A new trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux just hit the internet, pleasing fans of comic book movies and absolutely thrilling fans of “slow motion gyrating on staircases” movies. Todd Phillips’ follow-up to 2019’s shockingly successful, billion dollar-earning Joker features several lavish musical numbers involving Lady Gaga, and apparently zero references to Batman, who is presumably still just a small boy in this increasingly confusing universe.
One intriguing detail in the trailer: Steve Coogan is in it! The British comedy star can briefly be seen in some kind of an interrogation room, along with Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, sandwiched between two TV cameras.
When he appeared in the earlier teaser trailer, U.K. fans were shocked by Coogan’s presence, with some likening it to a “jump scare” and others claiming that they were “completely taken out” of the world of the movie when Coogan showed up. Although the best...
One intriguing detail in the trailer: Steve Coogan is in it! The British comedy star can briefly be seen in some kind of an interrogation room, along with Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, sandwiched between two TV cameras.
When he appeared in the earlier teaser trailer, U.K. fans were shocked by Coogan’s presence, with some likening it to a “jump scare” and others claiming that they were “completely taken out” of the world of the movie when Coogan showed up. Although the best...
- 7/23/2024
- Cracked
Now that the Walt Disney Company and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have become frenemies, things are looking good for the $17B improvement plan! Could this be the start of a fifth gate?
Orlando Sentinel reports that Reedy Creek’s replacement board has given Disney the good word that the development plan will probably be approved. However, it won’t be until June 12 that the board will make its final vote.
“A week is a long time in politics,” to quote Chris Morris from The Day Today. We must remember that the legal tension between Disney, DeSantis, and the relatively new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is still very much there. It could take one misstep to set this entire thing back.
If all goes well, there’s a good chance that a portion of that $17 billion could finally deliver a new park to compete with Universal’s rapidly approaching Epic Universe.
Orlando Sentinel reports that Reedy Creek’s replacement board has given Disney the good word that the development plan will probably be approved. However, it won’t be until June 12 that the board will make its final vote.
“A week is a long time in politics,” to quote Chris Morris from The Day Today. We must remember that the legal tension between Disney, DeSantis, and the relatively new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is still very much there. It could take one misstep to set this entire thing back.
If all goes well, there’s a good chance that a portion of that $17 billion could finally deliver a new park to compete with Universal’s rapidly approaching Epic Universe.
- 6/6/2024
- by Mike Phalin
- Pirates & Princesses
Steve Coogan is reprising his iconic role of Alan Partridge for new spoof documentary And Did Those Feet… Here are the details.
The BBC has announced a new Alan Partridge series, which will take the form of a spoof documentary called And Did Those Feet… With Alan Partridge. It’s once again written by Steve Coogan and brothers Neil and Rob Gibbons, with the latter also directing. The official description of the series reads as follows:
In his new documentary series – And Did Those Feet… With Alan Partridge – we follow the beloved and, to be fair, revered broadcaster as he reintegrates into life in Britain after a year working in Saudi Arabia. But what begins as a documentary about homecoming soon morphs into something more personal as Alan realises that the happiness he thought he’d feel at being back in Norwich just hasn’t materialised. Something’s missing.
We...
The BBC has announced a new Alan Partridge series, which will take the form of a spoof documentary called And Did Those Feet… With Alan Partridge. It’s once again written by Steve Coogan and brothers Neil and Rob Gibbons, with the latter also directing. The official description of the series reads as follows:
In his new documentary series – And Did Those Feet… With Alan Partridge – we follow the beloved and, to be fair, revered broadcaster as he reintegrates into life in Britain after a year working in Saudi Arabia. But what begins as a documentary about homecoming soon morphs into something more personal as Alan realises that the happiness he thought he’d feel at being back in Norwich just hasn’t materialised. Something’s missing.
We...
- 2/6/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
The Day Today was making Fake News its business long before it was even a twinkle in Donald Trump’s eye. Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris’ TV translation of their On the Hour BBC Radio 4 series parodied the gravely serious, scare-mongering, hyperbolic news style of the early 1990s with absurd, nonsensical headlines: “Portillo’s teeth removed to boost Pound. Exploded cardinal preaches sermon from fish tank. And where now for man raised by puffins?”
With a comedy team including Steve Coogan (who road-tested Alan Partridge on TV for the first time here), Rebecca Front, David Schneider and Doon Mackichan, the show didn’t aim to hoodwink its audience or even the public figures in the news, the target was the news itself. And if speaking truth to power is the essence of good satire, then the target doesn’t come much more powerful than the media, and satires don...
With a comedy team including Steve Coogan (who road-tested Alan Partridge on TV for the first time here), Rebecca Front, David Schneider and Doon Mackichan, the show didn’t aim to hoodwink its audience or even the public figures in the news, the target was the news itself. And if speaking truth to power is the essence of good satire, then the target doesn’t come much more powerful than the media, and satires don...
- 1/22/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
From local radio to TV and cinema stardom, and back again, there are many mysteries to this entertainment giant. Here’s your chance to solve them
For someone who hates the Guardian – “If you get the Guardian, you get a free bottle of water.” “Yes, but you also get the Guardian” – Alan Partridge has featured quite extensively in these pages. In 2013, he told us how he became a national treasure; three years later he called Noel Edmonds “a total wazzock”. In 2020, he invited us to his oasthouse and in 2022, he endured being interviewed by Steve Coogan
Now it’s your turn. In a career that’s spanned decades, Partridge has embraced almost all media, and that’s perhaps what makes him so uniquely versatile. He’s done radio: first on Radio 4’s On the Hour, then returning in 2010 to present Mid Morning Matters on North Norfolk Digital. He’s done...
For someone who hates the Guardian – “If you get the Guardian, you get a free bottle of water.” “Yes, but you also get the Guardian” – Alan Partridge has featured quite extensively in these pages. In 2013, he told us how he became a national treasure; three years later he called Noel Edmonds “a total wazzock”. In 2020, he invited us to his oasthouse and in 2022, he endured being interviewed by Steve Coogan
Now it’s your turn. In a career that’s spanned decades, Partridge has embraced almost all media, and that’s perhaps what makes him so uniquely versatile. He’s done radio: first on Radio 4’s On the Hour, then returning in 2010 to present Mid Morning Matters on North Norfolk Digital. He’s done...
- 9/28/2023
- by Rich Pelley
- The Guardian - Film News
Armando Iannucci and Steve Coogan will collaborate once again for a stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. The play is set to premiere at London’s Noel Coward Theatre on October 8th, 2024.
Marking the first-ever adaptation of a Kubrick film, Iannucci is teaming with Sean Foley, who will co-direct the production. Like Peter Sellers did in the 1964 movie, Coogan will portray multiple roles in the play. Known in full as Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Kubrick’s Cold War satire follows an Air Force general who orders a preemptive nuclear attack on the Soviet Union.
Sellers played three roles in the film: Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, fictional President Merkin Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove, the former Nazi who serves as Muffley’s scientific advisor. Both Sellers and Kubrick were nominated for Academy Awards for the landmark black comedy.
Iannucci’s take...
Marking the first-ever adaptation of a Kubrick film, Iannucci is teaming with Sean Foley, who will co-direct the production. Like Peter Sellers did in the 1964 movie, Coogan will portray multiple roles in the play. Known in full as Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Kubrick’s Cold War satire follows an Air Force general who orders a preemptive nuclear attack on the Soviet Union.
Sellers played three roles in the film: Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, fictional President Merkin Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove, the former Nazi who serves as Muffley’s scientific advisor. Both Sellers and Kubrick were nominated for Academy Awards for the landmark black comedy.
Iannucci’s take...
- 9/27/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Film News
This list applies to UK streaming services
If you’ve had a tough day and need a laugh, this list’ll see you right. These are the British big guns. Big comedy guns, firing… laughter-bullets! Ak-47s of mirth, spraying chuckles through… look, yes, okay, that’s terrible. A stop to that. Agreed. We’re all just trying to do our best here.
