For anyone that is a fan may I heartily recommend I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan, especially in audiobook format. Many hours of Alan Partridge talking about his favourite subject, Alan Partridge. Here is a small sample - his marriage breakdown.
I think the often obscure references and the fact that the character appeared 22 years ago in 1991 and has a considerable backstory, doesn’t make him the easiest character to get into for someone outside the UK, even though the quality of the comedy has been very consistent (though for my money the best Partridge was the first series of I’m Alan Partridge in 1997- which was also the series that really made Partridge as a legendary UK comedy character).
The two Night at the Museum movies, surely?
I like Coogan (The Trip is a classic) but I’m lukewarm on Partridge. I like it well enough, I suppose.
Ah-HA!
I liked “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” but was a little lukewarm on his later shows. Although it was interesting to see where Ricky Gervais got his “David Brent” character from. 
He was also in The Other Guys, I love that movie - though mainly for The Rock and Samuel L Jackson’s characters.
I recognize the subtle genius in the character but have never been a huge fan of the “comedy of embarrassment” style. It just doesn’t do it for me.
I think the first we saw of Alan in Australia was Knowing Me, Knowing You, which was stuck in the dead zone by Channel 7 and at the mercy of cricket and tennis.
He is still a bit obscure, but I think a lot of people like the extended universe of comedies his production company have put out - Gavin and Stacey, Nighty Night and anything else with Rob Bryden always fare well.
As for getting him, we tend to think of Partirdge as a reasonably good take-off of Norman Gunston, the master of unfortunate television compering.
For those who like Steve Coogan, I highly recommend a recent movie by Michael Winterbottom called The Look of Love. It’s a serious role, not a comedy though there are a few amusing moments in it. He plays a real person named Paul Raymond, who was once the richest man in England, and who amassed his fortune via strip clubs, erotic revue shows, men’s magazines, and real estate (he bought up half of the Soho district when it was a cheap dump, before the swinging 60’s made it a famous destination). He started his porn(ish) empire when it was all against the law, and was instrumental in changing quite a few of those laws. He transformed that part of British society. It’s not brilliant, but it is interesting, and he’s very good in it.
That is an element for me too.
Also, AP, and much of Coogan’s other lead role work is dry dry dry. By contrast, Basil Fawlty is anything but dry, and David Brent is a goofball. Both of these styles travel better to the US.
I love Partridge. I watched the sitcom and loved it, but went back and watched some of his earlier stuff and it was hit and miss. I’m not sure why, it was still good, maybe it was just the format or something or maybe I just never had time to get into it. I liked the Fosters beer stuff. The thing is, unless you hear about him and seek it out on the internet you’re unlikely to run across Partridge.
I’ve heard of it. I think there was a sort of trailer for it attached to a DVD of Steve Coogan’s Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. But really, Yanks are barely aware of Coogan, and I don’t think Alan Partridge has been seen as something to flog over here.
The film has been pretty successful with critics and audiences in the UK, and apparently, has just got a distribution deal in the US. Not sure how many theatres it will be playing in, but I’m guessing not that many.
I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and thought it was the funniest film I’d seen in quite a long time, so it will be interesting to see if it completely leaves America cold.
Is he your Olibermann? (closest US analogy I can think of)
Partridge is entirely fictional.
Dan is one of the funniest moments in TV. Ever.
I like the show, but I find the laugh track to be overbearing.
He’s a composite of various bland, talentless presenters with inflated egos, but he never strays into a direct parody of any of them though. I’ve not seen that much of Keith Olberman in action (he crops up on the Daily Show from time to time), but there could be elements of him in there
I’m only aware of him (the character) because of other comedians talking about him. For example, Simon Pegg on a recent WTF podcast (I think it came up in the context of “please, America, never mention Benny Hill to me again”). Never seen any of it myself, partly for lack of opportunity before a few years ago and partly because what I hear of it doesn’t really sound like my bag.
But I’m familiar with other work by Coogan and have enjoyed it.
That’s exactly it. I have enough in my own life to cringe at. I don’t get entertained by cringing at others.
I have seen AP and in general I like Coogan. American audiences also saw him as the lead in Around the World in 80 Days and the first Percy Jackson movie.
hadn’t heard of him until now, but as an american I’m obviously far too stupid to “get” him.