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Alan was interviewed on Clive Anderson - All Talk which was recorded 20-11-97. This was right about the time I'm Alan Partridge was being broadcast on 麻豆官网首页入口2.
CA听听You were king of the chat shows, you were right up there, what鈥檚 happened to your show?
AP听听I thought I was working at it when chat shows were at their peak, I think I got out while the going was good.
CA听听Some people say that the chat show is dead, maybe it鈥檚 just this one鈥�
AP听听You鈥檙e making a joke there but there is a serious point which is that people fade. You know. Michael Parkinson, where is he now?
CA听听He鈥檚 coming back on I think. Not tonight. He鈥檚 back next year鈥�
AP听听Yeah. (nodding) It鈥檒l bomb.
CA听听What鈥檚 your secret of how to do a good interview?
AP听听I don鈥檛 know, it鈥檚 not an exact science. Not like physics or biology. If, for example, I was interviewing someone like Idi Amin.. A lot of people would think Idi Amin 鈥榖utcher鈥� who murdered a lot of people in Uganda but when you meet him there鈥檚 a whole other side to his character. He鈥檚 tremendously good at Connect Four.
CA听听Right. And you鈥檇 bring that out of him?
AP听听Of course. For example we all know the stories of him putting his wife鈥檚 head in the fridge. Now I鈥檇 obviously want to broach that but I wouldn鈥檛 say 鈥業di, what鈥檚 all this about you putting your wife鈥檚 head in the fridge?鈥� That would be too obtuse. I鈥檇 simply say something like: 鈥業di, have you got any anecdotes about your time when you were the boss of Uganda? I鈥檓 thinking here about fridges?' A nod and a wink.
CA听听Now why did the 麻豆官网首页入口 axe your show? Do you know why?
AP听听Well - (Alan struggles for words) 鈥 had a number of problems. I shot a man dead. I was cleared at a subsequent enquiry. I was found guilty of a minor offence of unlicensed use of a firearm but that鈥� is petty.
CA听听And they held that against you and so you are now on Radio Norwich. Now is that a鈥� Is that a鈥� Are you happy on Radio Norwich? Is it鈥�?
AP听听It鈥檚 always good to finish the sentence, otherwise it鈥檚 just dead air, it鈥檚 dead time.
CA听听Yes. You just looked as though you were going to answer.
AP听听No, I was just waiting for you to finish, I鈥檓 not that, not that rude. Different technique. No, I mean, Radio Norwich is for me鈥� It鈥檚 a very exciting time to be there鈥�
CA听听Why would that be?
AP听听Well because Nick Peacock, who is in charge, do you know him?
CA听听No.
AP听听Nick was in charge of the big revamp there. He was behind the controversial decision to go thrice weekly with Sonia Manion鈥檚 Norfolk Nights.
CA听听Did that work?
AP听听He got a lot of flak but it paid off, it worked.
CA听听Excellent. So you went to him and he put you straight on to鈥�
AP听听I went there and said, you know, Nick, errm, what can I do? And he said do what you like because, err, because he鈥檚 my cousin.
CA听听And you chose the 4.30am to 7.00am slot, the pre-breakfast hour?
AP听听The pre-breakfast hour. Some people call it the graveyard slot and they are people who are bitter because my audience is divided to early morning farmers and late night returning ravers. But I鈥檓 pleased. I mean at one point it looked like, horror of horrors, I was going to be on Radio Ipswich you know, with that bunch of losers. But with Radio Norwich I鈥檓 on an even keel.
CA听听Right, what do you think, as a bit of an outsider now, what do you think of the state of British television?
AP听听There are some presenters who鈥� you know, there鈥檚 a fine line for example between, you know, having a bit of a jape, a bit of a joke, bit of a humorous dig at someone and just being plain rude.
CA听听And where would that line be, do you think?
AP听听Errm. Behind you.