Helping us to keep a grip when the world seems a scary place are these excellent British comedies, all available to stream on the UK’s various platforms. Find a bunch of comforting and familiar favourites and some newer arrivals below.
We’ll keep this list updated as shows enter and exit the streaming catalogues. Parents may also like a look at our best kids’ TV streaming recommendations, while here are our picks of the best British TV dramas to stream in the UK.
After Life
Ricky Gervais...
If you’ve had a tough day and need a laugh, this list’ll see you right. These are the British big guns. Big comedy guns, firing… laughter-bullets! Ak-47s of mirth, spraying chuckles through… look, yes, okay, that’s terrible. A stop to that. Agreed. We’re all just trying to do our best here.
Helping us to keep a grip when the world seems a scary place are these excellent British comedies, all available to stream on the UK’s various platforms. Find a bunch of comforting and familiar favourites and some newer arrivals below.
We’ll keep this list updated as shows enter and exit the streaming catalogues. Parents may also like a look at our best kids’ TV streaming recommendations, while here are our picks of the best British TV dramas to stream in the UK.
After Life
Ricky Gervais...
- 3/6/2023
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Since the American remake of “The Office” hit small screens in 2005, its fabricated documentary style –– often referred to as the mockumentary format–– became a sensation in the United States. With both “Abbott Elementary” and “What We Do in the Shadows” nominated for Best Comedy Series this season, it’s clear that the mockumentary subgenre continues to find favor among Television Academy voters and general viewers alike. But what are the roots of the mockumentary, and what success has the relatively recent sitcom phenomenon had at the Emmys up to this point?
Precursors to the mockumentary format –– which refers to documentary-style filmmaking in comedic media, specifically –– can be found as early as the 1930s, with the Luis Buñuel film “Land Without Bread” documenting a real-life region in Spain, utilizing hyperbole in its narration to satirize the living conditions of the impoverished people of Las Hurdes, contrasting the narrator’s uninterested manner of speaking.
Precursors to the mockumentary format –– which refers to documentary-style filmmaking in comedic media, specifically –– can be found as early as the 1930s, with the Luis Buñuel film “Land Without Bread” documenting a real-life region in Spain, utilizing hyperbole in its narration to satirize the living conditions of the impoverished people of Las Hurdes, contrasting the narrator’s uninterested manner of speaking.
- 8/18/2022
- by Sebastian Ochoa Mendoza
- Gold Derby
Samuel Theis’ “Softie” won the top prize at the 62nd Thessaloniki Film Festival, which wrapped Sunday night with a ceremony in Greece’s second city.
The film, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week section, was awarded the Golden Alexander and a €10,000 cash prize by a jury comprised of writer-director Nanouk Leopold, sound designer Roland Vajs and actor Michelle Valley.
The Special Jury Award was given to “Clara Sola,” by Natalie Álvarez Mesén, while the Special Jury Award for best director went to Lorenzo Vigas for “The Box.”
The award for best actress went to Sofia Kokkali for her performance in “Moon, 66 Questions,” by director Jacqueline Lentzou. Aliocha Reinert won the prize for best actor for his role in Golden Alexander winner “Softie.” The award for best screenplay went to Laurynas Bareiša for his film “Pilgrims,” while a special mention was given to Alexandre Koberidze for “What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?...
The film, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week section, was awarded the Golden Alexander and a €10,000 cash prize by a jury comprised of writer-director Nanouk Leopold, sound designer Roland Vajs and actor Michelle Valley.
The Special Jury Award was given to “Clara Sola,” by Natalie Álvarez Mesén, while the Special Jury Award for best director went to Lorenzo Vigas for “The Box.”
The award for best actress went to Sofia Kokkali for her performance in “Moon, 66 Questions,” by director Jacqueline Lentzou. Aliocha Reinert won the prize for best actor for his role in Golden Alexander winner “Softie.” The award for best screenplay went to Laurynas Bareiša for his film “Pilgrims,” while a special mention was given to Alexandre Koberidze for “What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?...
- 11/14/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
BBC One has announced that Steve Coogan has joined the cast of “The Reckoning,” an upcoming drama miniseries about the dark legacy of Jimmy Savile, the English television personality known for hosting “Top of the Pops.”
Written by Neil McKay, “The Reckoning” will tell the story of Savile’s life from his childhood to after his death in 2011, when he was ultimately found to have abused more than 500 children.
People accused Savile of sexually assaulting children during his career, but Savile denied these allegations and they received little publicity. According to the BBC, the team behind the series is working closely with several of Savile’s victims.
Savile’s working class background, including teen years spent in working in coal mines, made him a galvanizing figure as he rose to fame. He became a DJ after sustaining a major spinal injury in the coal mines, first playing in dance halls,...
Written by Neil McKay, “The Reckoning” will tell the story of Savile’s life from his childhood to after his death in 2011, when he was ultimately found to have abused more than 500 children.
People accused Savile of sexually assaulting children during his career, but Savile denied these allegations and they received little publicity. According to the BBC, the team behind the series is working closely with several of Savile’s victims.
Savile’s working class background, including teen years spent in working in coal mines, made him a galvanizing figure as he rose to fame. He became a DJ after sustaining a major spinal injury in the coal mines, first playing in dance halls,...
- 9/26/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
One of the world premières this year at the International Film Festival Rotterdam was Maxence Stamatiadis' The Day Today (original title Au Jour d'Aujourd'Hui), an intriguing little science fiction film which starts slow, but manages to elegantly get some points across regarding grief and memories. The film starts in 2013 and shows Suzanne and Edouard, an elderly couple living in France. Trying to keep up with the times, both dabble in the new technologies. Suzanne plays with mobile phones and social networks, Edouard plays violent videogames and writes online essays in which he shares some Very dark thoughts. Then, one day, Edouard dies. The film fast forwards to 2024, where Suzanne, now almost 90 years old, pines away in loneliness and memories. Then, an online...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/21/2021
- Screen Anarchy
In today’s Global Bulletin, Steve Coogan takes Alan Partridge on the road; Another Screen offers a free, month-long selection of films from Palestinian women filmmakers; Spain gets a “Temptation Island” spinoff show; the Gulf Cooperation Council launches a campaign to bring audiences back to the cinema post-covid; Vis makes its first reality format deal in the Nordics with Svt; and ITV appoints Kunal Shah as sales director for South Asia.
Theater
Steve Coogan is bringing his most famous character to the stage in “Stratagem With Alan Partridge,” a new live show set to tour the U.K. and Ireland in the Spring of 2022. Tickets for the tour go on sale this Saturday.
With a Ted Talk-style head-mic, perfectly quaffed hair and a love-hate-able shtick that has tickled British audiences for decades, Alan Partridge will bring his unique brand of motivational speaking to audiences in a show produced by Phil...
Theater
Steve Coogan is bringing his most famous character to the stage in “Stratagem With Alan Partridge,” a new live show set to tour the U.K. and Ireland in the Spring of 2022. Tickets for the tour go on sale this Saturday.
With a Ted Talk-style head-mic, perfectly quaffed hair and a love-hate-able shtick that has tickled British audiences for decades, Alan Partridge will bring his unique brand of motivational speaking to audiences in a show produced by Phil...
- 5/26/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
“Anchors, rigging, shackles,” lists Katy Wix down the phone, “poop deck, wheelhouse, three sheets to the wind…” The comedian and writer has had a productive year. Filming wrapped on Ghosts series two just as UK lockdown began. Since then, she’s finished one book – Delicacy: A Memoir – due out next April, is pitching another, writing a TV show, and thanks to a new-found obsession with Netflix yacht-based reality show Below Deck, has also managed to acquire an enviable grasp of nautical terminology.
Wix is an established UK comic actor, with credits across the board, starting with cult hit Time Trumpet and going mainstream as witless, lovable Daisy in BBC mega-sitcom Not Going Out. She’s currently part of Channel 4’s Stath Lets Flats, the hottest comedy around, fresh from multiple Bafta wins. She plays Fergie in royal satire The Windsors, and was among the comedian-contestants in series nine of Taskmaster.
