Alan Partridge: Nomad

Alan Partridge Chronology

by Alan Partridge

In ALAN PARTRIDGE: NOMAD, Alan dons his boots, windcheater and scarf and embarks on an odyssey through a place he once knew - it's called Britain - intent on completing a journey of immense personal significance.

Diarising his ramble in the form of a 'journey journal', Alan details the people and places he encounters, ruminates on matters large and small and, on a final leg fraught with danger, becomes - not a man (because he was one to start off with) - but a better, more inspiring example of a man.

This deeply personal book is divided into chapters and has a colour photograph on the front cover. It is deeply personal. Through witty vignettes, heavy essays and nod-inducing pieces of wisdom, Alan shines a light on the nooks of the nation and the crannies of himself, making this a biography that biographs the biographer while also biographing bits of Britain.

Genres: Fiction, Comedy, Humor, Audiobook, Travel, Satire, British Literature

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 20, 2016

About the author

Journalist, presenter, broadcaster, husband, father, vigorous all-rounder – Alan Partridge – a man with a fascinating past and an amazing future. Gregarious and popular, yet Alan’s never happier than when relaxing in his own five-bedroom, south-built house with three acres of land and access to a private stream. But who is this mysterious enigma?

Alan Gordon Partridge is the best – and best-loved – radio presenter in the region. Born into a changing world of rationing, Teddy Boys, apes in space and the launch of ITV, Alan’s broadcasting career began as chief DJ of Radio Smile at St. Luke’s Hospital in Norwich. After replacing Peter Flint as the presenter of Scout About, he entered the top 8 of BBC sports presenters.

But Alan’s big break came with his primetime BBC chat show Knowing Me, Knowing You. Sadly, the show battled against poor scheduling, having been put up against News at Ten, then in its heyday. Due to declining ratings, a single catastrophic hitch (the killing of a guest on air) and the dumbing down of network TV, Alan’s show was cancelled. Not to be dissuaded, he embraced this opportunity to wind up his production company, leave London and fulfil a lifelong ambition to return to his roots in local radio.

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Alan Gordon Partridge is a fictional radio and television presenter portrayed by English comedian Steve Coogan and invented by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring for the BBC Radio 4 programme 'On The Hour.' A parody of both sports commentators and chat show presenters, among others, the character has appeared in two radio series, three television series and numerous TV and radio specials, including appearances on BBC's Comic Relief, which have followed the rise and fall of his career. He returned to television in 'Alan Partridge - Welcome to the Places of My Life,' which aired on Sky Atlantic in June 2012.

Reviews

[Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

There aren't many comic actors who have grown into their characters the way Steve Coogan has grown into Alan Partridge. When Partridge first appeared in On The Hour in 1991, he was a sort of generic parody of sports presenters, mashed increasingly with a nightmarish caricature of Richard Madeley. (Anyone who has met Madeley will be able to tell you that he basically is Alan Partridge.) Then, Steve Coogan was a 26-year-old playing a middle-aged man. Now, he's 52 himself, and has more or less resigned himself to inhabiting the character with alarming verisimilitude.

If you haven't kept up with Partridge since he disappeared from TV screens in 2002, you might have assumed that the occasional book release or the inevitable film were just lazy cash-ins. Actually, they're kind of great. A lot of this seems to be thanks to Rob and Neil Gibbons, the brothers who started writing for the character in 2010 and have worked on all of these projects with Coogan and Armando Iannucci ever since. I reckon the web series from last year, Alan Partridge's Scissored Isle, is one of the best things he's done.

This is the second of his books, and where I, Partridge took on the celebrity autobiography generally, this one is much more focused on describing Alan's intense, personal journey of discovery as he retraces ‘The Footsteps of My Father’, in the futile hope of possibly getting a TV deal out of it. Walks, as he explains, make a good subject for a book, since they're so ruddy personal.

Our walks are as unique as we are—from the pert strut of a Strictly Come Dancer to the no-nonsense galumph of a Tory lady politician.

