According to Digital Spy, in a recent interview the Alan Patridge character actor Steve Coogan has opened up about his past mistakes making the cult favourite Alan Patridge. Speaking to Time Out London, the comedian admitted he felt guilty and ashamed of letting down some of his fans by using inappropriate terms in the programme like 'spastic' and 'mentalist'.
After using the phrases in season one episode five of the show I'm Alan Patridge, Coogan received a letter from a young fan who was upset by the names. He opened up saying, 'I got a letter from a young girl when Alan had described someone as a "spastic mentalist" [...] Her brother had cerebral palsy, and she loved the programme and felt let down.'
Folling this feedback, Coogan was annoyed at himself for damaging the integrity of the show and its level of comedy, as he explained, 'I think I can defend everything I have done comically, on an ethical level but I'm annoyed about that: slightly ashamed [...] You can think it's just [Alan's] ignorance but you have to think why you are doing it. What does it mean, the comedy that you are doing?'. As with all comedy, testing the limits is a necessary danger, and with the new film Alan Patridge: Alpha Papa out in cinemas this August, Coogan has clearly learned enough about the boundaries of his to be able to venture into feature films with his treasured character Patridge.
