This Time with Alan Partridge Episode 2 Review

Original air date: March 4, 2019
Directors: Neil Gibbons and Rob Gibbons
Writers: Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons, and Rob Gibbons

Rating: 10/10

What an episode. Just magical. This one is so great, so funny, and for so many reasons.

Permanent host, John Baskell, has died, leaving Alan giving an “off the cuff” speech in his memory that he’s been rehearsing all day, and even Simon refers to it on television that he was practicing it in the car.

My favorite scene might be when Alan goes over to Simon’s corner and they look at the live tweets coming in in honor of John’s memory, and Alan makes a remark that it looks like an air raid map.

The two of them get carried away with the simile, and Alan laments the 60,000 kids in Norwich when tweets come in from there.

A lot of this episode is Alan so desperately trying to fit in, which is hilarious. He grows uncomfortable when they read tweets suggesting that the show will never be as good without him, causing Alan to repeat it, but swapping in the words “will never be the same.” The same happens when they interview the studio audience.

And of course Sam Chatwin (Simon Farnaby), the show’s longtime guest host, appears, making Alan even more uncomfotable. Sam’s now hosting a history programme, and Alan does his own little history thing on a Norwich battle in the Peasants’ Revolt, which is hysterical.

It’s hysterical for Alan’s awful political comments, as well as for how over the top it is, featuring Alan wearing armor killing people.

And it’s hysterical that Alan keeps reminding people that Sam is the son of a BBC bigshot, which really undercuts Sam’s story about what John Baskell meant to him.

And the episode concludes with some live tweets coming in that accuse John Baskell of sexual misconduct. The camera cuts away from them, but Alan continues to read them, and both Sam and Jennie grow uncomfotable and silent, but Alan keeps goading them into saying something.

It’s honestly perfect.