And basically every page has some perfect sentence like this on it. They hit you with cumulative effect, so that after a few paragraphs you might easily find yourself reduced to tears by a single well-chosen adverb. You could, I suppose, analyse what makes Alan Partridge such a satisfying creation; what I find interesting is the way he lets you laugh at that comfortable, right-of-centre boorishness, while also often being as it were accidentally justified when arguing with some of his leftist adversaries, so that your allegiance can switch abruptly from derision to grudging sympathy within a scene. But analysis seems pointless – better to just skim through some of my updates and remind yourself what all the fuss is about.

[Alex Sarll]

A merciless piss-take of every bullshit 'personal journey' every celeb ever undertook, as Alan undertakes the Footsteps Of My Father TM walk to come to terms with the memory of his late father, and definitely not because he's under the mistaken belief he might get a new TV series out of it (because he's perfectly happy working on North Norfolk Digital's mid-morning slot, OK? He even explains why it's really much better than certain other slots which people might mistakenly consider higher profile). I know some people say you need the audiobooks for these, but really, can't we all inwardly read them in the appropriate Partridge voice? I've somehow missed his previous book, but what really came through for me more here than on TV are the way the character's grounded in multiple layers of deceit - obviously there are the things he knows but refuses to admit to the reader, but then beneath those are the things he genuinely doesn't see, despite their being incredibly obvious to everyone else (though oddly, for me this was least successful in the chapter giving his version of events in the Alpha Papa film, where we've actually seen what went down - it felt like over-egging the pudding somehow, when the rest of the book is so good at making the actual events so clear just by implication). I'd almost say 'poor bastard' if only his ilk weren't running the world.  

He's dead right about Edmonds, mind.

[ReadsSometimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The deeply personal follow-up to Alan Partridge's deeply personal autobiography, I, PARTRIDGE, charting the highs, lows, and mediums of his one-man walking tour around (certain parts of) Britain.

Not much more I can say than 'Pure Genius' If you know Alan Partridge, watched his TV programes, read his books or seen any of his DVD's, you will eat this up very quickly. It is absolutely hilarious. It's not often I laugh out loud when reading a book, but I couldn't stop with this read.

If you don't know, Alan Partridge, you probably wouldn't have a clue what is going on, though. I can't praise this book enough, and the writing is outstanding.

Steve Coogan's character is back at his best! Brilliant - 5*

[Mark Porton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nomad, by Alan Partridge is another hilarious 5-star audio-book.

My usage of TENA pads increased two-fold during this listening. That is no word of a lie, to laugh is one thing – and laugh I did, but to repeatedly guffaw (hard) when you least expect it does wondrous things for one’s capacity to hold onto even the emptiest of bladders.

Here Alan decides to embark on a walking odyssey to honour his late father:

” Lionel Gordon was my father, but some people say father’s stop being your father when they’re dead”

He decides to retrace steps his father took in his younger days in East Anglia, a place where Morris Dancing is fashionable, pedestrianisation of cities like Norwich is a passionate issue and one can walk for miles through verdant fields.

Needless to say, Alan digresses considerably throughout this book, touching on his career, his broken marriage, his habits, his purulent foot (which appears to have developed its own pulse), how good a kisser he is, his pearls of wisdom – the list seems endless.

Steve Coogan, the man behind Alan Partridge is certainly taking the piss out of other like memoirs and travel journals.

This is very, very funny indeed.

One piece of sound advice he offers readers who want to spy, or stalk is:

” Surveillance isn’t easy, though. You’ll need warm clothes, a camera with telephoto lens, two Thermos flasks (one for tea, t’other for wee) and for GOD’s SAKE remember your sandwiches!”

For those of you familiar with the work of Partridge, he does ‘over-share’ and in typical praeteritio style he plummets to great depths of poor taste, over the top open disclosure and unashamed narcissism. We learn about his sex-life (he admits he’s pretty good) and his various hygiene habits. One example that had me literally in hysterics was:

” My bottom is itchy, so I stop in the middle of the landing and scratch it lightly. The fiddling merely tantalises the itch, and it becomes more aggressive. I respond in kind, dragging my fingernails across my fundament in a frenzied jerking motion. With one hand braced against the wall, I’m now grabbing and clawing the angry aperture, slashing and scraping………” ….and so on.

