Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge

Last updated

Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge
Genre Comedy
Created by
Written by
  • Steve Coogan
  • Neil Gibbons
  • Rob Gibbons
  • Armando Iannucci
Directed by Ted Dowd
Starring
Opening theme"Georgia" by OMD (series 2)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes
  • 12 (Series 1 online)
  • 6 (Series 1 Sky)
  • 6 (Series 2)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerArmando Iannucci
Running time
  • 15 minutes (web version)
  • 30 minutes (TV version)
Production company Baby Cow Productions
Original release
Network
Release5 November 2010 (2010-11-05) 
22 March 2016 (2016-03-22)
Related

Mid Morning Matters is a British digital radio show parody written by Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons and Armando Iannucci, produced by Baby Cow Productions and funded by the British arm of Australian lager company Foster's, starring Coogan as fictional radio DJ Alan Partridge. The first of twelve 15-minute episodes was uploaded to the Foster's Funny website on 5 November 2010, and then available on YouTube. Six 30-minute episodes titled Alan Partridge Mid Morning Matters: Special Edition, edited from the web series, began airing on Sky Atlantic in July 2012 as part of a deal between producers Baby Cow and BSkyB. [1] A second series consisting of six episodes premiered in February 2016. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

The show is shot from the perspective of a webcam in the studio of fictional station North Norfolk Digital. In Mid Morning Matters Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) is back working as a disc jockey, after the failure of his television career. He is usually joined by 'Sidekick Simon' (Tim Key) who eventually leaves or is fired due to Alan's gradual dislike towards him. Alan is noticeably annoyed when he discovers that Simon has started guesting as a sidekick on another radio show (Bedtime with Branning). After Simon's departure, Alan recruits a new sidekick, Zoe (Pippa Duffy), and quickly develops a crush on her. In the final part of series one, Zoe reveals she is going travelling for three months, much to Alan's disappointment. Simon returns in series 2.

Production and TV airing

In August 2010, it was reported that Alan Partridge would make a comeback series online for lager company Foster's. [4] On 8 October 2010, it was announced that the new show, entitled Alan Partridge's Mid Morning Matters, would premiere on 5 November 2010 on Foster's comedy site, fostersfunny.co.uk. In a press release, Steve Coogan announced, in character:

"I am delighted to announce that after years as a regional broadcaster on North Norfolk Digital my groundbreaking radio segment, Mid Morning Matters, will now be accessible to a potential audience of billions via the World Wide Web (www).

That it has taken Foster's to help realise my dream of joining the information superhighway is a damning indictment of the established broadcasters whose shabby treatment of me on Sept 10th 2001 was frankly shabby. I made dozens of calls the next day, all of which were ignored.

My appreciation must go to Armando Iannucci and Baby Cow for ignoring the lies, God bless them. In the meantime I look forward to 'hanging out 'n' chillin' with the MySpace generation." [5]

The first six episodes aired online in December 2010, with the remainder released weekly from 4 February 2011 until episode 12 on 11 March 2011. Following the series, Alan appeared again as part of the Red Nose Day 2011 set for a one-off show akin to the Mid Morning Matters arrangement, and here Side-kick Simon reappears in his former capacity.

Following a deal between Baby Cow Productions and BSkyB in November 2011, the first series was broadcast as six 30-minute episodes on Sky Atlantic, [1] despite the public antipathy of Steve Coogan towards media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his former company 21st Century Fox, who at the time owned a controlling 33% of BSkyB, following the News International phone-hacking scandal. [6] Series two of Mid Morning Matters began airing on Sky Atlantic on 16 February 2016. As with the first series on Sky, series two ran for six 30-minute episodes.

Reception

The Telegraph called the show "endlessly creative". [7]

Episodes

Series 1

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal air date
11"Focus on Cycling"5 November 2010 (2010-11-05)
Alan attempts to cycle 10 miles in 30 minutes on an exercise bike.
22"Who Does Alan Think Alan Is?"12 November 2010 (2010-11-12)
Alan digs into his ancestry and is upset by the results
33"Simply the Best of Norfolk"19 November 2010 (2010-11-19)
The team have a phone-in asking 'what is the best 'thing' '?
44"Wine"26 November 2010 (2010-11-26)
Alan reviews a selection of wine, one of which tastes of Chewits
55"Alan's Sad Story"3 December 2010 (2010-12-03)
Alan is set up by a rival station and later has to ad-lib a ludicrous story after spilling food on the original that was submitted by a listener.
66"King and Car"10 December 2010 (2010-12-10)
The team host a phone in where guests are asked to name what car famous historical characters would drive
77"Partridge on Partridge"4 February 2011 (2011-02-04)
Things turn rather sour between Alan and Sidekick Simon after the latter reveals he did some work with another DJ and Alan interviews himself in a typical self grandiose way.
88"Tora Bora Alan"11 February 2011 (2011-02-11)
An ex-soldier is a guest on the show and explains how he would deal with radicalised RSPB members in the Wookey Hole caves at Alan's suggestion.
99"North Norfolk Today with Eddie Shepherd and Terri Cohen"18 February 2011 (2011-02-18)
Alan fills in for an ill colleague on a current affairs show.
1010"Alan Partridge: Out of the Box Thinker"25 February 2011 (2011-02-25)
Alan interviews an internet millionaire and sacks Simon after the latter's prank backfires
1111"Agony Alan"4 March 2011 (2011-03-04)
Zoe joins the team in-place of Simon and Alan is immediately attracted to her.
1212"The Man with the Child in His Eyes"11 March 2011 (2011-03-11)
Alan continues to try to flirt with Zoe whilst championing Kate Bush

