20 Best British TV Comedy Characters Of All Time

The character of Alan Partridge is a satire on British television personalities – in this case, Partridge is an incompetent broadcaster whose deluded sense of superiority drives him to treachery and unashamed self-promotion. Steve Coogan’s portrayal of a parody celebrity is scarily accurate. He describes him as a Little Englander, with right wing values and poor taste, and his career has spanned out on several different media platforms from radio to film.

Alan Partridge is utterly hysterical, with his egotistical rudeness being the cause of several embarrassing situations and awkward moments.

But the Partridge persona was a success because he was someone you could take pity on for all his sufferings, despite his loathsome personality. Originally conceived as a one-dimensional caricature, Coogan wanted to create a deeper alter ego for Alan Partridge, someone who was fully layered and complex in order to convey a character who felt like a real person.

Furthermore, Partridge has set a precedent for the sub-genre of ‘cringe comedy’ with future British sitcoms such as The Inbetweeners and Nighty Night being greatly inspired by Coogan’s creation.