I am elated to have struck a rich vein of Alan Partridge (yes, angry apertures, tongue kissing advice, purulent sores and all), it has really introduced even more happiness into my day, whether it be driving, walking, taking the pup for a stroll or any other time I’m alone – I have a whale of a time with his work.

Highly recommended. But he may be an acquired taste.

5 Stars

Footnote: The cover picture says it all

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I purchased this audiobook I had assumed that Alan Partridge was a real British celebrity, with this the story of his walk through Britain an actual travel narrative. In part, yes, but not that kind of story.

Reminded me a lot of Pooter in the Victorian satire Diary of a Nobody, but while that fellow was an upfront social climber, Partridge assumes he's "made it" with condescension for all. Normally, that would make a character insufferable; here, however, there are moments of self-deprecation. Towards the end, he almost (don't worry, not quite) becomes likeable.

Much of the humor comes from the narrator delivery, so I couldn't see this one succeeding in print at all. Hadn't realized this is actually a sequel, so got the first book for a time when I need guaranteed laughs.

I'm fairly Anglophile, but some of the cultural references still went past me, but I'm confident I inferred the point correctly when that happened. So, don't get concerned if that happens to you as well.

[Anthony Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Partridge, under-appreciated TV chat maestro and King of East Anglian daytime radio, embarks upon a trek from Norwich to Dungeness in the footsteps of his late father, determined to solve the mystery of how he failed to get a job with British Nuclear Fuels. In the course of his increasingly physically demanding sojourn Partridge encounters a cross-section of British society, often intent on cruelly pretending not to recognize a national icon, before reaching his destination and experiencing a spiritual epiphany in no way connected to delirium brought on by an untreated heel wound. Friends (surprisingly few in number) and colleagues said he couldn’t do it but, needless to say, he had the last laugh.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like The Remains of the Day, but hilarious instead of heartbreaking.

I do jest, but, in fairness, authors keep winning Booker Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes, and Nobel Prizes for making effective use of the unreliable narrator technique, so I think someone should tell these prize committees that there’s no narrator more unreliable than good old Alan Partridge. Everything he says has come through a filter in his brain, a filter which consistently obscures the empty chasms of his ego and his omnipresent insecurity from no one but himself. Sometimes, I find myself filled with a sad pity for him, but when that happens it’s never long before he reminds me that he’s a bellend to his core, and I soon start laughing guilt-free once more. You could go all deep and literary on the guy, but that would be ridiculous; instead, here’s an extract to warm the cockles of your heart:

I love Gatwick Airport. Its elegant perimeter road, its state-of-the-art monorail system, its kerosene-stuffed aeroplanes soaring overhead like aluminium eagles. It’s the London airport it’s OK to like.

Stansted, or Stanstead, or Standstead or Standsted as it’s variously known, is an arrogant upstart. City Airport? Full of bankers. London Luton isn’t in London and is barely in Luton; and Heathrow is just an absolute tit of an airport. No, Gatwick is the place to be.

I take a moment to look at the transport hub that surrounds me. I don’t just drink in its beauty, I actually feel like I eat it too. But what’s this? Ah yes, the tell-tale thunder-roar of a plane taking off. At first I struggle to hear myself think, but it’s OK, I just turn up the volume in my mind. And then, almost instinctively, I find myself standing bolt upright, saluting the winged beast above me and yelling up to it at the top of my voice, ‘Good luck, large friend. Take wing and fly. For the skies are yours now and you are free, free to soar and swoop, to glide and gambol across the very face of heaven, until you touch down, weary yet elegant in a land far, far away’. And with that, Ryanair flight 9853 to Cork is gone.

Magnificent. If that doesn’t bring a tear to your eye I don’t know what will.