Wix is an established UK comic actor, with credits across the board, starting with cult hit Time Trumpet and going mainstream as witless, lovable Daisy in BBC mega-sitcom Not Going Out. She’s currently part of Channel 4’s Stath Lets Flats, the hottest comedy around, fresh from multiple Bafta wins. She plays Fergie in royal satire The Windsors, and was among the comedian-contestants in series nine of Taskmaster.
- 9/18/2020
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Rosie Knight Jan 18, 2020
HBO's sci-fi comedy Avenue 5 has a commitment to diversity both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.
Over his decades long career Armando Iannucci has crafted a catalog of incisive, biting, and often crude satire. From the scarily prescient takedown of salacious news coverage, The Day Today, all the way to the British political comedy in The Thick of It and its multi-award winning American reimagining Veep, Iannucci has been at the forefront of making scathing satire hilariously funny. His newest project, Avenue 5, takes his caustic brand of humor and propels it into the future where a sterling cast of character actors led by Hugh Laurie (House) and Lenora Crichlow (Being Human) have to deal with an interstellar disaster that leaves them stranded in space on board a massive, luxury galactic cruise liner.
Though at first the slow burn series might not...
HBO's sci-fi comedy Avenue 5 has a commitment to diversity both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.
Over his decades long career Armando Iannucci has crafted a catalog of incisive, biting, and often crude satire. From the scarily prescient takedown of salacious news coverage, The Day Today, all the way to the British political comedy in The Thick of It and its multi-award winning American reimagining Veep, Iannucci has been at the forefront of making scathing satire hilariously funny. His newest project, Avenue 5, takes his caustic brand of humor and propels it into the future where a sterling cast of character actors led by Hugh Laurie (House) and Lenora Crichlow (Being Human) have to deal with an interstellar disaster that leaves them stranded in space on board a massive, luxury galactic cruise liner.
Though at first the slow burn series might not...
- 1/18/2020
- Den of Geek
Further new openers include Lionsgate’s ‘Farming’, eOne’s ‘The Day Shall Come’.
Two contrasting titles are among the new openers at the UK box office this weekend, as Universal’s animated comedy Abominable goes up against Paramount’s Will Smith action drama Gemini Man.
However the new openers will have to score strongly to knock Warner Bros’ Joker from top spot, which scored a huge £12.6m debut last weekend.
Abominable is a DreamWorks Animation production, about a magical Yeti in Shanghai on a quest to reunite with his family on Mount Everest. Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai and Tenzing Norgay Trainor lead the voice cast.
Two contrasting titles are among the new openers at the UK box office this weekend, as Universal’s animated comedy Abominable goes up against Paramount’s Will Smith action drama Gemini Man.
However the new openers will have to score strongly to knock Warner Bros’ Joker from top spot, which scored a huge £12.6m debut last weekend.
Abominable is a DreamWorks Animation production, about a magical Yeti in Shanghai on a quest to reunite with his family on Mount Everest. Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai and Tenzing Norgay Trainor lead the voice cast.
- 10/11/2019
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Years before the term “cancel culture” took off and before comedians faced comeuppance for offensive tweets, Chris Morris was deemed “the most hated man in Britain.” Needless to say, he’s well-positioned to dig into these sensitive times — and, unlike many comedians, he’s sympathetic to them.
Morris has been pushing buttons his whole career, and he knows a thing or two about the distinction between good satire and offensive jokes. “It sounds like you’re surrounded by rulebooks, but I think this is all intuitive,” he said in a recent interview. It was a few days after “SNL” fired new cast member Shane Gillis over his racist comments in a podcast, and while Morris declined to comment on Gillis’ specific comments, the veteran writer-turned-director had plenty of insight into the best practices for crafting edgy comedy.
Morris scored the “hated man” moniker almost 20 years ago, after his 2001 TV satire “Brass Eye,...
Morris has been pushing buttons his whole career, and he knows a thing or two about the distinction between good satire and offensive jokes. “It sounds like you’re surrounded by rulebooks, but I think this is all intuitive,” he said in a recent interview. It was a few days after “SNL” fired new cast member Shane Gillis over his racist comments in a podcast, and while Morris declined to comment on Gillis’ specific comments, the veteran writer-turned-director had plenty of insight into the best practices for crafting edgy comedy.
Morris scored the “hated man” moniker almost 20 years ago, after his 2001 TV satire “Brass Eye,...
- 9/24/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The mysterious writer-director travels to Miami for a short but sharp comedy about an idealistic preacher targeted by the FBI
In the nine years since the release of Four Lions, Chris Morris’s incendiary feature film debut, his absence from both big and small screens has felt like an ill-timed loss. As a director, he’s taken on a handful of Veep episodes but as a writer, he’s starved us of new material which, for anyone familiar with his long and storied career, has been a tough blow. Because throughout his work, from The Day Today to Brass Eye to Nathan Barley, he’s perfected a brand of cultural and political commentary that’s both uniquely incisive and uniquely silly and given the world’s increasingly expedited scramble to the bottom, his outlook is needed now more than ever.
Related: The Beach Bum review – Matthew McConaughey lands the role of a lifetime
Continue reading.
In the nine years since the release of Four Lions, Chris Morris’s incendiary feature film debut, his absence from both big and small screens has felt like an ill-timed loss. As a director, he’s taken on a handful of Veep episodes but as a writer, he’s starved us of new material which, for anyone familiar with his long and storied career, has been a tough blow. Because throughout his work, from The Day Today to Brass Eye to Nathan Barley, he’s perfected a brand of cultural and political commentary that’s both uniquely incisive and uniquely silly and given the world’s increasingly expedited scramble to the bottom, his outlook is needed now more than ever.
Related: The Beach Bum review – Matthew McConaughey lands the role of a lifetime
Continue reading.
- 3/12/2019
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Anybody who discusses satire in audio-visual media at some point must mention the work of Armando Iannucci. Creator of TV’s The Thick Of It and Veep, with credits that include The Day Today and Alan Partridge, his work is some of the finest in Comedy. And in 2009, Iannucci made his big screen full feature directorial debut with The Thick Of It spin-off In The Loop (one of the best comedies of our times) and now, Iannucci casts his eye to even darker – and even more volatile – political territory with The Death of Stalin.
As concepts go, this film has a pitch black core, as it not only delves into a figure whose actions have reverberated throughout socio-political history but in looking at the events surrounding his death in 1953 and the power struggles within the Soviet Union, it is a brazen era, to say the least, in which to set a Comedy.
As concepts go, this film has a pitch black core, as it not only delves into a figure whose actions have reverberated throughout socio-political history but in looking at the events surrounding his death in 1953 and the power struggles within the Soviet Union, it is a brazen era, to say the least, in which to set a Comedy.
- 11/4/2017
- by Jack Bottomley
- The Cultural Post
Rob Leane Oct 19, 2017
We said hello to Jason Isaacs, before chatting about The Death Of Stalin and Star Trek: Discovery...
Jason Isaacs has been on our screens a lot of late. The former Lucius Malfoy actor is currently gracing online streaming services around the globe as Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery, and his hilarious turn as General Zhukov in The Death Of Stalin will be lighting up a cinema near you very soon.
See related Gunpowder: air date announced for Kit Harington's new show Game Of Thrones: the things Jon Snow does know 26 new TV shows to watch in 2017
As part of his promotional tour for the aforementioned Russian romp – which has satirical mastermind Armando Iannucci (Alan Partridge, The Thick Of It, Veep) at its helm – Isaacs sat with us for twenty minutes in a swanky London hotel to have a ruddy good chat.
As I shuffled in and sat down,...
We said hello to Jason Isaacs, before chatting about The Death Of Stalin and Star Trek: Discovery...
Jason Isaacs has been on our screens a lot of late. The former Lucius Malfoy actor is currently gracing online streaming services around the globe as Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery, and his hilarious turn as General Zhukov in The Death Of Stalin will be lighting up a cinema near you very soon.
