Alan Partridge blames Royal baby for poor turn-out

Fictional DJ Alan Partridge has booed the Royal baby for stealing his thunder as he premiered his new film Alpha Papa.

Comedian Steve Coogan, appearing in character as his comedy creation, arrived in London's Leicester Square in a bright yellow Radio Norwich road bus.

Partridge thanked the crowd for coming and quipped: "There would have been more people, but we got gazumped by Royal baby. Boo!"

The big screen spin-off of the hit TV show sees Partridge called in by police to help negotiate with his colleague Pat Farrell, played by Colm Meaney, who stages a siege after he is sacked from North Norfolk Digital radio station.

Partridge said: "It's a great film. It's not going to win any Oscars, let's be frank, because it's not about the Holocaust or mental illness. But I hope the film reaches out and touches people.

"If it stops one child from sniffing glue or throwing eggs at my car, then it will be a job well done."

Stars of comedy series I'm Alan Partridge Felicity Montagu, who plays his PA Lynn, Simon Greenall, aka Geordie BP garage worker and Phil Cornwell, who plays DJ Dave Clifton, all make an appearance in the film and also appeared on the red carpet.

Other celebrity guests included Alan Carr, Al Murray, Rebecca Front and Rob Brydon.

Alpha Papa earlier had its world premiere in Partridge's hometown of Norwich. The Norfolk screening was the result of a Twitter campaign dubbed Anglia Square Not Leicester Square.

Partridge said: "This is the real premiere. The Norwich thing was just me throwing a bone to the dogs. That was just a tin-pot sideshow, frankly. But they won't mind me saying that because they don't watch national news."

 

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.