I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan

By: Alan Partridge

Narrated by: Alan Partridge

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Journalist, presenter, broadcaster, husband, father, vigorous all-rounder – Alan Partridge – a man with a fascinating past and an amazing future. Gregarious and popular, yet Alan’s never happier than when relaxing in his own five-bedroom, south-built house with three acres of land and access to a private stream. But who is this mysterious enigma?

Alan Gordon Partridge is the best – and best-loved – radio presenter in the region. Born into a changing world of rationing, Teddy Boys, apes in space and the launch of ITV, Alan’s broadcasting career began as chief DJ of Radio Smile at St. Luke’s Hospital in Norwich. After replacing Peter Flint as the presenter of Scout About, he entered the top 8 of BBC sports presenters.But Alan’s big break came with his primetime BBC chat show Knowing Me, Knowing You. Sadly, the show battled against poor scheduling, having been put up against News at Ten, then in its heyday. Due to declining ratings, a single catastrophic hitch (the killing of a guest on air) and the dumbing down of network TV, Alan’s show was cancelled. Not to be dissuaded, he embraced this opportunity to wind up his production company, leave London and fulfil a lifelong ambition to return to his roots in local radio.

Now single, Alan is an intensely private man but he opens up, for the second time, in this candid, entertaining, often deeply emotional – and of course compelling – memoir, written entirely in his own words. (Alan quickly dispelled the idea of using a ghost writer. With a grade B English Language O-Level, he knew he was up to the task.)

He speaks touchingly about his tragic Toblerone addiction, and the painful moment when unsold copies of his first autobiography, Bouncing Back, were pulped like ‘word porridge’. He reveals all about his relationship with his ex-Ukrainian girlfriend, Sonja, with whom he had sex at least twice a day, and the truth about the thick people who make key decisions at the BBC.

A literary tour de force, I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan charts the incredible journey of one of our greatest broadcasters.

©2011 Alan Partridge (P)2011 HarperCollins

Critic reviews

"Legendary." ( The Guardian)

"Some of the UK’s finest comedy." ( The Telegraph)

"Coogan’s greatest creation." ( Daily Mail)

“I’m a massive Alan Partridge fan, and this is without a doubt the funniest book I’ve ever read. You’ll be laughing at something on every single page. Its worth downloading the audiobook, though, so you can listen to Alan reading it to you.” (Greg James, Heat Magazine)

Great performance

not being a huge fan of Alan Partridge I was worried that I wouldn't get this book but the voice performance is amazing and carries you through with lots of little laughs throughout.

Narcissism on steroids

Partridge is an incredibly clever character, with the narrator doing an outstanding job portraying him. I can't believe that his assistant would stick with him for more than a short time, even if she suffers from a serious case of low self-esteem. There were some hints now and then, but I could have used more indirect evidence that to know him is to loathe him.

Classic Alan

A great listen to my favorite character. Exceeded my expectations by far. Smash, bang!

Brilliant

The best comedy "thing" show/book/serie I ever bought. It ruined Audible for me nothing is quite as good

A Welcome Return of Cooghan's best Character.

Steve Cooghan has, once again, demonstrated his comedic wizardry in this timely revival of his most wonderful and popular character, the obnoxious, shallow and 'cringeworthy' Alan Partridge. The book is an excellent tie-up to the splendid television series. T'is a small pity that Partridge's long-suffering and terribly exploited assistant Lynne does not receive more mention. This is only a very minor criticism of a work destined to join the very best parts of the Alan Partridge canon. Absolutely splendid and most highly recommended. Pure Partridge!

Entertaining in a British way

It was funny and well-read. I laughed out loud, which was quite embarrassing when I was on the train.

Great book, slight production issues

Anyone who is a fan of Coogan’s long-running Alan Partridge character will enjoy hearing Alan speaking about his career in his own words. Hilarious from start to finish. The only marring quality is a production error in one of the final chapters, when a phone call or interruption made during recording is accidentally left in the cut. A bit jarring but still a solid listen.

The most laughs ever

A genuine laugh out loud epic from Alan. Genuinely sorry when this was over. Excellent listen.

Back of the Net

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A classic! Throughly enjoyed something different. This will be listened to many times I'm sure.

Any additional comments?

The only way to 'read' this is Audible. Honestly, sitting there with a hardback trying to do an

For Partridge Fans

This book is a must. Alan takes you through the backstory of his two series (which you really must watch prior to listening), and onwards explaining what happened after series two.

If you love Brand Partridge, you will love this book.