See related Gunpowder: air date announced for Kit Harington's new show Game Of Thrones: the things Jon Snow does know 26 new TV shows to watch in 2017
As part of his promotional tour for the aforementioned Russian romp – which has satirical mastermind Armando Iannucci (Alan Partridge, The Thick Of It, Veep) at its helm – Isaacs sat with us for twenty minutes in a swanky London hotel to have a ruddy good chat.
As I shuffled in and sat down,...
- 10/18/2017
- Den of Geek
There are few talents we need in the world right now as much as Armando Iannucci. The Scottish writer and director has been a familiar comedy face in the UK for a long time (helping to create the seminal “The Day Today,” which launched the careers of Chris Morris and Steve Coogan), but he really broke through in the U.S. with his political sitcom “The Thick Of It,” the Oscar-nominated film spin-off “In The Loop,” and the America-set spiritual sequel “Veep.”
All three share qualities — a docudrama-ish quality, brilliant comic performances across the board, some of the greatest swearing and insults in the history of the English language — but more than that, they skewer the low-key incompetencies, egos and absurdities of the political world like few others, and in ways which both capture their times, and prove oddly prescient.
Continue reading New ‘Death Of Stalin’ Trailer Hits As Armando Iannucci...
All three share qualities — a docudrama-ish quality, brilliant comic performances across the board, some of the greatest swearing and insults in the history of the English language — but more than that, they skewer the low-key incompetencies, egos and absurdities of the political world like few others, and in ways which both capture their times, and prove oddly prescient.
Continue reading New ‘Death Of Stalin’ Trailer Hits As Armando Iannucci...
- 9/27/2017
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Andrew Blair Oct 17, 2016
Armando Iannucci & Chris Morris' BBC Radio 4 news spoof not only gave rise to Alan Partridge but also launched countless comedy careers.
If you haven’t heard of On The Hour, you’ll have seen or read the work of the people who made it: Brass Eye, The Thick Of It, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, Veep, Four Lions, that bit on the train at the end of Mission: Impossible, Closer, Jam, the Leicester Square Theatre Podcasts, the movie version of Notes On A Scandal; the NME, TV Burp, the videos for Little Baby Nothing by the Manics and Kung Fu by Ash, Smack The Pony, and Alan Partridge to name a few.
See related The Big Bang Theory season 10 episode 4 review: The Cohabitation Experimentation The Big Bang Theory season 10 episode 3 review: The Dependence Transcendence The Big Bang Theory season 10 episode 2 review: The Military Miniaturization The Big Bang Theory...
Armando Iannucci & Chris Morris' BBC Radio 4 news spoof not only gave rise to Alan Partridge but also launched countless comedy careers.
If you haven’t heard of On The Hour, you’ll have seen or read the work of the people who made it: Brass Eye, The Thick Of It, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, Veep, Four Lions, that bit on the train at the end of Mission: Impossible, Closer, Jam, the Leicester Square Theatre Podcasts, the movie version of Notes On A Scandal; the NME, TV Burp, the videos for Little Baby Nothing by the Manics and Kung Fu by Ash, Smack The Pony, and Alan Partridge to name a few.
See related The Big Bang Theory season 10 episode 4 review: The Cohabitation Experimentation The Big Bang Theory season 10 episode 3 review: The Dependence Transcendence The Big Bang Theory season 10 episode 2 review: The Military Miniaturization The Big Bang Theory...
- 8/21/2016
- Den of Geek
In an effort to both serve our readers and help support The A.V. Club, we are going to post daily links to deals and interesting items that we find over on Amazon. If you use these links to click through and buy something—not just the thing you clicked—on Amazon, we will see a portion of that income. You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to, but if you do, know that we appreciate it.
Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lights And Sounds Trike ($39.89)
Amazon’s Deal Of The Day today is kids ride-on items, like trikes, wagons, and Power Wheels. In other words, if you’ve ever thought about getting your kid a sweet-looking tractor or pulling your dog along in a wagon, today’s the day to make that dream come true.
FitDesk Under Desk Elliptical ($99.99)
Now ...
Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lights And Sounds Trike ($39.89)
Amazon’s Deal Of The Day today is kids ride-on items, like trikes, wagons, and Power Wheels. In other words, if you’ve ever thought about getting your kid a sweet-looking tractor or pulling your dog along in a wagon, today’s the day to make that dream come true.
FitDesk Under Desk Elliptical ($99.99)
Now ...
- 7/25/2016
- by Marah Eakin
- avclub.com
facebook
twitter
google+
Cheer on local talent with these potentially great UK films from 2016, including drama, comedy, action, horror, fantasy & more…
While Batman Vs Superman, Captain America: Civil War, X-Men Apocalypse and other mega franchises are expected to dominate cinemas in 2016, let’s hear it for the films below. None are sequels, few have titanic budgets, all of them are British and each of them has the potential to be great.
2016 looks to be a particularly strong year for UK crime drama, with Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, Adam Smith’s Trespass Against Us and Michael Apted’s Unlocked on their way. Military thrillers are also well represented this year, with Gavin Hood’s Eye In The Sky, Fernando Coimbra’s Sand Castle, and Simon West’s Stratton incoming. There’s also comedy, fantasy, drama, horror and even a musical waiting for you below.
A Street Cat Named Bob (dir.
google+
Cheer on local talent with these potentially great UK films from 2016, including drama, comedy, action, horror, fantasy & more…
While Batman Vs Superman, Captain America: Civil War, X-Men Apocalypse and other mega franchises are expected to dominate cinemas in 2016, let’s hear it for the films below. None are sequels, few have titanic budgets, all of them are British and each of them has the potential to be great.
2016 looks to be a particularly strong year for UK crime drama, with Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, Adam Smith’s Trespass Against Us and Michael Apted’s Unlocked on their way. Military thrillers are also well represented this year, with Gavin Hood’s Eye In The Sky, Fernando Coimbra’s Sand Castle, and Simon West’s Stratton incoming. There’s also comedy, fantasy, drama, horror and even a musical waiting for you below.
A Street Cat Named Bob (dir.
- 1/7/2016
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
facebook
twitter
google+
Unit, shape-shifters and the Doctor cosplay. Here are the geeky bits and pieces we spotted in Doctor Who's The Zygon Invasion...
For at least the third time this series, one or all of the characters you care about on this show are dead. So what better way to celebrate than to read through our weekly list of callbacks, allusions, shared themes and generally interesting (if tenuous) nonsense? As ever, feel free to leave your own contributions in the comments below!
The Old-Who Invasion
This is the third appearance of the Zygons in Doctor Who; they first menaced the fourth Doctor in 1975’s Terror Of The Zygons, a story which revealed the Loch Ness Monster to be one of the Skarasen, a race from the Zygon homeworld. Unit also featured in that tale, with Kate’s father Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart revealing his Scots heritage in a fetching kilt.
google+
Unit, shape-shifters and the Doctor cosplay. Here are the geeky bits and pieces we spotted in Doctor Who's The Zygon Invasion...
For at least the third time this series, one or all of the characters you care about on this show are dead. So what better way to celebrate than to read through our weekly list of callbacks, allusions, shared themes and generally interesting (if tenuous) nonsense? As ever, feel free to leave your own contributions in the comments below!
The Old-Who Invasion
This is the third appearance of the Zygons in Doctor Who; they first menaced the fourth Doctor in 1975’s Terror Of The Zygons, a story which revealed the Loch Ness Monster to be one of the Skarasen, a race from the Zygon homeworld. Unit also featured in that tale, with Kate’s father Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart revealing his Scots heritage in a fetching kilt.
- 10/30/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Cilla Black was a hugely popular entertainer for over five decades, presenting some of the biggest variety shows and teaming up with the biggest stars.
As the country says goodbye to 'Our Cilla' today (August 20) at her funeral in Liverpool, we've chosen a bunch of hilarious and moving moments from her successful career.
1. Meeting a real-life Mr Bean on the real Blind Date
Blind Date was known for its wacky contestants looking for love, and you can't get much wackier than Geoff Carter. Despite wearing a ludicrous shellsuit and carrying a Sooty puppet, he managed to win a date to the Seychelles. Suffice to say, they didn't get married.
