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Staff
Glen Ponder
Glen Ponder
Played By: Steve Brown
The front man of Partridge's house-band.
- Butt-Monkey: He was found by Alan in an unsuccessful pub band, where he was often mugged after shows since it was his job to collect change on the floor. From there, it somehow gets worse: Alan fires him, they end up suing and counter-suing each other for years which cripples him financially and forces him to take terrible musician jobs (with arthritic hands) and destroys any joy he once took in his work. And his former band members are still suing him for unpaid royalties.
- Deadpan Snarker: From time to time, when trading barbs with Alan.
- Running Gag: His band's name changes episode-to-episode; Chalet, Debonair, Ferrari, Savoir Faire, Lazarus, Bangkok, Vajazzle and Brandy Snaps.
- Snub by Omission: Alan fires him after it's revealed Glenn held a staff party for everyone besides him.
- Straight Gay: He's only revealed to be gay when he off-handedly mentions having a boyfriend. Of course, this terrifies Alan.
- Then again, his sexual preferences were foreshadowed earlier on, when he said he hadn't seen the dance troupe Hot Pants, but he was looking forward to it when they got in a jacuzzi with Alan. When Hot Pants show up to close the show, they're all male dancers.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: During the show after which Alan fires him live on-air. Glen is still in the band due to contract obligations and some other legal reasons, so they muddle through the episode quite frostily.
- Tempting Fate: While his firing is later found to be legally unenforceable in another episode, considering that Alan was already on edge due to learning that he had been deliberately excluded from Glenn's party with the other guests (on top of the numerous other typical humiliations he'd faced that episode), Glenn was clearly playing with fire when he got a bit cocky and decided to make a joke at the expense of Alan and his "Sports Casual" clothes in response.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: According to Alan's autobiographies at least, the two have made peace over the years.
Guests
Sue Lewis
Sue Lewis
Played By: Rebecca Front
- The Ditz: She doesn't seem to quite grasp the nature of a chat show, at least the banter aspect.
- Nice Girl: Sweet-natured and polite. if a little dull and a bit clueless.
- Shrinking Violet: She appears to be very shy, which is why she was taken aback by Keith Hunt organizing a "This Is Your Life" party in her house.
Keith Hunt
Keith Hunt
Played By: Patrick Marber
- Catchphrase: "Am I right?"
- Phrase Catcher: "You're not wrong!"
- The Heckler: After Alan puts his personal woes onscreen and even insults him over it, Keith, initially quite affable, starts mocking Alan's chat show as more and more disasters occur. He then spearheads the other guests to make their complaints known, only for Alan to interrupt them with profanities every time they speak.
- Hypocrite: It's rather two-faced of him to lose his temper at Alan when he surprises him with his son on the show, given that he surprised Sue Lewis unpleasantly by throwing a party in her house, and showing her off to the camera.
- Jerkass: He becomes very angry at Alan after he surprises him with an appearance from his son on the show. While Alan should have cleared it with him first, Keith is still somewhat to blame for not remembering his own son's birthday. After this incident, Keith becomes increasingly nasty towards Alan (not that Alan doesn't rub salt into the wound as well however).
- Jerkass Has a Point: While Keith should have remembered his son's birthday, even if it's not his fault that he didn't bring a present, it's the way Alan disregards Keith's custody arrangements with his ex-wife that really makes him angry. First, Alan brought Keith's son onto the show on a day when Keith was legally not allowed to have contact with him. Second, Alan bought Keith's son a surprise trip to Disneyland with his mother and her partner, and scheduled it for the next weekend, which is when Keith was supposed to have his son and celebrate his birthday with him. While Alan didn't know all the details of the Hunts' custody arrangement (or that it was bitter enough that Keith's ex-wife would be willing to screw him over in such a way), he did seem to know enough to keep reminding Keith to keep the legally mandated physical distance from his son.
- Mirroring Factions: Probably one of the most vindictive of Alan's guests, and also one of the most similar. Being a semi-famed (and somewhat pushy) entertainer who desperately puts up a cheesy affable facade, but is actually a petty, ill-tempered Manchild embittered by personal woes. They both churn out mannerless shows with unwilling guests (observed by how both mistreat Sue Lewis) and though Alan gloats having a more adjusted family life than Keith, it becomes clear by later appearances his marriage is in tatters and he is even more miserable than he is.
