no need to measure that). If you were a quarter of the man he is, you’d be twice the man you are. And that still makes you an eighth of a very impressive man. And that’s not my opinion, that’s fractions.”
What started out as a brief stint as a spoof sports reporter on the BBC Radio 4 program, On the Hour, has led to a comedic empire that Coogan acknowledges he still finds “endlessly fascinating”. Post radio, Partridge moved to TV becoming host of his own BBC chat show, Knowing Me, Knowing You…with Alan Partridge. Since 2010, Coogan has been quite busy with two series of The Trip under his belt with good buddy, Rob Brydon, several Oscar nominations for his 2013 film effort, Philomena with Judi Dench, and endless amounts of voice work including Despicable Me 2 and Minions.
In 2012, Partridge, in an attempt to give viewers a much better understanding of what has shaped both his personal and professional life, took viewers on a tour of his beloved home county of Norfolk in Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of My Life. In the 2-part series, Partridge visited various local landmarks, as well as some of his favorite places and showed parts of his day-to-day life.
Alan Partridge’s Mid Morning Matters began last night, Tuesday 16th February and continues Tuesdays at 10p on Sky Atlantic. The complete series will also be available on Sky Box Sets beginning….now.
In: Comedy