Series 2 (2016)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal air date
131"Foxhunter + Radio Play"16 February 2016 (2016-02-16)
142"Book Club + Dave Clifton"23 February 2016 (2016-02-23)
153"Blackbird + Gangster"1 March 2016 (2016-03-01)
164"Jasper + Chef"8 March 2016 (2016-03-08)
175"Massage + Royal Visit"15 March 2016 (2016-03-15)
186"Grundy + Snow"22 March 2016 (2016-03-22)

Home media

The first series of Mid Morning Matters was released on DVD first, in Australia on 1 March 2012 by 2entertain. [8] It was released on 12 November 2012 in the UK, also by 2entertain. [9] The second series was released on DVD in April 2016.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Partridge</span> British comedy character

Alan Gordon Partridge is a comedy character portrayed by the English actor Steve Coogan. A parody of British television personalities, Partridge is a tactless and inept broadcaster with an inflated sense of celebrity. Since his debut in 1991, he has appeared in media including radio and television series, books, podcasts and a feature film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Coogan</span> English comedian and actor (born 1965)

Stephen John Coogan is an English-Irish comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, which he developed while working with Armando Iannucci on On the Hour and The Day Today. Partridge has featured in several television series and the 2013 film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. In 1999, he co-founded the production company Baby Cow Productions with Henry Normal. For his work he has garnered numerous accolades including four BAFTA Awards and three British Comedy Awards as well as nominations for an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armando Iannucci</span> Scottish comedian, film director and producer

Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer, performer and panellist. Born in Glasgow to Italian parents, Iannucci studied at the University of Glasgow followed by the University of Oxford. Starting on BBC Scotland and BBC Radio 4, his early work with Chris Morris on the radio series On the Hour transferred to television as The Day Today.

<i>The Day Today</i> 1994 British television comedy show

The Day Today is a British comedy television show that parodies television news and current affairs programmes, broadcast from 19 January to 23 February 1994 on BBC2. It was created by Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris and is an adaptation of the radio programme On the Hour, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 9 August 1991 and 28 May 1992 and was also written by Morris, Iannucci, Steven Wells, Andrew Glover, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, David Quantick, and the cast. For The Day Today, Peter Baynham joined the writing team, and Lee and Herring were replaced by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews. The principal cast of On the Hour was retained for The Day Today.

<i>On the Hour</i> British current affairs radio parody

On the Hour was a British radio programme that parodied current affairs broadcasting, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992. Written by Chris Morris, Armando Iannucci, Steven Wells, Andrew Glover, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring and David Quantick, On the Hour starred Morris as the overzealous and self-important principal anchor. He was accompanied by a regular cast assembled by Iannucci, comprising Steve Coogan, Rebecca Front, Doon Mackichan, Patrick Marber and David Schneider, who portrayed assorted news reporters, presenters and interviewees. On the Hour featured the first appearance of Coogan's character Alan Partridge as the "Sports Desk" reporter.

Rebecca Louise Front is an English actress, writer and comedian. She won the 2010 BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for The Thick of It (2009–2012). She is also known for her work in numerous other British comedies, including the radio show On The Hour (1992), The Day Today (1994), Knowing Me, Knowing You… with Alan Partridge (1994), Time Gentlemen Please (2000–2002), sketch show Big Train (2002), and Nighty Night (2004–2005).

<i>Im Alan Partridge</i> British sitcom (1997–2002)

I'm Alan Partridge is a British sitcom created by Steve Coogan, Peter Baynham and Armando Iannucci. Coogan stars as Alan Partridge, a tactless and inept broadcaster who has been left by his wife and dropped by the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio Norwich</span> Fictional radio station

Radio Norwich is a fictional radio station in Norwich, England, in the television series I'm Alan Partridge. It parodies elements from both BBC Local Radio and Independent Local Radio.

Peter Baynham is a Welsh screenwriter and performer. He appeared in a series of comedic Pot Noodle television adverts in the 1990s. His writing work includes collaborations with comedy figures such as Armando Iannucci, Steve Coogan, Chris Morris, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Sarah Smith. Born in Cardiff, Baynham served in the Merchant Navy after leaving school and later pursued a career in comedy — first in stand-up, and then as a writer and performer for various news and sketch comedies in radio and television while enjoying personal fame starring in Pot Noodle adverts. He then became a writer in feature film.

