Then – they got big. The Telegraph named Monkey Tennis amongst its pick of the best film and TV podcasts, and it started to draw the attention of key members of the APU (Alan Partridge Universe – believe us, they have the dense lore catalogued). So they have had guest appearances from Simon Greenhall (Geordie Michael), Tim Key and Susannah Fielding, and have gained enough confidence to go deep into the weeds, with several episodes providing a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the books, for example.
READ MORE: W-Rated – 12 Days of Podmas
At the time of the show’s inception, the character was looking as though it was winding down somewhat. Although there had been more activity since around 2011 than in the decade before, we were three years on from the film and five years on from the autobiography. Steve Coogan had made Philomena, and several series of The Trip, so the lifespan of this podcast seemed to be limited, mainly, to what had come before.
Since then, however, Partridge has got busy. There has been a second season of Mid-Morning Matters, another book, two seasons of From the Oasthouse, two seasons of This Time on the BBC, and the live show, Stratagem this year. Throw in the radio versions of Knowing Me, Knowing You, On the Hour and The Day Today, as well as comic relief appearances and other live tours, and we are left with a long-running podcast, at the time of writing up to 144 episodes, featuring a developed style, in-jokes, a thorough understanding of the character’s timeline, as well as sporting access to some of the people who made it all happen.
Monkey Tennis is available on various podcast platforms.
