Finally, I'm Alan Partridge series 1 has gone on to DVD, and there are very few better DVD's you can buy, let me assure you.
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Characters: Anyone who has seen Knowing Me, Knowing You (Alan's first forray into mainstream TV) will be aware of the character of Alan himself. He's over opinionated, mean to those around him and always desperate to fit in, and this makes for a brilliant sitcom character. Then there's Lynn Benfield, his PA, who runs all his errands, organises everything for him and tries to keep quiet, all for seven grand a year. Michael is the friendly local geordie who works in the hotel, and whose accent Alan is alwys trying to decipher. Other staff in the hotel include Susan, Sophie and Ben, whose conversations with Alan are always hilarious.There is also Dave Cliffton, Alan's fellow presenter on BBC Radio Norwich, who is always (rather harshly) having the mick taken out of him by Alan because of his efforts to stay on the wagon.
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Story: The story is centred around Alan's attempts to get back in the public eye after the shooting incident on his chat show Knowing Me, Knowing You, after which the show was cancelled, and Alan was forced to work the graveyard shift at Radio Norwich to try and remain famous. However, things do not go his way, and each episode contains references to his botched attempts to become a star, including hosting a country fair and hosting his own TV show that isn't on TV.
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Writing: The writing on I'm Alan Partridge is superb, and in my opinion it is by far one of the most cleverly written and acted out sitcoms around. The main writer is Armando Iannuci, but the other writers include Steve Coogan himself and Peter Baynham, who also appears in one episode.
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Episodes: A Room With an Alan (Alan has a metting with Tony Hayers, the BBC's Chief Commisioning Editor)
Alan Attraction (Alan sacks everyone at his production company Peartree, but goes on a date with Jill, one of the employees)
Watership Alan (Alan hosts a promotional video for Hamilton's Waterbreaks, and gets attacked by farmers)
Basic Alan (Alan is bored, and so takes a stroll down the motorway)
To Kill a Mocking Alan (Alan hosts his TV show which isn't on TV, and meets Jed, a fan)
Towering Alan (Alan learns that Tony Hayers is dead, and is happy)
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DVD Added Extras: The added extras on this DVD are brilliant, with features such as Add On Alan and Unused Alan which contain material that was filmed to go in the series but was not used, and in some cases is just as funny as the used material! It also contains an outtake of an improvised sketch Alan and Lyn did while in Alan's car, which is very funny but also very long!
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Possible Negatives: I personally can't see that many, but I suppose that some people may find the brand of humour not all that funny, as it isn't fast and brash like other popular shows. So, they may find that at times it is a bit slow and they might lose patience. However, as I said, I have never encountered this problem and would recommend it to everyone, even just to give it a try.
P.S: The second series is also brilliant.