Shona Mcgough
Shona Mcgough
Played By: Doon Mackichan
- Deadpan Snarker: Her response to Alan's "What's up a Scotsman's kilt?" question? "His penis."
- Hypocritical Humor: She's extremely vulgar and rude, but still sides with Keith about Alan treating her band impolitely. She's also left just as indignant when Alan finally mouths off back at her.
- Hypocrite Has a Point: While she is really isn't in any position to call out Alan for bad manners, and should have known her song's content would have gotten it pulled, she isn't wrong that Alan is an unprofessional fool who didn't bother to learn anything about her band or their work (or food tastes) before bringing them onto his show. This would become a recurrance for Alan in later episodes.
- Jabba Table Manners: She grabs one of Alan's display pears, bites it, tosses the rest of the pears to her bandmates, then blows bits of pear out over the floor.
- Large Ham: When her song gets into full swing, she goes No Indoor Voice, and her music rises intensely too.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: An opinionated, somewhat controversial Celtic singer? Shona smacks of Sinéad O'Connor, only she's Scottish, not Irish.
- The Quincy Punk: She's definitely one, judging by her song content and behaviour.
- Straw Vegetarian: She brings up the fact that Alan gave her band ham sandwiches to insult them, because they're vegetarians.
- Stripperiffic: Her outfit is basically a kilt, Stocking Fillers, and a leather bra.
- Violent Glaswegian: Well, she's more abrasive than violent, but her song Sunday Morning is about a put-upon housewife who finally loses her temper and goes on a murder spree.
Gary Barker and Tania Beaumont
Gary Barker and Tania Beaumont
Played By: Patrick Marber and Rebecca Front, respectively
- Awful Wedded Life: It gradually becomes clear that they are not an incredibly happy couple. Gary's an insecure, temperamental jerk with a hot temper who can't get it up, meaning their marriage is unconsummated, and Tanya is incredibly belittling to him and apparently sleeps with anything that moves.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer / Mundane Made Awesome: Despite being a cantankerous Jerkass, Gary is very gifted at fixing printing machines. So Alan asks him to fix his printing machine on stage.
- Cool Shades: Subverted. Gary insists that his sunglasses are cool, and threatens to break Alan's legs if he touches them, but Tania manages to snap them unpunished.
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Gary is a temperamental washed-up actor who smokes.
- Kick the Dog: He's well known for doing callous things to other celebrities- driving a car through Bruce Willis|' window, punching Angela Lansbury, throwing Angela Lansbury's kettle at Whoopi Goldberg|'s cat, setting fire to an Alan Partridge tie and blazer pack...
- The Loins Sleep Tonight: The reason Gary's so temperamental and vindictive.
- Manchild: Tania sometimes treats her husband like a grumpy little boy. Makes sense, considering the above...
- Ms. Fanservice: Tania is a tall, red-haired woman who wears a nice white dress, and is not above appearing in sexually-explicit films.
- Really Gets Around: Tania, according to Alan.
- Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Tania.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Gary is a ruffled, untidy little man with hair that his wife compares to a spider. She, on the other hand, is downright gorgeous.
Tony La Mesmer
Tony LaMesmer
Played By: David Schneider
- Hypno Fool: He hypnotises Alan to behave like an owl, see him as Ursula Andress, and behave like a little monster every time he says "A-ha".
- Knife-Throwing Act: He's in charge of the knife-throwing act at the end of Episode 2, much to Alan's horror.
- Purple Is Powerful: A mystic who wears a purple jacket.
Daniella Forrest
Daniella Forrest
Played By: Minnie Driver
- Lazily Gender-Flipped Name: She was Daniel before she was Daniella.
- Ms. Fanservice: She certainly dresses in an enticing manner, and doesn't mind Alan kissing her on the mouth at the start of the chat. Presumably she was just as attractive as a man, though Alan certainly doesn't think that.
- Statuesque Stunner: Played by the tall and beautiful Minnie Driver.
- "Take That!" Kiss: Gives one to Alan after he finds out she was born a man, which disgusts him. In response to his offensive behavior, she kisses him hard and sarcastically says his catchphrase before departing.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: She assumes Alan has read her book, which he hasn't, and so the reveal is quite casual. Alan finds it very upsetting.
Gina Langland
Gina Langland
Played By: Rebecca Front
- Accidental Misnaming /The Ditz: She repeatedly addresses Alan as "Alec" for some reason, irritating him until he finally spells it out for her.
