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This Time with Alan Partridge

Monday at 9:30pm on BBC One (February 2019)

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LL
Larry the Loafer
I feel this is a show that should've come in between The Day Today and KMKY. We know Alan too well as a character, and this format feels like he's being reintroduced to an audience who have never seen him before. We already know he's a narcissistic presenter who constantly puts his foot in it... I don't see why we need more with seemingly little else.
WH
Whataday Founding member
We already know he's a narcissistic presenter who constantly puts his foot in it... I don't see why we need more with seemingly little else.


I think that's an over-simplistic view of the character. He has developed many layers and now appears to have some sort of filter rather than blindly putting his foot in it all the time. He's more self aware and is far more rounded.
JO
Jon
We already know he's a narcissistic presenter who constantly puts his foot in it... I don't see why we need more with seemingly little else.


I think that's an over-simplistic view of the character. He has developed many layers and now appears to have some sort of filter rather than blindly putting his foot in it all the time. He's more self aware and is far more rounded.

I get that. But that it doesn’t take away from the fact there is something about this format that isn’t really working for a lot of people.
WH
Whataday Founding member
I wonder if people who don't really get this series last saw Alan in I'm Alan Partridge. Because stylistically this isn't a huge leap from his most recent stuff such as Mid Morning Matters and his Sky documentaries. I know many people that are enjoying this series but they tend to be hardcore fans that loved his Sky stuff, and therefore fully appreciate the character.
AN
Andrew Founding member
I wonder if people who don't really get this series last saw Alan in I'm Alan Partridge. Because stylistically this isn't a huge leap from his most recent stuff such as Mid Morning Matters and his Sky documentaries. I know many people that are enjoying this series but they tend to be hardcore fans that loved his Sky stuff, and therefore fully appreciate the character.

That will most definitely be the case. Also being on BBC One I expect some viewers will be fully new to the character as well.
JO
Jon
I wonder if people who don't really get this series last saw Alan in I'm Alan Partridge. Because stylistically this isn't a huge leap from his most recent stuff such as Mid Morning Matters and his Sky documentaries. I know many people that are enjoying this series but they tend to be hardcore fans that loved his Sky stuff, and therefore fully appreciate the character.

I wouldn’t say I don’t get the series, it’s just not laugh out loud funny, which I can deal with for a web series but it’s not right for prime time BBC One. I enjoyed the books and the Sky specials were good. My problem with This Time isn’t Alan in it, it’s the fact we’re missing that farce element that people would come to expect. Even you said you felt the first episode was a bit flat.
BR
Brekkie
The conceit doesn't work for me - if This Time was a real live magazine show, Alan would not be allowed to go off script or just muck about.

It isn't a real magazine show, it's a comedy.
Steve Williams and Jon gave kudos
BR
Brekkie
Only 1.9m last night which is disastrous for BBC One

Such a shame especially when viewers so often complain about the lack of comedy on TV.

An hour of comedy on C4 tonight too - I'd almost expect Derry Girls to beat 1.9m. Certainly deserves to.
JK
JKDerry

People watch programmes, not channels. I'm not quite sure who you imagine the 'BBC 1 audience' to be ?
It's more or less the entire UK population taken over a week, everyone from Category A prisoners to Theresa May (I've fed someone a line there). Some won't 'get it', plenty of others will

Why is anything on BBC Two in that case?

The previous Alan Partridge material was on BBC Two. W1A is on BBC Two, who knew such a wild suggestion was to cause such outrage.


Good question, I don't know where the dividing line is. Historically there's always been a blurred line. For instance Monty Python was a BBC 1 programme, MOTD started life on BBC 2. Morecambe and Wise moved from ITV to BBC 2 in 1967, (although that was partly because they wanted to be seen in colour)

Not partly on Morecambe and Wise's part, it was whole about colour, as BBC 2 was the only channel transmitting in colour until November 1969, so they signed the deal with BBC 2 which lasted until 1971.
NT
NorthTonight

People watch programmes, not channels. I'm not quite sure who you imagine the 'BBC 1 audience' to be ?
It's more or less the entire UK population taken over a week, everyone from Category A prisoners to Theresa May (I've fed someone a line there). Some won't 'get it', plenty of others will

Why is anything on BBC Two in that case?

The previous Alan Partridge material was on BBC Two. W1A is on BBC Two, who knew such a wild suggestion was to cause such outrage.


Good question, I don't know where the dividing line is. Historically there's always been a blurred line. For instance Monty Python was a BBC 1 programme, MOTD started life on BBC 2. Morecambe and Wise moved from ITV to BBC 2 in 1967, (although that was partly because they wanted to be seen in colour)


Even more bizarrely Monty Python was initially a “ regional opt-out” for viewers in London / South-East.
DA
dafydd
The conceit doesn't work for me - if This Time was a real live magazine show, Alan would not be allowed to go off script or just muck about.

It isn't a real magazine show, it's a comedy.

Comedies should be funny. But if you're parodying a magazine show (using all the little quirks of live TV) it should at least have some internal logic about how live TV operates. The funniest bits for me are all in the preview clips, which are all off-air segments. The on-air bits are mostly Partridge ranting or pontificating which made sense on a radio show, but not for TV (unless it's his own chatshow as KNKY, which was much sharper than This Time).
BR
Brekkie
You really are missing the point - the central premise is pretty much what you've said - he isn't really suitable for the show.
KELGE, Inspector Sands and Jon gave kudos

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