2. Owning an undercover journalist on Blind Date
Cilla had her major comeback with Blind Date, a show which had so many memorable moments. One of the most controversial was when Cilla publicly outed a Cosmopolitan journalist who posed as a contestant,...
As the country says goodbye to 'Our Cilla' today (August 20) at her funeral in Liverpool, we've chosen a bunch of hilarious and moving moments from her successful career.
1. Meeting a real-life Mr Bean on the real Blind Date
Blind Date was known for its wacky contestants looking for love, and you can't get much wackier than Geoff Carter. Despite wearing a ludicrous shellsuit and carrying a Sooty puppet, he managed to win a date to the Seychelles. Suffice to say, they didn't get married.
2. Owning an undercover journalist on Blind Date
Cilla had her major comeback with Blind Date, a show which had so many memorable moments. One of the most controversial was when Cilla publicly outed a Cosmopolitan journalist who posed as a contestant,...
- 8/20/2015
- Digital Spy
To celebrate the return of W1A, we salute the top 10 comedy characters who talk absolute mother-thumping rubbish…
Yesnobrilliantverygoodverystrong. As satirical BBC mockumentary W1A returns tonight for a triumphant second series, we celebrate TV comedy’s rich lineage of jargon fans.
Drawn from across the political spectrum and from TV’s most biting depictions of the worlds of business, government, technology and the media, these guys are master obfuscators. They're neologism-coiners and proponents of the kind of abuses to the English language that, in a just world, would see them locked up and force fed copies of The Elements Of Style.
From The Thick Of It to Peep Show, Yes Minister, The Office, Nathan Barley, The Day Today, and Drop The Dead Donkey, across the Pond to 30 Rock and Silicon Valley, we present TV comedy's top ten full-of-it jargon-meisters.
Stewart Pearson - The Thick Of It
Who is he?...
Yesnobrilliantverygoodverystrong. As satirical BBC mockumentary W1A returns tonight for a triumphant second series, we celebrate TV comedy’s rich lineage of jargon fans.
Drawn from across the political spectrum and from TV’s most biting depictions of the worlds of business, government, technology and the media, these guys are master obfuscators. They're neologism-coiners and proponents of the kind of abuses to the English language that, in a just world, would see them locked up and force fed copies of The Elements Of Style.
From The Thick Of It to Peep Show, Yes Minister, The Office, Nathan Barley, The Day Today, and Drop The Dead Donkey, across the Pond to 30 Rock and Silicon Valley, we present TV comedy's top ten full-of-it jargon-meisters.
Stewart Pearson - The Thick Of It
Who is he?...
- 4/22/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Hollywood went hunting for lots of British comedy talent in the 1990s - and lured the likes of Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson...
For some reason, Hollywood fell in love with British actors again in the 1990s. Sparked by Alan Rickman's turn as Hans Gruber in Die Hard at the back end of the 1980s, many movie villains were either Brits, or in the case of Cliffhanger, John Lithgow taking on the mannerisms of a British antagonist.
Yet in particular, Hollywood went recruiting British comedy talent, with faces then mainly - but not exclusively - known for their small screen work getting roles of various sizes in Hollywood productions. Here are some who racked up the air miles - starting with the man who arguably became one of the most successful...
Hugh Laurie - 101 Dalmatians
Laurie is a man of many talents, who ultimately cracked America with...
For some reason, Hollywood fell in love with British actors again in the 1990s. Sparked by Alan Rickman's turn as Hans Gruber in Die Hard at the back end of the 1980s, many movie villains were either Brits, or in the case of Cliffhanger, John Lithgow taking on the mannerisms of a British antagonist.
Yet in particular, Hollywood went recruiting British comedy talent, with faces then mainly - but not exclusively - known for their small screen work getting roles of various sizes in Hollywood productions. Here are some who racked up the air miles - starting with the man who arguably became one of the most successful...
Hugh Laurie - 101 Dalmatians
Laurie is a man of many talents, who ultimately cracked America with...
- 4/20/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Crash! Bang! Wallop… What a campaign!
Dedicated Alan Partridge fans have called for the Radio Norwich presenter to replace suspended Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson.
Partridge - a man who knows his Rovers from his Mini Metros - seems a natural replacement, doesn't he?
Lorn MacDonald launched the petition on change.org, claiming the broadcaster should hire Steve Coogan's iconic comedy creation due to his "diversity of experience and his noted passion for cars".
In an open letter to the BBC, MacDonald writes: "Alan has a strong track record for broadcast presenting, from his relaxed professionalism with guests on BBC chat show Knowing Me Knowing You to his effortless banter on his talk shows at Radio Norwich.
He has good experience with motoring TV, after his brilliant work on 'Crash! Bang! Wallop! (What a video)'. His work as sports presenter on news programme The Day Today also shows...
Dedicated Alan Partridge fans have called for the Radio Norwich presenter to replace suspended Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson.
Partridge - a man who knows his Rovers from his Mini Metros - seems a natural replacement, doesn't he?
Lorn MacDonald launched the petition on change.org, claiming the broadcaster should hire Steve Coogan's iconic comedy creation due to his "diversity of experience and his noted passion for cars".
In an open letter to the BBC, MacDonald writes: "Alan has a strong track record for broadcast presenting, from his relaxed professionalism with guests on BBC chat show Knowing Me Knowing You to his effortless banter on his talk shows at Radio Norwich.
He has good experience with motoring TV, after his brilliant work on 'Crash! Bang! Wallop! (What a video)'. His work as sports presenter on news programme The Day Today also shows...
- 3/17/2015
- Digital Spy
To celebrate the release of the truly terrifying Clown – on DVD & Blu-ray 2nd March 2015 – we have a DVD copy to giveaway courtesy of Studiocanal. From splatter-maestro Eli Roth (Hostel; Grindhouse) and starring Peter Stormare (Fargo; Jurassic Park: The Lost World), horror fans will rejoice as Clown sets out to break taboos and churn stomachs all at once!
“A killer of a clown movie” Horror Channel
“The most terrifying clown since Pennywise” Box Office Buz
“Gutsy, gory horror… strictly no funny business” The Hollywood News
Clown is available to order on Amazon today: http://amzn.to/1BZxC6q The limited edition Blu-ray is available to order exclusively on Zavvi: http://bit.ly/1EqtA4O
To win Clown on DVD, just answer the following question:
Clown director John Watts helmed episodes of which TV “news show”? Was it:
a) CNN
b) Onn
c) The Day Today
Email your answer to NerdlyComps@gmail.
“A killer of a clown movie” Horror Channel
“The most terrifying clown since Pennywise” Box Office Buz
“Gutsy, gory horror… strictly no funny business” The Hollywood News
Clown is available to order on Amazon today: http://amzn.to/1BZxC6q The limited edition Blu-ray is available to order exclusively on Zavvi: http://bit.ly/1EqtA4O
To win Clown on DVD, just answer the following question:
Clown director John Watts helmed episodes of which TV “news show”? Was it:
a) CNN
b) Onn
c) The Day Today
Email your answer to NerdlyComps@gmail.
- 3/3/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
He's the man who "invented world music" and who created the first ever music video using Plasticine. Yes, we're talking about '70s rock legend Brian Pern - the frontman of Thotch.
Ok, Brian Pern might not be real, but Simon Day and Rhys Thomas's surreal music doc spoof is so on the money, it feels like Pern and Thotch are very much the bona fide article. Is the Day of the Triffids album not on iTunes yet?
With incredible guest appearances from the likes of Roger Moore, Martin Freeman and Kathy Burke, Brian Pern: A Life in Rock is the funniest TV show on right now.
We caught up with Day and Thomas to chat about its success.
First things first, I was a huge fan of your last comedy show Bellamy's People.
Simon Day: "Oh, don't get us started on that."
Honestly, I loved it. That didn't get a second series.