- The Chanteuse: She's a beautiful singer.
- Ms. Fanservice: Shimmering black dress, bob cut, and with some cleavage and Show Some Leg.
- Ship Tease: She gets to do a very intimate ABBA medley with Alan. It's quite touching, really.
- Thanks for the Mammary: Alan accidentally grabs her breast at one point when they're doing their ABBA dance. Then again, chances are he meant to do that.
Lawrence Knoles
Lawrence Knoles
Played By: Patrick Marber
- Cure Your Gays: What he arranges to ensure that Armored Closet Gay celebrities still come across as appearing heterosexual.
- Dirty Old Man: He's grey-haired, and he promotes smutty literature.
- Nose Nuggets: He picks his nose and eats the contents in private.
- Tranquil Fury: When Alan embarrasses him by bringing his dermatologist on stage carrying a bag full of hair from his back, he calmly threatens to call his lawyer on Alan. Alan is undaunted, until he hears that Lawrence has the same lawyer as Roger Moore, who Alan has already insulted once.
Nina Vanier
Nina Vanier
Played By: Melanie Hudson
- French Jerk: She's snobby and rude to Alan. Sure, Alan is as unprofessional as she claims he is, but he's still trying his best.
- Smart People Wear Glasses
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: With Alan, very frequently.Alan: I'd just like to say, I love your Channel Tunnel. Just don't send us your rabid dogs.
Nina: I also like your country. Just don't send us your mad cows.
Alan: I'd like to point out that our cows probably went mad because your dogs bit them. - Straw Feminist
Phillippe Lambert
Phillippe Lambert
Played By: Patrick Marber
- The Bully: He delights in taunting Alan.
- Deadpan Snarker
- Foreign Cuisine: He cheerfully feeds Alan a vol-au-vent which is actually a bull's testicle. Alan's reaction is appropriate.
- French Cuisine Is Haughty: He's certainly haughty.
- French Jerk: He's a massive food snob and takes an instant dislike to Alan.
- Stealth Insult: Comparing Alan to "what Peter Ustinov is to philosophers"(e.g. nothing at all).
Yvonne Boyd
Yvonne Boyd
Played By: Rebecca Front
- Ms. Fanservice: Her clothes don't exactly leave much open to the imagination.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: She is modelled on Vivienne Westwood, who had made a somewhat infamous appearance on real-life chat show Wogan a few years earlier.
- Oop North: She's from Lancashire.
- Token Minority: Alan's only English guest on his show from Paris.
- True Art Is Angsty: Or, in her case, "True Fashion Is Angsty", since all her outfits are modelled on hospital gear.
- WTH, Costuming Department?: Alan's in-universe opinion of her outfits.
Terry Norton
Terry Norton
Played By: Alan Ford
- Dirty Old Man: He's at least in his late fifties, and he organizes beauty pageants.
- Faux Affably Evil: He seems pretty friendly to Alan when they first start chatting, but when Alan implies that he garrotted a nightclub guard, he starts getting violent and threatening. Then again, what can you expect from an (implied) London Gangster?
- Implied Death Threat: When Alan seems to be implying he killed a man.Terry: Do you want to get involved in this world? Garrotted men outside nightclubs, ammonia on the boat? Do you want to get sucked in, son? I promise you, you'll get sucked in so fast, you'll be spat out the other side!
- London Gangster: He's heavily implied to be one. His enraged denials of murder accusations don't help, either.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He doesn't like women's libbers or gay people.
Charlotte Fraser
Charlotte Fraser
Played By: Rebecca Front
- Hot Teacher: She used to be a teacher, and she's still pretty attractive.
- Only Sane Man: Well, compared to Alan and Lieutenant Colonel Kojak Slaphead III, though she shares this role with Ronald Biggs.
Ronald Biggs
Ronald Biggs
Played By: Felix Dexter
- Only Sane Man: Shares this role with Charlotte Fraser.
- Token Minority: The only political figure in "Partridge Over Britain" who's black.
Adrian Finch
Adrian Finch
Played By: David Schneider
- Baldness Angst: He has receding hair, and he reaches his Rage Breaking Point when Kojak Slaphead III calls attention to it by doing exactly what his surname implies.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Eventually the dithering, balding, shy politician reaches his limit with Kojak Slaphead III and starts attacking him right in the studio, beating him up with his own wig.
