# Alan Partridge (2013 film)
**Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa** is a 2013 British comedy film directed by Declan Lowney, marking the cinema debut of [Steve Coogan](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-coogan)'s fictional radio DJ Alan Partridge after more than two decades on radio, television, and the web.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/not-quite-jurassic-park-steve-coogan-film) In the film, Partridge's Norwich station, North Norfolk Digital, is taken over by a media conglomerate, and the host must negotiate with a sacked colleague who takes the staff hostage.[2](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/alan-partridge-alpha-papa-review/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Declan Lowney[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/not-quite-jurassic-park-steve-coogan-film) |
| Screenplay | Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, Armando Iannucci, and Peter Baynham[3](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/bbcfilm/films/alan-partridge-alpha-papa) |
| UK release | 7 August 2013 (general release 9 August); certificate 15; 90 minutes[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/alan_partridge_alpha_papa/) • [3](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/bbcfilm/films/alan-partridge-alpha-papa) |
| Principal cast | Steve Coogan, Colm Meaney, Felicity Montagu, Anna Maxwell Martin, Tim Key, Simon Greenall[3](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/bbcfilm/films/alan-partridge-alpha-papa) • [4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/alan_partridge_alpha_papa/) |
| Production | BBC Films and BFI present a Baby Cow production; distributed by StudioCanal[3](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/bbcfilm/films/alan-partridge-alpha-papa) |
| Box office | $9,979,601 worldwide, of which $9,573,673 came from the United Kingdom[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0469021/) |
| Reception | 87% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (107 reviews); Metascore 66 from 27 critics[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/alan_partridge) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/alan-partridge/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Under new ownership by Gordale Media, North Norfolk Digital is rebranded for younger audiences. Veteran DJ Pat Farrell ([Colm Meaney](https://www.edgepedia.org/colm-meaney)) is sacked, with [Partridge](https://www.edgepedia.org/partridge) having helped persuade the new management to let him go. When the distraught Farrell takes the station staff hostage with a shotgun, Partridge becomes the liaison between Farrell and the police, attempting to defuse the siege while salvaging his own public career.[2](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/alan-partridge-alpha-papa-review/) • [3](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/bbcfilm/films/alan-partridge-alpha-papa) The premise has been compared to *Dog Day Afternoon*.[9](https://time.com/47991/alan-partridge-hits-the-big-screen/)
[Felicity Montagu](https://www.edgepedia.org/felicity-montagu) returns as Alan's PA Lynn, Simon Greenall as his friend Michael, and [Phil Cornwell](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-cornwell) as rival DJ Dave Clifton.[2](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/alan-partridge-alpha-papa-review/)
## The character's route to film
[Alan Partridge](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-partridge) was created by Steve Coogan in 1991 for the [BBC Radio 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-radio-4) comedy program *On the Hour* (1991–1992). The character then moved through a series of television formats: sports reporter on *The Day Today* (1994), the chat show *Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge* (1994–1995), and the sitcom *I'm Alan Partridge* (1997–2002).[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/not-quite-jurassic-park-steve-coogan-film) Coogan revived the character in 2010 with a live tour and the online series *Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge*, working with new writers Rob and Neil Gibbons, whom Coogan credits with giving Partridge "the momentum it needed to sustain itself in a film".[8](https://news.sky.com/story/steve-coogan-saddled-with-alan-partridge-10438109)
The film followed earlier British television comedy characters onto the big screen, including [Rowan Atkinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rowan-atkinson)'s Mr Bean and [Sacha Baron Cohen](https://www.edgepedia.org/sacha-baron-cohen)'s Ali G and Borat.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/not-quite-jurassic-park-steve-coogan-film) Coogan has said the team deliberately kept the film British rather than sending the character to America, on the grounds that changing the reference points would "end up pleasing nobody".[9](https://time.com/47991/alan-partridge-hits-the-big-screen/)
## Production and release
The film was shot on a [single-camera setup](https://www.edgepedia.org/single-camera-setup) in January and February 2013 in Norfolk, on location in Sheringham and at Cromer Pier.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/alan_partridge_alpha_papa/) Its UK premiere was held on 24 July 2013 at Anglia Square in Norwich rather than in London or New York.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/alan_partridge_alpha_papa/) • [10](https://www.timeout.com/film/steve-coogan-interview-alan-partridge-is-becoming-more-like-me) [StudioCanal](https://www.edgepedia.org/studiocanal) distributed in the United Kingdom; the film opened in the US on April 4, 2014 through Magnolia Pictures under the shorter title *Alan Partridge*.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0469021/)
## Box office and reception
In a close race, the film topped the UK box office on its debut weekend with $3.37 million (£2.18 million) including previews, edging out *Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters* and *Grown Ups 2*.[11](https://www.screendaily.com/alan-partridge-tops-uk-box-office/5059154.article) It went on to gross $9,979,601 worldwide, with 98.5 percent of that total earned internationally; the US gross was $153,426 from a domestic opening of $12,664.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0469021/) It also placed among the top ten UK independent films sold on video in 2013.[12](https://suttonfilmoffice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2015/03/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2014.pdf)
Critics received the film favorably. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus notes that the movie "ditches the TV series' nuanced humor for something broader, and succeeds in presenting the character on a global scale"; the Tomatometer stood at 87 percent from 107 reviews, with an audience score of 73 percent.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/alan_partridge) Metacritic recorded a Metascore of 66 from 27 reviews, in the "generally favorable" range.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/alan-partridge/) *Empire* called it "ruddy hilarious" and praised Coogan's physical character comedy, while the *Guardian*'s Catherine Shoard wrote that its achievement was "remaining faithful to Partridge's small-screen soul while also managing the demands of a big-screen Alan".[2](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/alan-partridge-alpha-papa-review/) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/alan-partridge/) Less positive reviews included Slant Magazine's judgment that the hostage conceit "affords only minor opportunities for true hilarity".[13](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/alan-partridge/)
At the Empire Awards the film won Best Comedy and was nominated for Best British Film; it was also nominated for Best Feature Film Soundtrack at the Music+Sound Awards.[3](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/bbcfilm/films/alan-partridge-alpha-papa)
## References
1. [Not quite 'Jurassic Park': Steve Coogan on film, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/not-quite-jurassic-park-steve-coogan-film)
2. [Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa Review, Empire](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/alan-partridge-alpha-papa-review/)
3. [Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, BBC Films](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/bbcfilm/films/alan-partridge-alpha-papa)
4. [Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/alan_partridge_alpha_papa/)
5. [Alan Partridge (2013), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0469021/)
6. [Alan Partridge, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/alan_partridge)
7. [Alan Partridge Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/alan-partridge/)
8. [Steve Coogan 'Saddled With' Alan Partridge, Sky News](https://news.sky.com/story/steve-coogan-saddled-with-alan-partridge-10438109)
9. [Alan Partridge Hits the Big Screen, TIME](https://time.com/47991/alan-partridge-hits-the-big-screen/)
10. [Steve Coogan interview, Time Out Film](https://www.timeout.com/film/steve-coogan-interview-alan-partridge-is-becoming-more-like-me)
11. [Alan Partridge tops UK box office, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/alan-partridge-tops-uk-box-office/5059154.article)
12. [BFI Statistical Yearbook 2014](https://suttonfilmoffice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2015/03/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2014.pdf)
13. [Review: Alan Partridge, Slant Magazine](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/alan-partridge/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2013 to 2014 › Titles symbols to I*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license