Ok, Brian Pern might not be real, but Simon Day and Rhys Thomas's surreal music doc spoof is so on the money, it feels like Pern and Thotch are very much the bona fide article. Is the Day of the Triffids album not on iTunes yet?
With incredible guest appearances from the likes of Roger Moore, Martin Freeman and Kathy Burke, Brian Pern: A Life in Rock is the funniest TV show on right now.
We caught up with Day and Thomas to chat about its success.
First things first, I was a huge fan of your last comedy show Bellamy's People.
Simon Day: "Oh, don't get us started on that."
Honestly, I loved it. That didn't get a second series.
- 12/16/2014
- Digital Spy
We asked Den Of Geek’s writers to recommend brilliant comedy shows that deserve to have more of a fuss made about them. Here they are...
Banging a drum about stuff we love is more or less our remit on Den Of Geek - hence what many readers have started referring to as the ‘inexplicably regular' appearance of Statham, squirrels and Harold Bishop from Neighbours on these pages.
To that end then, we asked our writers which comedy shows (past and present, UK or otherwise, on TV, radio, or online…) deserved more praise, and here are the ones they chose. You might already like them too, or you might discover something new to dig out and enjoy. That’s the fun of it.
Please note that this list isn’t ranked in any order, nor is it exhaustive. It’s compiled from the opinions of a group of different people,...
Banging a drum about stuff we love is more or less our remit on Den Of Geek - hence what many readers have started referring to as the ‘inexplicably regular' appearance of Statham, squirrels and Harold Bishop from Neighbours on these pages.
To that end then, we asked our writers which comedy shows (past and present, UK or otherwise, on TV, radio, or online…) deserved more praise, and here are the ones they chose. You might already like them too, or you might discover something new to dig out and enjoy. That’s the fun of it.
Please note that this list isn’t ranked in any order, nor is it exhaustive. It’s compiled from the opinions of a group of different people,...
- 11/13/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
As The Day Today’s Chris Morris might put it, “That’s it! It’s war!” The conflict between the despotic, resource-rich and couture-obsessed Capitol and the defiant Districts is coming to a violent head in the latest trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. Check it out below. Here, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has been recruited to lead the rebel forces against those of President Snow, working alongside the likes of Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), Beetee (Jeffrey Wright), Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman, in what will be one of his final performances) and President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore). Katniss has now been brought to District 13, long thought destroyed and written out of Panem history but, it emerges, a power to be reckoned with. But even as the Districts start to make progress against the Capitol’s armies, Snow delivers a nasty propaganda surprise: Peeta (Josh Hutcherson...
- 9/15/2014
- EmpireOnline
arstechnica.com
In the last day or so, news has been filtering down through the internet about the possibility of Facebook testing a ‘satire’ tag for use with the increasing number of satirical news websites out there. Just so people are aware: satirical news is not news about satire. A satirical news story is a comedy story published online that mimics the format of real news sites.
Now, obviously The Onion and The Daily Mash have been around for a number of years, and The Day Today and Brass Eye were doing this back before the Internet was a glimmer of free porn in a lonely geek’s eye. Nonetheless, Facebook still feels the needs to signpost satire – because a horrifying proportion of its regular users will not check the background of a story before sharing it with all of their friends.
But this massive, widespread gullibility isn’t just...
In the last day or so, news has been filtering down through the internet about the possibility of Facebook testing a ‘satire’ tag for use with the increasing number of satirical news websites out there. Just so people are aware: satirical news is not news about satire. A satirical news story is a comedy story published online that mimics the format of real news sites.
Now, obviously The Onion and The Daily Mash have been around for a number of years, and The Day Today and Brass Eye were doing this back before the Internet was a glimmer of free porn in a lonely geek’s eye. Nonetheless, Facebook still feels the needs to signpost satire – because a horrifying proportion of its regular users will not check the background of a story before sharing it with all of their friends.
But this massive, widespread gullibility isn’t just...
- 8/19/2014
- by Ben Cooke
- Obsessed with Film
BBC Two is 50 - the British Broadcasting Corporation's second eldest child hits the half-century mark today - Sunday, April 20.
Picking out the greatest shows from five decades of broadcasting seems like a near-impossible task, but never say that Digital Spy is easily cowed. These are - in our humble opinion - the channel's finest ever offerings.
BBC Two is 50: The Hour, Bottom and more shows to bring back
The rules are as follows: shows like Red Dwarf that originated on BBC Two are eligible, but shows better associated with another channel are not - say Top of the Pops, which aired on BBC One for the majority of its run but shifted to the sister channel for its final episodes.
Oh, and we're talking only original commissions - so no Us imports either. But even that barely narrows it down, so if you think there are any glaring omissions,...
Picking out the greatest shows from five decades of broadcasting seems like a near-impossible task, but never say that Digital Spy is easily cowed. These are - in our humble opinion - the channel's finest ever offerings.
BBC Two is 50: The Hour, Bottom and more shows to bring back
The rules are as follows: shows like Red Dwarf that originated on BBC Two are eligible, but shows better associated with another channel are not - say Top of the Pops, which aired on BBC One for the majority of its run but shifted to the sister channel for its final episodes.
Oh, and we're talking only original commissions - so no Us imports either. But even that barely narrows it down, so if you think there are any glaring omissions,...
- 4/20/2014
- Digital Spy
BBC Two celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend and we've been asking our readers for their fondest memories and favourite ever shows from the channel.
Here is just a small sample of your replies.
The Day Today - Snossis
"No one's mentioned The Day Today! Groundbreaking stuff! Also, I'm Alan Partridge was probably the best sitcom of the 90s."
Robot Wars was the start of the weekend! - Bassebuwa
"Everyone born in the late 80s/early 90s will remember having their tea in front of The Simpsons, Fresh Prince and - to mark the start of the weekend - Robot Wars. BBC Two used to be incredible. It's a shame it's now a shadow of its former self."
Bring back Red Dwarf! - Pointy
"Red Dwarf and The Mary Whitehouse Experience meant a lot to the 11-year-old me. Thank you, BBC Two."
I miss BBC Ceefax - Kessuki
"Buffy The Vampire Slayer,...
Here is just a small sample of your replies.
The Day Today - Snossis
"No one's mentioned The Day Today! Groundbreaking stuff! Also, I'm Alan Partridge was probably the best sitcom of the 90s."
Robot Wars was the start of the weekend! - Bassebuwa
"Everyone born in the late 80s/early 90s will remember having their tea in front of The Simpsons, Fresh Prince and - to mark the start of the weekend - Robot Wars. BBC Two used to be incredible. It's a shame it's now a shadow of its former self."
Bring back Red Dwarf! - Pointy
"Red Dwarf and The Mary Whitehouse Experience meant a lot to the 11-year-old me. Thank you, BBC Two."
I miss BBC Ceefax - Kessuki
"Buffy The Vampire Slayer,...
- 4/17/2014
- Digital Spy
"Someone just told me that the show seems to be getting exponentially better, which is scary," admits Veep's showrunner Armando Iannucci. Wait…why, exactly, would a high compliment like that be considered frightening? "Because by Season 10, it'd be terminally unwatchable! Viewers would see 30 seconds of an episode and then they'd expire en masse, in a state of ecstatic bliss."
To be fair, there have been moments in the first two seasons of this HBO comedy about the Beltway backstabbers, boobs and buffoons that circle the President's second-in-command (played to...
To be fair, there have been moments in the first two seasons of this HBO comedy about the Beltway backstabbers, boobs and buffoons that circle the President's second-in-command (played to...
- 4/9/2014
- Rollingstone.com
For a guy with the most raucously fun comedy on television, Armando Iannucci is almost unsettlingly calm and collected. Then again, he's been making people laugh by ripping apart world leaders and social institutions for the past 25 years, so what looks like chaos is just the very carefully constructed method to his madness. Until a few years ago, Iannucci was best known in the U.K. for his series of news satires, including “The Day Today,” a sort of weekly and surreal precursor to “The Daily Show.” That program gave birth to Alan Partridge, the dopey and shallow sports broadcaster who.
