Alan Partridge: Stratagem Tour Live

I’ll admit it: I laughed until I snorted coffee out my nose. Twice. But *Stratagem Tour Live* is also the kind of audiobook that’ll have you side-eyeing your headphones like, *‘Is this genius or just sad?’*—which, of course, is the entire point. Alan Partridge’s narration is a masterclass in vocal delusion: he delivers his most banal observations (‘*Norwich—city of dreams… and roundabouts*’) with the cadence of a Shakespearean soliloquy, then undercuts it with a mumble about his ‘*very reasonable*’ rider demands. The production team deserves a medal for committing so hard to the bit—there’s a moment where the audio *glitches* mid-sentence, and instead of editing it out, they leave in Alan’s increasingly unhinged attempts to ‘*style it out*’ as part of the act. It’s meta, it’s messy, and it’s *hilarious*. That said, this isn’t for everyone. The pacing drags in the second act when Partridge pivots to a ‘*philosophical*’ monologue about his ‘*stratagems*’ (read: vague life hacks he stole from a 2005 men’s magazine), and the bit where he ‘interviews’ his own roadie feels like it overstays its welcome by a good five minutes. But the highs—like his *very* serious analysis of why his tour merch (a ‘*limited-edition*’ keychain) is ‘*actually quite tasteful*’—more than make up for it. If you’re a fan of Partridge’s particular brand of ‘*confident mediocrity*,’ this is peak Alan: equal parts cringe, charm, and the quiet horror of recognizing yourself in his delusions. Just don’t listen to it in public unless you’re prepared to explain why you’re wheezing at a man yelling about ‘*the politics of buffet etiquette*.’