In his Hollywood movies, he was shunned aside by abysmal comedians such as Will Ferrell (“The Other Guys”) and Ben Stiller (“Night At The Museum”) but now Steve Coogan is back in Britain as his signature character Alan Partridge in this low-budget comedy that is far funnier than any of the stuff he did overseas.

Alan Partridge presents a radio show in Norwich but things take a turn for the worst when his co-worker Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney “Under Siege”) is fired and decides to take the place over with his double-barrel shotgun. Now it’s up to Mr. Partridge to save the day.

Steve Coogan is actually a very good comedian as his Partridge character seems witty on occasions but very often just seems to be an absolute failure at being funny and that is kind of the point because it isn’t the actor at fault, it’s the character and that’s only okay due to the fact that’s the way Coogan wants it so he makes Partridge unlikeable but by doing so he gives him an incredible feel of normality. Colm Meaney is also very good as Pat by also delivering a few laughs. The other characters just seemed to fade into the background.

“Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa” may have a terrible title but it’s a funny film. It captures the unlikeable qualities of Mr. Partridge very well and in a way makes him funnier because of this but there certainly are some misfires here: the main one being Alan’s fantasy as to how he escapes the situation. Also I was disappointed with the supporting cast as not one of them managed to make me even crack a smile. The film is good for fans of the character (I myself saw only a few episodes of the show and thought it was reasonably good). Unlike Mr. Bean’s mediocre big-screen adaptation this movie remains true to the programme.