- 4/2/2014
- by Jordan Zakarin
- The Wrap
Who is Alan Partridge? Few Americans may know, but Partridge is a something of a comic icon across the pond, with multiple television programs and a "memoir" dedicated to that very question. Created as a side character on the BBC’s "On the Hour" show (1991-2), hokey sportscaster Alan Partridge—played by Steve Coogan in his best known role—transitioned to television with “The Day Today” and made the even bigger leap into headlining multiple television series, which were in fact mockumentaries following the flailing downward trajectory of Partridge’s career. From shooting a guest dead on air to the repeated mention of his obsession with "Bangkok Chick Boys," Partridge just couldn’t catch a break, to the guffaws of (mainly British) audiences. Before there was Ron Burgundy for the Yanks, there was Alan Partridge for the Brits. In the feature-length "Alan Partridge" (or "Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa" for those...
- 3/28/2014
- by Diana Drumm
- Indiewire
Editor’s note: Kate’s review of Alan Partridge originally ran during last year’s Nyff, but we’re re-running it as the film opens today in limited release. For the small subset of cinephiles who have long hungered for a major motion picture that places Steve Coogan’s moronic broadcasting character Alan Partridge into a situation resembling the Brendan Fraser-starring 1994 comedy Airheads, Alan Partridge is so perfectly tailor-made for their desires that it’s actually somewhat frightening. (It also doesn’t seem like an actual possibility, but clearly someone thought this was a good idea, or else the film wouldn’t even have been made.) Coogan has played Partridge for over twenty years now, with the character first appearing on the radio program On the Hour in 1991, and then serving as the centerpiece of his news broadcasting spoof show, The Day Today, which aired on the BBC for one brief seven-episode season back in 1994. Since...
- 2/28/2014
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Stewart Lee returns to BBC Two this weekend and judging from the first preview clip of his new series, the stand-up has lost none of his brilliantly astute, bone-dry cynicism.
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle series 3:
In the preview clip for the first episode, 'Shilbottle', Lee launches into one of his trademark rants about his dislike for the internet, and in particular, Twitter.
Lee points out that his entire life could be traced back using only inane Twitter updates from members of the public and compares the social networking service to "a state surveillance agency staffed by gullible volunteers".
"It's the Stasi for the Angry Birds generation," he concludes.
The third series of Comedy Vehicle will feature the return of Brass Eye and The Day Today creator Chris Morris to TV. Morris has replaced Armando Iannucci in the sketches placed between Lee's stand-up sets.
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle returns on Saturday,...
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle series 3:
In the preview clip for the first episode, 'Shilbottle', Lee launches into one of his trademark rants about his dislike for the internet, and in particular, Twitter.
Lee points out that his entire life could be traced back using only inane Twitter updates from members of the public and compares the social networking service to "a state surveillance agency staffed by gullible volunteers".
"It's the Stasi for the Angry Birds generation," he concludes.
The third series of Comedy Vehicle will feature the return of Brass Eye and The Day Today creator Chris Morris to TV. Morris has replaced Armando Iannucci in the sketches placed between Lee's stand-up sets.
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle returns on Saturday,...
- 2/25/2014
- Digital Spy
The actor on his enduring love for Guns N' Roses, the brilliance of The Wire, and the appeal of artist Eric Roux-Fontaine
Jack Huston, 30, is the grandson of the Hollywood film director John Huston and nephew to actors Anjelica and Danny Huston. He is best known for his role as Richard Harrow, a disfigured war veteran turned assassin, in the HBO Prohibition drama Boardwalk Empire. Huston was born in London in 1982, the son of Lady Margot Lavinia Cholmondeley and Walter Anthony (Tony) Huston. He decided he wanted to be an actor at the age of six after playing the lead role in a school production of Peter Pan. He began to get major film roles in his early 20s and has since appeared in 19 films and almost every episode of Boardwalk Empire's four seasons. He can currently be seen in Strangers on a Train by Craig Warner. Directed by...
Jack Huston, 30, is the grandson of the Hollywood film director John Huston and nephew to actors Anjelica and Danny Huston. He is best known for his role as Richard Harrow, a disfigured war veteran turned assassin, in the HBO Prohibition drama Boardwalk Empire. Huston was born in London in 1982, the son of Lady Margot Lavinia Cholmondeley and Walter Anthony (Tony) Huston. He decided he wanted to be an actor at the age of six after playing the lead role in a school production of Peter Pan. He began to get major film roles in his early 20s and has since appeared in 19 films and almost every episode of Boardwalk Empire's four seasons. He can currently be seen in Strangers on a Train by Craig Warner. Directed by...
- 12/1/2013
- by Ben Marshall
- The Guardian - Film News
Today’s film is the 2007 short For the Love of God. The film is directed by Joe Tucker, who co-wrote the script with Raphael Warner, and stars Julia Davis, Ian McKellan, and Steve Coogan. Coogan is perhaps best known for his character Alan Partridge, who has appeared in numerous tv shows and movies such as The Day Today, I’m Alan Partridge, and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. He has also appeared in movies such as Hamlet 2, Night at the Museum, and The Trip. His newest feature, Philomena, opens in wide release in American theatres this weekend.
****
The post Sunday Shorts: ‘For the Love of God’, featuring the voice of Steve Coogan appeared first on Sound On Sight.
****
The post Sunday Shorts: ‘For the Love of God’, featuring the voice of Steve Coogan appeared first on Sound On Sight.
- 11/24/2013
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
The 51st New York Film Festival, running September 30th – October 13th, is coming up quickly and the full lineup is well under wraps. As Sound on Sight gets pumped up for the New York hospitality, here are our picks for the most anticipated films of the 51st Nyff, along with their official synopsis and trailer.
Captain Phillips
Paul Greengrass, 2013
USA | 134 minutes
“In April 2009, four Somali teenage pirates in a stolen Taiwanese fishing vessel seized the Maersk Alabama, a cargo ship bound for Mombasa. When the crew resisted, the pirates left with the Captain, Richard Phillips, and tried to make it ashore in the ship’s high speed lifeboat. What followed was a tense stand-off that was closely watched by the entire planet. Paul Greengrass, one of the incontestable masters of reality-based fictional filmmaking, and writer Billy Ray have crafted a film (based on Phillips’ account of the incident) that is...
Captain Phillips
Paul Greengrass, 2013
USA | 134 minutes
“In April 2009, four Somali teenage pirates in a stolen Taiwanese fishing vessel seized the Maersk Alabama, a cargo ship bound for Mombasa. When the crew resisted, the pirates left with the Captain, Richard Phillips, and tried to make it ashore in the ship’s high speed lifeboat. What followed was a tense stand-off that was closely watched by the entire planet. Paul Greengrass, one of the incontestable masters of reality-based fictional filmmaking, and writer Billy Ray have crafted a film (based on Phillips’ account of the incident) that is...
- 9/26/2013
- by Christopher Clemente
- SoundOnSight
Some of you remember my short-lived, irregular column ‘In Defence Of The Reboot’ from those halcyon days when this fair site went by the name of Blogomatic 3000. In it I would dicuss sequels, remakes, reimaginings of beloved franchises and generally things that were apt to raise fanboy ire. No? Doesn’t ring a bell? Well, good (I guess), because the column’s getting a reboot of its own and I’m bringing my geek-baiting, trouble-causing prose out of retirement.
That’s right – a brand new #1. A volume 2 to rank alongside all those other confused comic book revamps that go so well for a couple of years until they switch back to the original numbering whenever the next arbitrary milestone pops up. Incidentally, I can’t wait until issue #28 of this column.
In the past week, spin-offs for both Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead have been announced (things aren’t quite 100% with Bb,...
That’s right – a brand new #1. A volume 2 to rank alongside all those other confused comic book revamps that go so well for a couple of years until they switch back to the original numbering whenever the next arbitrary milestone pops up. Incidentally, I can’t wait until issue #28 of this column.
In the past week, spin-offs for both Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead have been announced (things aren’t quite 100% with Bb,...
