History Characters / AlanPartridgeRecurring

[[folder: Alan's parents]]

-->'''Michael:''' Me, I'd, I-I-I'd have an, an Apache attack helicopter.
-->'''Alan:''' Oh, great.
-->'''Michael:''' Aye. I'd gan back to school. [[{{Revenge}} But first I'd take out the labs and then I'd type into the attack computer 'Mr Cragg, chemistry teacher'. Blow 'im to bits.]]
-->'''Alan:''' Yeah, I know the feeling.
-->'''Michael:''' And then I'd go looking for Tom Donaldson. I'd be hovering just down the road from his house, there. [[ParanoiaFuel And he'd see us, but I'd duck down behind the trees, and he thinks he's safe, right?]] And he's just about to put the key in his front door, and I come up from behind the hedge, [[PreAsskickingOneLiner 'Hello, you bastard.']] He panics, right? And he goes in the house, so I get the [[{{BFG}} 30-millimetre cannon]] and I take out the fish pond, coy carp in there couple of rounds each, right? And then I just tilt the helicopter over to one side and the [[MoreDakka machine-gun bullets is chewing up the drive, right?]] He comes out. 'Oh no! Not me Triumph Stag! I've just had it resprayed!' I cut it right in half, right? And then he goes, 'Ahhh!' He runs up on to the garage roof. I say, [[PreMortemOneLiner 'Right. This is for you, Tom.']] He goes, [[AintTooProudToBeg 'No, no!' He's begging us, he's begging us man, 'No, please don't!']] [[SuicideMission And then I fly off to Cornwall and I just smash in the sea in a big ball of flames.]]
-->'''Alan:''' ''[Who is looking about as comfortable with this narrative as you'd expect]'' ....sleep well, Michael. Erm, who's Tom Donaldson?
-->'''Michael:''' [[WithFriendsLikeThese Oh, he's just a mate.]]

** The second series of ''This Time'' contains some hints [[spoiler: that he might still be alive.]]

* BewareTheNiceOnes

-->'''Alan''': What a lovely smile. You know, you could have been throwing up all night for all I know, and yet your smile wouldn’t show it. I don’t know, perhaps that’s how you keep your figure.

* TheSlacker

--> '''Dave''' I think you're splidding hairs a little bit there Alan.
--> '''Alan''' Sorry, "splidding"?
--> '''Dave''' Yeah, splidding, you know.
--> '''Alan''' Sorry, it’s difficult to understand you when you say "splidding" Because I know in real life you say “splitting”. It’s interesting the way you substitute a “d” for a “t” when you’re broadcasting. If you ask me, it’s the behaviour of a "dosser".

-->'''Sonja''': Alan, I love you!
-->'''Alan''': (from the other room) Thanks!
* BewareTheSillyOnes
* FunnyForeigner

[[/folder]]

->'''Played By:''' James Lance

* RantInducingSlight: After she orders a drunken Michael to leave Alan's farewell party, Alan says to Ben and Sophie "Don't know what her problem is" and Susan snaps.
-->'''Susan''': '''[[SuddenlyShouting I’ll tell you what my problem is]]!''' Having to listen to your crap for the last six months! You’ve been in this hotel for 182 days, you little shit! Ben, Sophie, I want you on reception. And you! Check out is twelve noon tomorrow!

* AbusiveParents: Alan tries to depict them as this in his memoirs. Reading between the lines and accounting for Alan's status as UnreliableNarrator and [[NoSympathyForGrudgeholders tendency to hold disproportionate grudges for minor slights]] suggests that they were probably quite average, if a bit indifferent towards him.

* SympatheticAdulterer: Although Alan himself doesn't view it this way (for obvious and fairly valid reasons, to be entirely fair to him), it's heavily implied. At the very least, one doesn't have to observe Alan for long to realise that being married to him probably wasn't a tremendously happy experience. Certainly, the fact that it is frequently made clear that Carol is much closer to their children than Alan and more involved in their lives despite apparently being the wrongful party in the end of their marriage is very telling.

* NoodleIncident: The except circumstances under which Mrs Partridge met her end are glossed over by Alan, but the details which he does provide suggest some incredibly lurid circumstances, apparently involving some kind of sexual mishap.

The people who brought Alan into the world. Alan tends to discuss them as abusive monsters whenever they are brought up, and as they are both deceased this makes them conveniently unavailable to defend themselves.

* AmbiguouslyGay: As we've never met her it's never been confirmed for sure, but the hints that Alan has given us about Denise heavily imply that she's a lesbian, and that Alan's response to this is a key reason why there's tension between them. It is, of course, also possible that she's ''not'', but Alan has simply reached this conclusion due to his typically blinkered views of female empowerment, creativity and sexuality.

* StrawFeminist: Played with; as with AmbiguouslyGay the hints Alan has given us about Denise suggest that she has strong feminist views, which he mangles into something like this. Adjusting for his obviously skewed and unreliable perspective, however, suggests that she's probably just not interested in putting up with Alan's sexist, misogynistic bullshit.

* AmbiguouslyGay: As we've never met her it's never been confirmed for sure, but the hints that Alan has given us about Denise heavily imply that she's a lesbian, and that Alan's response to this is a key reason why there's tension between them.

* AmbiguouslyGay: As we've never met her it's never been confirmed for sure, but the hints that Alan has given us about Denise heavily imply that she's a lesbian, and that this is a key reason why there's tension between them.
* StrawFeminist: Played with; as with AmbiguouslyGay the hints Alan has given us about Denise suggest that she has strong feminist views, which he mangles into portraying her as something like this. Adjusting for his obviously skewed and unreliable perspective, however, suggests that she's probably just not interested in putting up with Alan's sexist, misogynistic bullshit.