Baby Cow Productions Limited is a British comedy television production company based in London and Manchester, founded by Steve Coogan and Henry Normal. Since its establishment it has diversified into radio, animation and film. According to their website, Baby Cow "produces bold, high-quality scripted entertainment across all genres for television, film and radio." The company's name is a reference to Coogan's early characters Paul and Pauline Calf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Davis</span> English actress

Julia Charlotte L. Davis is an English actress, comedian, director and writer. She is known for writing and starring in the BBC Three comedy Nighty Night (2004–2005) and the comedies Hunderby (2012–2015) and Camping (2016), which she also directed. Davis has been noted by critics for creating boundary-pushing black comedy that centres female anti-hero characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Key</span> English comedian and poet

Tim Key is an English poet, comedian, actor and screenwriter. He has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, both as a solo act and as part of the comedy group Cowards, and plays Alan Partridge's sidekick Simon in film and television. In 2009, he won the Edinburgh Comedy Award and was nominated for the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality.

<i>Saxondale</i> British comedy television series

Saxondale is a British sitcom television series, starring Steve Coogan and co-written by Coogan and Neil Maclennan. The series is directed by Matt Lipsey and produced by Ted Dowd. Coogan and Henry Normal served as executive producers. The show is set in Stevenage and depicts middle-class suburban life.

Declan Lowney is an Irish television and film director. Known initially for directing musical events such as the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, Lowney is perhaps best known for his work on Irish and British television comedies such as Cold Feet, Little Britain and Father Ted for which he was awarded a BAFTA Award in 1995. He was awarded a second BAFTA Award in 2006 for his work on BBC comedy Help.

Pett Productions was an independent production company, established by Bob Mortimer, Vic Reeves and Lisa Clark in 2001. The company was based at the Maidstone Studios in Maidstone, Kent and has produced several television shows in comedy, reality, documentary and internet format. It was dissolved in May 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Pepperdine</span> English comedy actor and writer

Vicki Pepperdine is an English comedy actress and writer. She was nominated for two BAFTA TV Awards for co-writing the BBC sitcom Getting On (2009–12), and was also nominated for a British Comedy Award for her portrayal of Pippa Moore in the series.

<i>Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge</i> (TV series) English television comedy series

Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge is a BBC Television comedy series of six episodes, and a Christmas special Knowing Me, Knowing Yule on 29 December 1995. It is named after the song "Knowing Me, Knowing You" by ABBA, a rendition of which was used as the show's title music. Steve Coogan plays the incompetent but self-satisfied Norwich-based talk show host Alan Partridge, who often insults his guests and humiliates himself in the process. Alan was a spin-off character from the spoof radio show On the Hour. Knowing Me, Knowing You was written by Coogan, Armando Iannucci and Patrick Marber, with contributions from the regular supporting cast of Doon Mackichan, Rebecca Front and David Schneider, who played Alan's weekly guests. Steve Brown provided the show's music and arrangements, and also appeared as Glenn Ponder, the man in charge of the house band.

<i>Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa</i> 2013 British comedy film

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is a 2013 British comedy film starring Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge, a fictional presenter he has played on various BBC radio and television shows since 1991. It was directed by Declan Lowney and written by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Peter Baynham and Neil and Rob Gibbons. Colm Meaney co-starred as Pat Farrell, a DJ who takes hostages after he is fired from Partridge's radio station; Partridge is enlisted as a negotiator.

Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of My Life is one of two one-off Alan Partridge specials commissioned by Sky Atlantic and produced by Baby Cow Productions. It aired on 25 June 2012 and received a BAFTA for Steve Coogan's performance.

<i>This Time with Alan Partridge</i> BBC comedy series

This Time with Alan Partridge is a British sitcom first broadcast in 2019 on BBC One. It stars Steve Coogan as the inept broadcaster Alan Partridge in a spoof of current affairs programmes such as The One Show and Good Morning Britain.

References

  1. 1 2 Wolf, Ian (10 November 2011). "Alan Partridge web series to get TV debut on Sky". British Comedy Guide.
  2. "Alan Partridge to return to Sky Atlantic for second Mid Morning Matters series". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  3. "Alan Partridge's Mid Morning Matters". Sky. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  4. "In pictures: Alan Partridge makes internet comeback". BBC Norfolk. 31 August 2010.
  5. "Brand New Alan Partridge exclusive to Foster's". Foster's Funny. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.[ dead link ]
  6. Robinson, James (5 September 2011). "Steve Coogan: Why I won't let News Corp off the hook". The Guardian. London.
  7. Hogan, Michael (16 February 2016). "Alan Partridge's Mid-Morning Matters Is Endlessly Creative – Review". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  8. "Alan Partridge's Mid Morning Matters Series 1". ABC Shop. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  9. "Alan Partridge - Mid-Morning Matters". Amazon. Retrieved 18 April 2013.