- 9/25/2013
- by Mark Allen
- Nerdly
If you need to know more about Alan Partridge than just the names Steve Coogan, and the insufferably under-appreciated Colm Meaney, well, I suppose I could offer up the fact that the film is a hit in the UK. Actually, I suppose if the first part didn’t work, the second isn’t any more likely to sway you.
Nevertheless, Magnolia is bringing you the movie, and you should thank them for doing it.
Magnolia Takes North American Rights from Studiocanal to Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge
The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnolia Pictures announced today that they have acquired North American rights to Alan Partridge, a new comedy starring Steve Coogan as the titular Alan Patrtridge, a beloved cult character he created over twenty years ago. The film is a hit in the UK, where it was released on August 7th, and it will have its North American premiere...
Nevertheless, Magnolia is bringing you the movie, and you should thank them for doing it.
Magnolia Takes North American Rights from Studiocanal to Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge
The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnolia Pictures announced today that they have acquired North American rights to Alan Partridge, a new comedy starring Steve Coogan as the titular Alan Patrtridge, a beloved cult character he created over twenty years ago. The film is a hit in the UK, where it was released on August 7th, and it will have its North American premiere...
- 8/20/2013
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Though he's busier than central Norwich on market day, Armando Iannucci (of On The Hour, The Day Today, The Thick Of It, In The Loop, Time Trumpet, Veep and now Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa fame) found time in his hectic schedule to drop by the Empire Podcast booth for a natter about Hitler, sneaking into Us government buildings and perfecting the ultimate Alan whine.Elsewhere, the silver-tongued Anthony Stewart Head is grilled by our own Buffy buffs about his latest, Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters, touching on everything from 'squirrel pants' to putting ice cubes in your mouth before you kiss someone.On top of all that, there are loads of important movie news this week - Inbetweeners 2! Expendables 3! Films that aren't sequels! - for you to catch up on, as well as a look forward to Toronto and Venice, plus our review of the critically-contentious blockbuster The Lone Ranger.
- 8/9/2013
- EmpireOnline
Feature Robert Keeling 7 Aug 2013 - 07:00
To mark the release of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Rob takes us through the high points of Alan Partridge's TV career...
Certain TV shows are watched so excessively that quoting them in general conversation has just became part of the norm. The Office, The Simpsons and Spaced are three such, but none have been stolen from with quite as much regularity as Norfolk’s favourite son, Alan Partridge. For better or for worse, Partridgisms have cemented their place in our everyday vernacular. The likes of, “cos I’m a bloody bloke”, “see the match?” and “scum, sub-human scum” are just a few of the phrases that AP (with a little help from his writers) has gifted to the world over the years.
He may be a socially awkward, insensitive, selfish, narcissist obsessed with his own celebrity status, but despite all this, it’s hard to not love Alan.
To mark the release of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Rob takes us through the high points of Alan Partridge's TV career...
Certain TV shows are watched so excessively that quoting them in general conversation has just became part of the norm. The Office, The Simpsons and Spaced are three such, but none have been stolen from with quite as much regularity as Norfolk’s favourite son, Alan Partridge. For better or for worse, Partridgisms have cemented their place in our everyday vernacular. The likes of, “cos I’m a bloody bloke”, “see the match?” and “scum, sub-human scum” are just a few of the phrases that AP (with a little help from his writers) has gifted to the world over the years.
He may be a socially awkward, insensitive, selfish, narcissist obsessed with his own celebrity status, but despite all this, it’s hard to not love Alan.
- 8/6/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Aha! Steve Coogan's comic creation Alan Partridge has finally bounced back, cementing his Lazarus-like comeback with a best-selling autobiography, Sky Atlantic's Mid Morning Matters and the eagerly-awaited movie Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.
To celebrate the return of one of Norfolk's North Norfolk's finest broadcasters we pick out 10 things you need to know about Alan Partridge.
1. Alan Gordon Partridge was born in 1955 to Dorothy Partridge at King's Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His arrival coincided with Anthony Eden being named Prime Minister and Chelsea securing the First Division title. Alan spent much of his childhood in Norwich, but freely admits to experiencing difficulties with his emotionally distant father. He was also the victim of school bullying by classmates, who frequently taunted him with cries of "Smelly Alan Fartridge".
2. Alan began his media career DJing on hospital radio before winning a job as a sports reporter for the BBC's current affairs programme The Day Today.
To celebrate the return of one of Norfolk's North Norfolk's finest broadcasters we pick out 10 things you need to know about Alan Partridge.
1. Alan Gordon Partridge was born in 1955 to Dorothy Partridge at King's Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His arrival coincided with Anthony Eden being named Prime Minister and Chelsea securing the First Division title. Alan spent much of his childhood in Norwich, but freely admits to experiencing difficulties with his emotionally distant father. He was also the victim of school bullying by classmates, who frequently taunted him with cries of "Smelly Alan Fartridge".
2. Alan began his media career DJing on hospital radio before winning a job as a sports reporter for the BBC's current affairs programme The Day Today.
- 8/6/2013
- Digital Spy
Aha! Steve Coogan's comic creation Alan Partridge has finally bounced back, cementing his Lazarus-like comeback with a best-selling autobiography, Sky Atlantic's Mid Morning Matters and the eagerly-awaited movie Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.
To celebrate the return of one of Norfolk's North Norfolk's finest broadcasters we pick out 10 things you need to know about Alan Partridge.
1. Alan Gordon Partridge was born in 1955 to Dorothy Partridge at King's Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His arrival coincided with Anthony Eden being named Prime Minister and Chelsea securing the First Division title. Alan spent much of his childhood in Norwich, but freely admits to experiencing difficulties with his emotionally distant father. He was also the victim of school bullying by classmates, who frequently taunted him with cries of "Smelly Alan Fartridge".
2. Alan began his media career DJing on hospital radio before winning a job as a sports reporter for the BBC's current affairs programme The Day Today.
To celebrate the return of one of Norfolk's North Norfolk's finest broadcasters we pick out 10 things you need to know about Alan Partridge.
1. Alan Gordon Partridge was born in 1955 to Dorothy Partridge at King's Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His arrival coincided with Anthony Eden being named Prime Minister and Chelsea securing the First Division title. Alan spent much of his childhood in Norwich, but freely admits to experiencing difficulties with his emotionally distant father. He was also the victim of school bullying by classmates, who frequently taunted him with cries of "Smelly Alan Fartridge".
2. Alan began his media career DJing on hospital radio before winning a job as a sports reporter for the BBC's current affairs programme The Day Today.
- 8/6/2013
- Digital Spy
After a blustery day behind the scenes of Alpha Papa, the question remains: where does Steve Coogan end and his most famous creation begin?
A freezing winter day in Cromer and it is impossible to tell where reality stops and Alan Partridge's world starts. "The best smiles for miles," says an advert for Cromer pier. "If hearty fun is good for the ticker," suggests another, GPs should prescribe "a strong dose of Cromer's seaside special". These Partridge-esque pronouncements are real but the pier shooting gallery and Susan Boyle poster are not. Two of a phalanx of police officers who have sealed off the pier from the public are genuine but most are actors watching the denouement of the long-awaited Alan Partridge movie.
The sheepskin gloves Steve Coogan is wearing when we shake hands must be Alan's? "They are actually mine," says Coogan, a little defensively, "but there is an overlap.
A freezing winter day in Cromer and it is impossible to tell where reality stops and Alan Partridge's world starts. "The best smiles for miles," says an advert for Cromer pier. "If hearty fun is good for the ticker," suggests another, GPs should prescribe "a strong dose of Cromer's seaside special". These Partridge-esque pronouncements are real but the pier shooting gallery and Susan Boyle poster are not. Two of a phalanx of police officers who have sealed off the pier from the public are genuine but most are actors watching the denouement of the long-awaited Alan Partridge movie.
The sheepskin gloves Steve Coogan is wearing when we shake hands must be Alan's? "They are actually mine," says Coogan, a little defensively, "but there is an overlap.
- 8/2/2013
- by Patrick Barkham
- The Guardian - Film News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.