Not only has the Alan Partridge film – Alpha Papa – been granted a Norwich premiere, but the film’s star might arrive at the big event in a helicopter, in true Partridge attempting-to-be-classy style.
Partridge – a Norwich native – frequently mentions the Norfolk city in his various shows and books, so a premiere there for his first motion picture is fitting. Rob Wilkes, who started the campaign to have the premiere in the city with his friend Rafiq Turnbull, said: "It's fantastic news. We're blown away. The people of Norwich need to embrace that. The streets need to be lined, more so than for the Lord Mayor's celebrations at the weekend. We need to bring out the red bus, perhaps, and give him a ride from City Hall down to Anglia Square."
Possible titles for the movie included 'Chap of Steel,' 'Hectic Danger Day' and of course ' Colossol Velocity'
See all our behind-the-scenes pictures from Alpha Papa
Trevor Wicks, owner of Hollywood Cinema in Anglia Square which will host the premiere, said: "It's definitely the biggest event at the Hollywood and probably the biggest event there's ever been in the city for many years. We hope Steve Coogan and the other stars of the film will be there. We're just waiting for the finer details."
The film, which also stars Tim Key – Partridge’s partner in crime on Mid Morning Matters – as Sidekick Simon, is due for an August 11th release.
Officials from Norwich have welcomed the allure of Partridge
Coogan, who created the classic character, has taken him through multiple outlets: I’m Alan Partridge seasons 1 and 2, two books, Mid Morning Matters and These are The Places of My Life – just to name a few. He also starred, not as Partridge, in The Trip, in which he and Rob Brydon enjoy some of the U.K’s most traditional restaurants as part of an Observer column.
In a statement, Partridge, played by Steve Coogan, said: "You can imagine how hurt and litigious I felt when people said I was planning to debut my movie in London instead of Norwich, or that I'd allowed my head to be turned by the prospect of big city fame. Any suggestions I've hastily cobbled together the lunchtime Norwich screening in response to a local Twitter campaign will be met with the full force of the law."
Please don't let us down Steve
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