Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) is a very talkative radio personality in Norfolk, England, who hosts "Mid-Morning Matters" with his sidekick Simon (Tim Key). The show mixes droll chitchat and easy listening music. Both of them, along with Partridge's personal assistant Lynn (Felicity Montagu), are anxious about changes planned for the station by Jason (Nigel Lindsay) who is affiliated with the conglomerate Gordale Media.

Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney) is an Irish DJ who's been fired. He returns to the station with a shotgun and takes Jason and other employees hostage. Not knowing that Partridge was the one who convinced the new executive to boot him out, Farrell chooses him to be his go-between with the police. In this new and adventuresome role, the host of "Mid-Morning Matters" suddenly finds himself in the spotlight and he enjoys it immensely.

Director Declan Lowney seems to be having great fun with the screenplay which blends the DJ's attempts to exploit a kidnapping situation for his own fame and glory with the siege thriller motif. Coogan excels in one-line zingers which are perfectly rendered. Although the craziness wanes in the later stages of the story, there are still plenty of laughs to be had in this frisky comedy.


Screened at The 51st New York Film Festival, Lincoln Center, 2014.