CA听听So what do you think of spoof chat show hosts or pretend ones like Larry Sanders? Very, very funny show the Larry Sanders show. Have you seen that? Very Good.
AP听听I don鈥檛 quite get the joke. (pulls a puzzled face) Hello? Can you explain it please?
CA听听You don鈥檛 see anything of you in that? You didn鈥檛 see the way a talk show is put together in America the way your one might have been put together?
AP听听We weren鈥檛 scared of asking difficult questions; some questions that were, if you like, irrelevant. But we would ask them and we would ask uncomfortable questions which would sometimes lead to people, you know, walking off. I don鈥檛 know if you鈥檝e experienced that?
CA听听Oh yes, yes. I鈥檝e had that just recently but so far I haven鈥檛 killed anyone but I鈥檓 willing to make an exception tonight. Now I say you鈥檙e not on television at the moment but there is a sort of fly on the wall documentary on you at the moment on 麻豆官网首页入口2, Monday nights.
AP听听Yes. I鈥檓 very angry about that because I was misled into thinking they were going to study the life of a chat show [host]鈥� it鈥檚 come out not the way I would have wanted...
CA听听But with your experience on television you would have realised things are bound to go wrong when you agree to a documentary like that鈥�
(Alan looks at his watch. There is an awkward pause. Alan shrugs.)
CA听听But it shows you鈥� isn鈥檛 it your lowest ebb? You鈥檙e staying in a hotel鈥�
AP听听No, Linton Travel Tavern is a very鈥� (The audience laugh at the mention of this and Alan gives them an icy look.) It鈥檚 actually a very, very pleasant place to stay. Not a lot of people know but it has a fantastic carvery.
CA听听Now the other thing that you are perhaps noted for is your fashion sense and your style. Is this something you deliberately work on鈥�?
AP听听I鈥檒l tell you who inspired me to some extent was Ian Woosnam the Welsh golf champion who I saw at Gatwick Airport wearing an ordinary sweater, just like all the other ones, but he turned around and, a lovely touch this, he had seven suede stars on the back, lovely little touch, just sort of elevated him above the airport rabble with their duty free cigarettes and their fat children.
CA听听The other thing the documentary has rather intruded into is your personal, your private life. I wouldn鈥檛 normally go on about that鈥�
AP听听I don鈥檛 like to talk about that.
CA听听No. You don鈥檛. No. But is there any chance of you getting back together with your wife, do you think?
AP听听(feigns confusion) Err.. Did you hear the answer to the question?
CA听听So you don鈥檛 want to talk about that?
AP听听No.
CA听听No. Okay. Fair enough. So what are your plans鈥�
AP听听(Alan cuts in) Basically what happened was my wife, she moved out, well she kicked me out. She鈥檚 living with a fitness instructor. Idiot. But I mean the real focus of my life are my children, Denise and Fernando. Fernando has just left Cambridge. Cambridge University, not the area. He鈥檚 working for the U.N. doing sort of aid relief and wasting his life.
CA听听Not going into broadcasting?
AP听听No. And then Denise, I was worried about her. She was working for the I.C.A. (Institute of Contemporary Arts) doing experiment Action Art. I said to her never mind I.C.A., why not join I.C.I.? I was making a joke. But there was a serious point behind it and I鈥檓 pleased to say now that she鈥檚 doing very well as one of the senior managers for Freeman Hardy Willis.
CA听听Excellent. And being a chat show host, is that gone now? Is that period behind you now? Parky is back.
PA听听Well if it appears behind me I鈥檓 more likely to back into it. But I鈥檇 prefer it in front of me then I can see where I鈥檓 going. I mean I don鈥檛 want to mount a campaign. That would be irresponsible. But if people want to write to their MPs and err.. That鈥檚 up to them.
CA听听Well I鈥檓 sure they鈥檙e inspired to do that now. Thank you for joining us tonight, Alan Partridge.
(crowd cheers)
back to Now and Beyond
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