Although Alan makes some good points concerning Gatwick’s conveniences, I must confess that my heart will always side with Heathrow, even if the quality of its passenger experience is very terminal-dependent (T5>T2>>T4>T3). Heathrow’s approach over Central London onto either 27L or 27R is much more interesting than the exurban Surrey greenery around Gatwick. Furthermore, Heathrow is one of the 3 or 4 most economically important airports in the world: It’s no regional connector hub, like Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, or Schiphol (that’s what Gatwick and Stansted are for); instead, it’s a Global Superconnector with the clout to have it with Dubai International, LAX, or Shanghai Pudong any day of the week, and usually come away with only minor bumps and bruises. It’s probably the single most important airport for long-distance traffic in the whole world. It should be keenly noted by all readers that the top five global routes as ranked according to passenger-kilometres are all out of LHR. (Passenger km’s are calculated by multiplying passenger numbers by the distance between the two airports in question, and for reasons which will become obvious if you give the problem some thought, they are a far more important metric in the aviation industry than pure passenger numbers). In an effort to illustrate my point, I now reveal the global top ten (I only have the 2017 figures to hand because that’s when I last updated my spreadsheet and CBA to update it again — I have an actual job these days):


1) London Heathrow – New York JFK: 16.3 billion
2) London Heathrow – Dubai International: 15.8 billion
3) London Heathrow – Hong Kong International: 15.3 billion
4) London Heathrow – Los Angeles International: 14.1 billion
5) London Heathrow – Singapore Changi: 13.4 billion
6) Los Angeles International – Seoul Incheon: 11.7 billion
7) Los Angeles International – Taipei Taoyuan: 10.9 billion
8) Los Angeles International – Sydney Airport: 10.7 billion
9) Dubai International – Sydney Airport: 9.5 billion
10) Taipei Taoyuan – San Francisco International: 9.4 billion


The above table explains why Heathrow is always so chockablock full of A380’s and 777’s and A350’s and other such heavy-duty-no-messing-about big boys (much more ground shakingly interesting for plane spotting). Also, now that the Elizabeth Line is fully operational, Heathrow has further extended its natural lead over Gatwick in the game of public transportation links.

Anyway, my point is simply that Heathrow is just a much more exciting piece of kit than Gatwick and Alan needs to get this simple fact through his head and stop spreading his malign anti-Heathrow propaganda. QED.

I have become sidetracked. I was originally going to make a point about how one of the things that’s so funny about the Partridge franchise is also the very thing that I wonder will ultimately limit its appeal. His little Englander’s provincialism and his unerring belief that his corner or Norfolk is the only place of note in the whole world could make it all very inaccessible comedy. To get a lot of the jokes in Nomad you need to at least semi-understand the local trivialities of what he’s on about. For instance, if you live in the South East of England the chances are you’ve ridden Gatwick’s “state-of-the-art” monorail system and you’ll know that it’s anything but. Similarly, not being able to spell Stansted, or Stanstead, or Standstead or Standsted is a recurring problem in my life, and a failing that I wasn’t aware other people also suffered from. In mocking Alan’s inward-looking mindset to the extent that it does, Nomad — even more than other things in the Partridge franchise —, ironically, restricts itself, becoming something that I wouldn’t have thought would travel well outside the UK. I suppose readers can always infer the meaning of the cultural references, but I’d have thought there’s something in the direct relatability that really forces out the laughs. But then again, it seems people from further afield find Partridge funny anyway, so maybe I’m just spewing drivel… again.


With that, I mysteriously recede into my corner and leave you with Alan’s thoughts as he watches a homeless man rifle through some bins in the unexotic, industrial town of Gravesend:

Remember, to a no homer bins are like supermarkets. We’re in Gravesend so it’s likely to be more Morrisons than Waitrose, but (and this is lovely writing) beggars literally can’t be choosers.

He’s right. Just absolutely lovely stuff.