- The Ditherer: Why Alan complains about him: he's not quick or snappy enough when delivering points.
- Nerd Glasses: He wears such glasses.
- Precision F-Strike: When he reaches his Rage Breaking Point with Kojack Slaphead III, though his chosen profanities are somewhat awkward.Adrian: You bloody shit! You're a bloody, buggering, shitting BUGGERHEAD!
- Redheads Are Uncool: He has red hair, and Alan certainly thinks he's uncool.
- Strawman Political: Namely because he's not snappy enough when making points.
Lieutenant Colonel Kojak Slaphead III
Lieutenant Colonel Kojak Slaphead III/Martin Dwyer of the Bald Brummies Against The Big Foot Conservatives Party
Played By: Patrick Marber
- Catchphrase: "BALD BRUMMIES!!"
- Fake Nationality: In-universe. He's not a Brummie, he's a Londoner pretending to be a Brummie.
- Gag Nose: A fake one.
- Large Ham: His Brummie accent is over-the-top, and he repeatedly shouts his party's catchphrase whenever he's elated.
- Non-Ironic Clown: He's basically more like a clown than a politician, and his dress reflects this.
- Oop North: Subverted. He's a Londoner pretending to be a Brummie.
- Strawman Political: He doesn't even pretend to have any sensible political goals.
- Troll: He unabashedly interrupts Adrian Finch by saying "slapheads" a lot, and finally drives him to lose his temper(and his seat) by insulting his receding hair. And after Adrian calls him a "bloody, buggering, shitting buggerhead" on TV, he proudly remarks, "I think he's just lost the safest Conservative seat in the country!"
Bridie Mc Mahon
Bridie McMahon
Played By: Rebecca Front
- Amicable Exes: With Wanda Harvey, who she had a relationship with three years ago.
- Everyone Loves Blondes: Wanda certainly did.
- Lipstick Lesbian: There's nothing stereotypically butch about her appearance.
- Oireland: She's Irish, and Alan has fun with the implications of her name being like the Love Interest in a John Wayne film.
Wanda Harvey
Wanda Harvey
Played By: Doon Mackichan
- Awesome Aussie: She's Australian, and she's a lot less odious than Alan.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Like Bridie, there's nothing butch about her.
- Statuesque Stunner: She's certainly taller than Bridie.
Joe Beazley & Cheeky Monkey
Joe Beazley
Played By: John Thomson
- Butt-Monkey: He can't remember his jokes due to Cheeky Monkey repeatedly attacking him.
- The Bus Came Back: He makes a return appearance on This Time With Alan Partridge.
- The Dog Bites Back: When he appears on This Time With Alan Partridge, he uses Cheeky Monkey to throttle Alan. However, after the cameras go off he sincerely offers Alan help with his depression.
- Silly Simian: Defied, hard. Cheeky Monkey does nothing to improve Joe's stand-up.
-
The Woobie: It's not clear if he is really an awful comedian or if he's had a massive attack of stage fright, but either way it's painful to see him so completely blowing his big break.
Forbes Mc Allister
Forbes McAllister
Played By: Patrick Marber
- Accidental Murder: While handling Lord Byron's duelling pistols, Alan actually sets one off, shooting Forbes in the heart and killing him.
- Asshole Victim: One of Alan's most odious guests yet...and ends up shot on air.
- At Least I Admit It: He will in a rather merry tone acknowledge on air he is a contemptuous man who hates every person on the planet indiscriminately, compared to Alan and most other guests who are egotistical frauds with a Never My Fault complex concerning their atrocious behaviour on and off-screen.
- Deadpan Snarker: Whatever his other failings, a dearth of wit is not one of them.
- Hates Everyone Equally: As he openly admits.
- Instant Death Bullet: Alan shoots him through the heart, killing him instantly.
- Jerkass: A miserable, vile, bullying, homophobic man motivated entirely by hate.
- Karmic Death: Shot with the pistols that belonged to a man he hated, which he brought just to spite another man he hated.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: A homophobic, bigoted, woman-hating ogre of a man.
- Reckless Gun Usage: His death comes entirely down to improper gun usage. He brings loaded pistols onto a live television set and hands them out without making it clear just how hair-trigger they are.
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: He has time to bark Be careful with that! before Alan accidentally sets off his pistol and shoots him.
