Alan Partridge: Nomad

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Deep down, Nomad is essentially a great parody of travel writing with a uniquely Alan Partridge twist. 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. 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. 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). 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).

I get the feeling that this would have made a good episode or 2 of the TV show with all of the body language and the different edit choices that would go into that kind of project but as a book it falls flat and although I got through it, it dragged quite a lot and I only genuinely laughed once. The audio recording is excellent, which is what you can expect from Sennheiser recording equipment and the expert use by the much loved UK radio and TV (less so after the shooting) presenter.As I’ve said, Nomad is a great book but I can’t help suspecting that they struggled to find material to fill it. If you're new to Mr Partridge, I recommend you start with his autobiography and then listen to this. 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. 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.

But the way it’s done here feels in keeping with Partridge’s literal-mindedness, his instinct for over-elaboration. But this is funny, engaging and perfect to stick on in the car, or when you're doing the dishes, or if you're sat on a bus or train during the morning commute. He ends up hallucinating wildly due to an infected wound in his foot, and is finally rescued by the kindness of an old lady he meets in a municipal swimming pool. There aren't many comic actors who have grown into their characters the way Steve Coogan has grown into Alan Partridge. Alan had a lot to live up to, as his autobiography was (and still is) excellent, and I listen to it religiously (not literally--that would be ridiculous).But analysis seems pointless – better to just skim through some of my updates and remind yourself what all the fuss is about. 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 cat’s eyes peer back at me, as if the frightened earth is peeping out at its punisher from beneath a tarmac duvet.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I can’t imagine that reading the book yourself could be better. 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. But if you're a fan of the character and you can't get enough of his regional quips, boring facts or complete lack of self-awareness in many situations, then you're going to want to check this out.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? But then again, it seems people from further afield find Partridge funny anyway, so maybe I’m just spewing drivel… again. Regardless, I did get some laughs from this, albeit not as good as his first autobiography, and it’s nice to have for free on Spotify.