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N.B. I’ve gone with 3 stars just because I think that I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan (a solid 4 star book) is probably the slightly stronger of the two: its humour comes a bit more naturally where Nomad sometimes feels like it’s trying to beat you over the head with jokes, plus, it came first, so more marks for originality. But both books will appeal to the same audience.

[Nigeyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Alan Partridge and have enthusiastically followed his various appearances on radio, TV and cinema.

I enjoyed Alan Partridge's first book I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan and so was keen to make another foray into the wonderful world of Partridge.

I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed many a hearty laugh, a lot of chuckles and numerous smiles. Somehow this character always manages to hit the sweet spot and, if anything, as his own career trajectory has declined he has become even funnier.

Alan Partridge has decided to honour the memory of his late father by undertaking a walk "in the footsteps" of his father. This walk is in no way motivated by the possibility of a TV series or any other career boosting publicity. No way, no how.

There are some very funny sections and Alan’s self-aggrandisement, self-delusion, absurdity, pettiness and point-scoring are almost always amusing.

I enjoyed Alan Partridge: Nomad more than the first book. Both books feature Alan revisiting some career "highlights" and this is especially enjoyable for fans to get Alan's spin on past events, in this instance many of the events from the 2013 'Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa' film, including Alan dangling the tantalising possibility of the return of Michael from beyond the grave. I will watch that one with interest.

In short if you like Alan Partridge, you'll enjoy Alan Partridge: Nomad.

4/5

[Kate - The BookSirens Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the series of books, but it’s okay if you haven’t read the first one. However, it is essential that you know Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge character and his quirks to truly understand, appreciate, and enjoy the book. Expect loads and loads of laugh-out-loud moments, some introspection, and an overall fun time reading. I am told the audio version is excellent, and I hope to listen to it in the future. However, the book version works equally well if you can imagine Partridge reading the words in his characteristic style

[Rob Adey · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are... downsides to living in 2017, but being alive at the same time as Partridge is still happening is at least something.

[Lee Peckover · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no surprise to find that one of the nation's most underrated broadcasters has managed to produce another literary classic.

When will the BBC wake up and realise what they're missing?

As far as the book goes, I'd rank it similarly to I, Partridge. The latter, a perfect look at the celebrity autobiography, the former having elements of the same, but with a genuinely Bill Bryson-esque look into Britain.

Where Alan differs from Bill is in his insights into the areas of Britain that Bryson shies away from, the underbelly, and the working classes. Does he say the unsayable? You bet. He's like a travel writing Jeremy Clarkson, but one who actually believes the things he says.

It goes without saying that the picture sections have some lovely details and anyone who likes a good shipping container (who doesn't?) or any serious fans of nuclear power stations are in for a real treat.

Footnote, the hardback is good, but you really should consider listening to the audio version as it gives a clearer view of brand Partridge. Or, why not read the book and listen to the audio book? Believe me, it definitely bears re-reading.

[Chris Steeden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one for any Partridge fan. I must have laughed out loud every five pages. The great thing is you can just visualise Alan as he walks in the footsteps of his father to Dungeness Nuclear Power Station. Alan finds evidence that his father had an interview at the nuclear power station but never made it to the interview. Alan is going to honour his dead father, even though he didn't like him, by walking from Norfolk down to Dungeness.

Like Julia Bradbury, Clare Balding and Michael Portillo before him he will be walking through history and amazing places except Alan does not want any publicity or a TV series about. Right, of course not. I am sure Alan would not veer so far off his route to try and get a programme out of it.

Fantastic stuff. Enjoy.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! I listened to the audio-book of this and would definitely recommend it to fans, Steve Coogan does an awesome job as ever.
Not quite as good as 'I, Partridge' but totally worth your time.
This had me laughing out loud and is worthy addition to the Alan Partridge saga.

[Mark Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice light read. I love AP so I will demolish anything Steve Coogan does with him. The oblivious, cringe humour throughout the book is spot on. Recommended (but only if you know the character - not one for the newbies).

[Michael Legge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shame he dies in the end.