!Alan's "Friends"

[[folder:Simon]]
!!"Sidekick" Simon Denton
->'''Portrayed By:''' Tim Key

A former lab assistant whom Alan hired onto North Norfolk Digital to deliver hackneyed comedy and endure abuse.

* ButtMonkey: It's his official role to endure awful things, often by Alan's hand. Alan did hire him, but working for Alan is no picnic. Alan bullies him off-air and on (physically too, as revealed in ''Nomad''), steals his best jokes, is constantly watching him for the slightest of mistakes, briefly fires him completely for an ill-advised prank and views any kind of potential career advancement that doesn't involve Simon as a betrayal deserving of harsh retribution. Then comes the hostage situation where he gets clobbered by Alan, then spends a whole night with a shotgun to his head.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Simon is adopted, and occasionally tries to talk about his search for his birth mother, subsequent rejection and how he grapples with that. It sounds like an interesting drama, but Alan is quick to cut Simon off when this topic surfaces.
* HiddenDepths: Simon is much more socially adept than Alan, and there are hints about his self-awareness and intelligence via some SilentSnarker tendencies. Of course, Alan does everything he can to quash his potential.
** It's also hinted that he could have some potential as a broadcaster if he could just get away from Alan, which Alan is aware of and displeased by. At one point on ''This Time'' he introduces a segment and comes across as very self assured and charismatic. Naturally, Alan is not happy.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Even Alan is taken aback when he makes one insensitive snipe too many and a hungover, heartsick Simon barks, "Back off!" abruptly, on-air.
* PluckyComicRelief: Alan tries to use him as this in-universe.
* SilentSnarker: He usually knows better than to say anything outwardly, but he'll sometimes be seen reacting with disbelief at Alan's antics.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite Alan's constant bullying, they are mostly on the same side and Alan does care about Simon and doesn't abandon him when the BBC give him another chance.

[[folder:Michael]]
!!Michael
->'''Played By:''' Simon Greenall

An all-purpose worker at the Linton Travel Tavern, Michael speaks with a heavy Geordie accent, which Alan barely understands (or claims not to) and, being Alan, never fails to demand clarification. Michael is arguably Alan's only friend, and Alan is glad of his presence when he needs to have a heart-to-heart or, more often, inane chat; their friendship is clearly not on an even basis, however, as Michael only ever refers to Alan as 'Mr. Partridge' and Alan clearly regards Michael with a great deal of disdain. Michael is almost as desperate and neurotic a character as Alan, and is very emotionally disturbed (shown most clearly when Alan looks out of his room window to see Michael tearing at his hair in a state of some distress).

Michael frequently tells stories of his time in the British army, to the delight of Alan, especially if they are of a salacious or violent nature. During a period of military placement in the Philippines, Michael married a Filipino woman, and the two moved back to Michael's native Newcastle upon Tyne. However, his wife left him and now lives with his brother in Sunderland, possibly shedding light on the origins of Michael's neuroticism.

* SympatheticAdulterer: Although Alan himself doesn't view it this way (for obvious reasons, to be entirely fair to him), it's heavily implied. At the very least, one doesn't have to observe Alan for long to realise that being married to him probably wasn't a tremendously happy experience.

** At one point on ''This Time'' he introduces a segment and comes across as very self assured and charismatic. Naturally, Alan is not happy.

* SmugSnake: As with Sophie, Ben

-->'''Alan:''' ....sleep well, Michael. Erm, who's Tom Donaldson?

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Although Alan doesn't view him as such, he tries to let Alan go as gently as he can and shows a lot of patience as Alan desperately pitches increasingly terrible ideas for programs, until in the end he has no choice but to put his foot down.

!Other Characters

[[folder:Hayers]]
!!Tony Hayers
->'''Portrayed By:''' David Scheider

->''"Tony Hayers... I tell you Sophie, you’ve not witnessed pure evil until you’ve looked into the eyes of a man who’s just cancelled your second series."''
-->--'''Alan Partridge'''

The Chief Commissioning Editor for BBC Television. He wasn't a huge fan of Alan to begin with, which made Alan punching him with a frozen chicken live on television and then assaulting him with some cheese after being informed his show wasn't going to be recommissioned something of a mistake on Alan's part.

* ButtMonkey: Alan shoves cheese into his face in Series 1 of I'm Alan Partridge, shouting "SMELL MY CHEESE, YOU MOTHER!"
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler:A guest at his funeral notes that he spent his professional life in television, only to die while trying to fix a TV aerial. Alan finds this observation to be very impressive.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint: He's only really a jerkass from Alan's point of view, but nevertheless he does have a point that Alan isn't entitled to TV shows on the BBC, and that the poor quality and lack of success of his work more than justifies the decision not to commission any more from him.
* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:Sue Cook informs Alan over the phone of Hayers' death by falling.]]
* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: [[spoiler:Alan says he'll do this in his book, but then goes on to talk about how pathetic and horrible Tony was, even saying he was overjoyed at his death.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Although Alan doesn't view him as such, he tries to let Alan go as gently as he can and shows a lot of patience as Alan desperately pitches increasingly terrible ideas for programs, until in the end he has no choice but to put his foot down.
* SitcomArchNemesis: To Alan, of course, granted Hayers is often impressively pragmatic until Alan reaches extremes.

[[folder:Dave Clifton]]
!!Dave Clifton/Tom Barrington
->'''Played By:''' Phil Cornwell

Dave is a Radio Norwich DJ who runs the programme right after Alan's "graveyard slot" show. During the handover every morning, Alan always tries to engage in witty banter with Dave, but their chatting fails to disguise the bitter rivalry between them. Dave is an alcoholic and has a driving ban, according to Alan. Much to Alan's surprise and chagrin, Dave is a friend of Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley.