Editing Alan Partridge (section)

== Character ==
[[File:Alan Partridge at the Hollywood Cinema (geograph 6378088).jpg|thumb|A mural of Alan Partridge on the Hollywood Cinema in [[Norwich]], where ''Alpha Papa'' premiered in 2013<ref>{{cite web |title=Alan Partridge premiere cinema closes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-47164454 |website=BBC News |access-date=8 July 2020 |date=7 February 2019}}</ref>]]
Alan Partridge is an incompetent and tactless television and radio presenter,<ref name="Thompson-1994"/><ref name="Currie-2014">{{Cite web|title = Characters We Love To Hate, ALAN PARTRIDGE|url = http://www.mandatory.com/2014/05/07/fictional-characters-we-love-to-hate/8|website = Mandatory|access-date = 14 September 2015|first = Tom|last = Currie|date = 7 May 2014|archive-date = 7 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151007025701/http://www.mandatory.com/2014/05/07/fictional-characters-we-love-to-hate/8|url-status = dead}}</ref> with an inflated sense of importance and celebrity.<ref name="Keeling-2013" /> He is socially inept and often offends his guests.<ref name="The Guardian-2013">{{Cite web |date=27 July 2013 |title=Alan Partridge's top 10 hits - in video |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/jul/27/alan-partridge-greatest-hits |access-date=14 September 2015 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> According to the ''[[The Daily Telegraph|Telegraph]]'', Partridge is "utterly convinced of his own superiority, and bewildered by the world's inability to recognise it".<ref name="Husband-2013"/> His need for public attention drives him to deceit, treachery and shameless self-promotion.<ref name="Currie-2014"/> In the ''Knowing Me, Knowing Yule'' Christmas special, he assaults a BBC boss and a paralysed man.<ref name="Rees-1995"/> Marber said Partridge's fundamental characteristic is desperation,<ref name="Saner-2017"/> and described him as part of a British tradition of "sad little man" characters such as [[Captain Mainwaring]], [[Basil Fawlty]] and [[David Brent]].<ref name="Wray-2020" />

Coogan said Partridge was originally a "one-note, sketchy character"<ref>{{cite magazine |last=de Semlyen |first=Nick |title=Steve Coogan Talks Alan Partridge {{!}} interviews {{!}} empireonline.com |url=https://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1757 |magazine=Empire |access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> and "freak show", but slowly became refined as a dysfunctional alter ego.<ref name="huffington2">{{Cite web |last=Coyle |first=Jake |date=4 May 2014 |title=Steve Coogan on 23 Years of Alan Partridge |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/05/steve-coogan-alan-partridge_n_5097062.html |access-date=14 September 2015 |work=[[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref> Whereas Coogan has affection for Partridge, he said Iannucci sees him as "basically an idiot".<ref name="Coogan-2015" /> As he aged, Coogan become comfortable revealing unattractive and dysfunctional parts of himself in Partridge. In his memoir, he wrote that he finds it irritating when people observe that he is sometimes similar, and wrote: "I reply, 'Well, yes. Of course I am.' They can't quite believe this admission. 'But he's an idiot! Are you saying he's part of you?' As patiently as possible, I'll say, '"Yes, because part of me is an idiot!'"<ref name="Coogan-2015" />

Coogan credited Neil and Rob Gibbons for giving Partridge a more rounded personality in later incarnations, and said: "The 21st-century Alan is a nicer man. He is more empathetic and less about mocking the fool. More [[Malvolio]] and less [[Frank Spencer]]."<ref name="Coogan-2015" /> The Gibbons brothers felt that by the time of ''[[Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge]]'', when Partridge is working for an even smaller radio station, he is more at peace with himself and that his lack of self-awareness saves him from misery.<ref name="Virtue-2013">{{Cite web |last=Virtue |first=Graeme |date=27 July 2013 |title=Alan Partridge: a look inside his mind |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jul/27/alan-partridge-a-look-inside-his-mind |access-date=14 September 2015 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Iannucci said that Partridge stays optimistic because he never sees himself as others see him,<ref name="The Guardian-2013" /> and that despite his failings he was "the perfect broadcaster for these times, when there are 24 hours to fill and dead time is a crime—he has a unique capacity to fill any vacuum with his own verbal vacuum".<ref name="Husband-2013" />

Baynham said that although Partridge is unpleasant, the writers of ''I'm Alan Partridge'' tried to build empathy: "You're watching a man suffer but also at some level identifying with his pain."<ref name="Virtue-2013" /> For ''Alpha Papa'', Coogan wanted Partridge to be heroic and for the audience to sympathise with him while laughing at him: "You know he's done the wrong thing, but at least he's got some humanity. It's impossible to sustain 90 minutes of good drama without investing in the character."<ref name="Coogan-2015" /> [[Felicity Montagu]], who plays Partridge's assistant, Lynn, felt he was vulnerable and loveable, and a good person "deep down".<ref name="Barkham-2013" />

=== Politics ===

Partridge holds [[right-wing]] views. He is a reader of the right-wing newspaper the ''[[Daily Mail]]'', and supported [[Brexit]] in line with the ''Daily Mail'' position.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harrison |first=Ellie |date=15 October 2017 |title=Alan Partridge will return to the BBC to become the 'voice of Brexit' |language=en |work=[[Radio Times]] |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-08-03/alan-partridge-will-return-to-the-bbc-to-become-the-voice-of-brexit/ |access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref> Coogan, who is [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]],<ref name="Christie-2022" /> described Partridge as a [[Little Englander]], with a "myopic, slightly philistine mentality".<ref name="Barkham-2013">{{Cite web |last=Barkham |first=Patrick |date=1 August 2013 |title=Steve Coogan: 'There is an overlap between me and Alan Partridge' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/01/steve-coogan-alan-partridge-alpha-papa |access-date=14 September 2015 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Coogan felt the humour came from Partridge's misjudgement, rather than in a celebration of bigotry: "I don't want to add to the sum total of human misery. I want to point out things where we can improve our behaviour, myself included."<ref name="Wray-2020" /> He aimed to use humour to hold privileged and powerful people accountable.<ref name="Wray-2020" />

Earlier versions of Partridge were more bigoted, but the writers found there was more humour in having him attempt to be [[Progressivism|progressive]].<ref name="Barkham-2013" /> For example, in ''I, Partridge'', he stresses his friendship with the gay television presenter [[Dale Winton]].<ref name="Gordon-2011" /> Coogan said Partridge was aware of [[political correctness]]: "In the same way that the ''Daily Mail'' is a bit PC—it wouldn't be openly homophobic now—Alan is the same. He tries to be modern."<ref name="Barkham-2013" /> 

=== Lifestyle ===
Partridge lives in [[Norwich]] in the [[East of England]]. Iannucci said the writers chose it as it is "geographically just that little bit annoyingly too far from London, and has this weird kind of isolated feel that seemed right for Alan".<ref name="Husband-2013"/> According to ''[[Forbes]]'', Partridge has "parochial bad taste",<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Leaf |first=Jonathan |date=25 April 2014 |title=Review: Steve Coogan Takes Flight In 'Alan Partridge' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanleaf/2014/04/25/review-steve-coogan-takes-flight-in-alan-partridge/ |magazine=Forbes |access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> and Coogan described him as "on the wrong side of cool".<ref name="huffington2"/> He is a fan of [[James Bond in film|James Bond films]] and [[Lexus]] cars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alan Partridge Quotes {{!}} I'm Alan Partridge {{!}} Gold |url=http://gold.uktv.co.uk/im-alan-partridge/gallery/alan-partridge-quotes/#0 |access-date=14 September 2015 |publisher=Gold UK}}</ref> His talk show catchphrase, "Aha!", comes from [[Abba]], and he named his son Fernando and his talk show ''Knowing Me, Knowing You'' after Abba songs.<ref name="Heritage-2014"/>

In earlier incarnations, Partridge's wardrobe included a [[blazer]], badge and tie, [[driving glove]]s and "too-short" shorts, styles he describes as "sports casual" and "imperial leisure".<ref name="Reynolds-2013">{{cite magazine|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|date=24 June 2013|title=The Alan Partridge Style Guide {{!}} Driving gloves, tie and blazer badge combo|url=http://www.esquire.co.uk/culture/film-tv/4165/The-Alan-Partridge-Style-Guide/|url-status=dead|magazine=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626130801/http://www.esquire.co.uk/culture/film-tv/4165/The-Alan-Partridge-Style-Guide/|archive-date=26 June 2014|access-date=14 September 2014}}</ref> According to Iannucci, by the time of ''Alpha Papa'', Partridge had "evolved to the ''[[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]'' presenter circa 2005 stage", with [[sports jacket]]s and a [[fop]]pish fringe.<ref name="Husband-2013" /> Coogan said that the rise of [[postmodernism]] made it difficult to find clothes for Partridge, as "everything we had once seen as square or distasteful was now being worn by [[Hipster (contemporary subculture)|hipsters]] ... The waters of what was uncool became so muddied that it was difficult to find anything [that] looked bad and not just ironic. It even made me question if Alan was still relevant."<ref name="Coogan-2015"/> As Coogan aged, the makeup he wore in earlier performances became unnecessary.<ref name="Husband-2013" />