[Lee Prescott · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Partridge, you'll like this. It fades in the last 50 pages, but some classic cringe-worthy phrases in here are Partridge at his best (really his worst).

[Ramon Battershall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh dear, I was really looking forward to this, but it was underwhelming in the extreme. The first problem was that the fundamental concept made little sense. Alan may well traverse a path trod (or rather driven) by his father if he was being filmed doing it, but to walk so far for the purposes of a book seemed somewhat out of character. Another problem with the idea is that his father has gone from being a fairly average nonentity in the first book to being an unpleasant bully in the second, thus undermining the fiction. The first book worked well since it was a satire of the bitter memoirs of a washed up celebrity, but the central idea here is much to flimsy to base an entire book upon.

Moreover, the character's behaviour is now so erratic that it seems unlikely he wouldn't have been sectioned. The fact that Alan always had an underlying current of mental illness served to give him pathos, and even some degree of sympathy, but now he's so erratic it seems doubtful he would be able to work or look after himself at all. Also, he seems to have a ridiculous amount of money to spend for a local radio DJ whose real career ended about 20 years ago. He is also quite nasty now, while he was always somewhat petty and selfish, he was never particularly consciously sadistic, and at many points here, he is simply loathsome. Paradoxically, he is too nice in parts, and it seems unlikely that he'd bother to devise an elaborate ruse to help his long-suffering assistant Lynn after being scammed.

There's a lot of inaccuracies here which also serve to undermine the fiction. While there were a few in the first book, the chronology and geography are noticeably messy here, and there's a lot of gaffes that simply wouldn't have been made by the character. The sneering aspect towards the countryside is a bit tiresome too, mostly relying on ancient stereotypes about inbreeding and the absurd premise that Alan would be unaware that Norwich has now become one of the most liberal/left areas in England.

The satire is scrappy too, half the time Alan's views are being mocked, while the other times Alan seems to be being used as a mouthpiece for the authors' more right-on metropolitan views. Is it really likely that Alan would describe UKIP as 'far-right'? For that matter, there's far too many footnotes that are meant to be a representation of Alan's obsessiveness but soon become a chore to read through. Moreover, the constant references to the publisher as a way of highlighting the underlying satirical purpose are tedious, and would anyway have been deleted by an editor.

Most irritating at all were the references to his missing pal Micheal. While it worked as a joke in the film, to go on and on about it throughout the book got really grating, as were the long discussions about minor characters from the somewhat sub-par film. The running joke of Alan running into celebrities was a bit irritating too, is it really likely to happen randomly so often, and what was the purpose of making minor celebrities most of us have forgotten into such grotesques?

There are still some funny bits, and it wasn't awful, but maybe it is getting near time for both Alan, and the character of Alan, to enjoy a well-deserved retirement.

[Rob Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nomad should have won a Booker Prize
Even after all these years, Alan Partridge is a comedy gift that keeps on giving. Especially, if you listen to the audio book. Its as though Alan is in the room with you. Or perhaps you're listening to Mid Morning Matters? Either way, you'll get six-hours listening to the inner monologue of a petty, immature and deluded man. A man who always tries to ‘get the last laugh’. A man who has a glorious lack of self-awareness.

In Nomad we see Alan deciding to set off on a mission to follow in his father’s footsteps. Its a similar spiritual and metaphorical journey to that of George Orwell in the "Road to Wigan Pier". Sort of. Actually, Alan sees yet another opportunity to get on TV with his ‘journey’. Its also slightly ironic that it takes Alan well over 100 pages to even mention his Dad! Starting at his childhood home in Norwich he'll trek to Dungeness nuclear power station. This is where is father once had a job interview. On the way Alan gives us his opinion on any number of things. For example, celebrities: Noel Edmonds, Gyles Brandreth, Nick Knowles, for instance. Alan has unflattering comments about them all.

Coogan and co-writers Rob and Neil Gibbons really hit the mark with Nomad. Terrible adjectives and ridiculous metaphors. Clumsy use of grammar Awkward sentence formation. Overblown vocabulary. Its all here. And its all hilarious.

