2 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Not a patch on 'I'm Alan Partridge' (Series One)
James Witt from London, SE16,
10th April, 2006
After creating such a comedy masterpiece as the first series of 'I'm Alan Partridge' Coogan's previous work does not quite cut the mustard. There are some stand out performances though especially from the supporting casts. John Thompson is brilliantly understated as the mute apprentice in 'Handyman for All Seasons' as is Felicity Montague giving an excellent performance which must've won her the role of Lyn in Alan P. The ever brilliant Duncan Preston drags up in 'Natural Born Quizzers' his use of deadpan is comic genius. Finally the performance of John Shuttleworth as the nightclub boss in 'Thursday Night Fever' was perfectly pitched and worthy of becoming a recurring character in Phoenix Nights. As for Steve Coogan, I think he was just trying a little bit too much in most of these. As Paul Calf and Pauline Calf in 'Get Calf' he feels most at home (especially as he'd already done the brilliant P&P Calf Video Diaries) but in 'Dearth of a Salesman' and 'Natural Born Quizzers' I just felt he was mugging and irritating. In the Curator he expands on a character created on the Day to Today in the docusoap about the public swimming pool. The character is Tim Fleck who speaks in a monotone droan. However what was a funny 2 minute sketch does not extend to a half hour programme. Basically this is very hit and miss, there are many better comedy DVDs out there starring Steve Coogan, only try this if you've already seen 'I'm Alan Partridge', 'The Man Who Thinks He's It', 'The Parolle Officer' and 'The Day Today'.
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