A worthy sequel to the excellent 'I, Partridge' and a ruddy stonking read. What's next? Well, I'd encourage Alan to publish those books he's mentioned in passing. "Yachting Mishaps" or even better: 'Bouncing Back'.

[Marc Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Alan Partridge then this will deliver exactly. It's snide, snarky and self-delusional. It mangles metaphors and runs on unable to finish some word association its started. It is blissfully unaware of its own moral failings and petty vindictiveness. It is SATIRE. Only maybe one or two laugh out loud moments (really hard to do from silent reading) and lots of the real sharp stuff is in the footnotes. It's deliberately unedited in places as Mt Partridge mangles grammar and spelling.

If you like the following you'll like the book; if you don't, or find it in bad taste, this book's not for you.

"Now this is an uncomfortable thing to discuss, but I run towards discomfort like a man who has strapped truth explosives to his body and made his peace with god".

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not normally one for audio books but 'Nomad' being read by Coogan as AGP himself is what makes it even funnier. You're probably not going to get it unless you're a Partridge fan, of course, as there are so many references to his backstory. Really had me in fits of giggles at times and definitely an example of quintessential Partridge.

*Footnote* - it's ruddy bloody good.

[Chantelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jurassic Park 👌

[Stephen Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fours days after finishing this and I am still - STILL - laughing at some of the lines. This is peak Partridge, I think. Better than its ever been.

[Thomas Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, if you’re not a fan of Alan Partridge - and amazingly some people aren’t - then you won’t enjoy this book. Give it a miss. But if, like me, you are then this is something you really should read.

The key to the character’s success over the years has been how Coogan has used him across different formats and styles, changing it up with new new show to avoid it all getting stale. The genius of this book, and “I, Partridge” before it, is how it manages to portray events through Alan’s perspective while also making it obvious how it would have played out if you’d been watching it from outside.

The main trait of Alan Partridge is how oblivious he is to him own shortcomings, and how he is able to convince himself that life is working in his favour. It could have been easy to write a book from his perspective that simply told the tale of him somehow doing everything right. But the authors manage to show the reality as well, filtered through the character’s justifications.

And while “I, Partridge” had the benefit of largely describing events fans had seen in previous television shows, here most of the action is brand new. We don’t know how these scene played out to an observer. Yet the narration never obscures both sides of view.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I can’t imagine that reading the book yourself could be better. Steve Coogan’s narration simply adds additional layers that really should be experienced.

[Patrick McClellan · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one was hurt in this book review. Except Michael, who died.

[🐴 🍖]

1st book was a good time but kinda hamstrung by the autobio format -- too often ended up just recounting plot points of the various radio & TV shows. this one strikes an exquisite balance b/w the many a.p.s: monstrously careerist alan; "i'm not owned" alan; prone to oversharing re bodily functions alan; touchingly well-versed on some obscure facet of city planning or mechanics alan. for my $$$, funnier too. truly a man of many part(ridge)s, striding boldly into the future wearing a sock made out of bread 🫡

[e b · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, it's not deathless literature, but I can't imagine that anyone who has enjoyed Partridge in his other media incarnations wouldn't get a big kick out of this. The character's voice is 100% accurate, and I'm happy to report that a book made me laugh out loud - often - for the first time in many years. If you don't know who Partridge is, I can't imagine this tome would make sense in the slightest.

[Jillian Wertzberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good bits all round

[Lily Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t mind me I am hyper-fixating

[Tom Cosgrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

And so ends the surprisingly tasty sandwich formed by Alan Partridge's autobiographies and the brutal wartime novel that is Captain Corelli's Mandolin. The radio presenter stands solemnly either side of his charge - are those tears? - yes, I think he might be crying. [1]

Nomad is like listening to Close to the Edge; I am comfortable knowing I will never escape its influence, nor will I come close to achieving its genius.

[1] Short Burst Underwater Crying.

[Barry Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another tremendous read (well, listen. Audiobook version, innit).

Possibly funnier than the first, but it's a dead heat.