Culture

Alan Partridge vs Malcolm Tucker: The Great Big Brexit Grudge Match

Yes, Malcolm Tucker and Alan Partridge go head to head on Brexit. Churchill, Paul Hollywood, balloon animals... the HDP (heavy-duty politics) is all here!

Alan Partridge and Malcolm Tucker

Our Armando Iannucci guest edited Big Issue broke the internet, broke sales and nearly broke Alan Partridge! It’s no longer on sale from vendors, but you can read the full Alan Partridge vs Malcolm Tucker Brexit debate in all its sweary glory below – or buy the magazine from The Big Issue Shop!

Politics and the media come together to settle the Brexit debate once and for all. Representing politics, Malcolm Tucker, former communications director at No. 10 Downing Street, and now on the board of negotiations and conflict-resolution company Off The Table. Representing the media is local, national and international (online) broadcaster Alan Partridge. The following is their full debate via email…

Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge

[Recovered email]
From: Alan Partridge
To: Malcolm Tucker
Subject: RE: Brexit

Hadrian.

Is this helping at all? I lost my way a couple of times (making up words, forgetting it was about the EU etc) but I think I bought it back round in the end. And if it’s made you feel even 1% less crabby, great.

Shall I do you now? I’ll do, say, two? Then we can make closing arguments, meet somewhere in the middle, thank each other, say our bye-byes and I can jump in the car and go to squash. Sound good?

Your word is ‘bulldog’.

Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge
Malcolm Tucker vs Alan Partridge

The return of the nation’s favourite, sweariest, scariest spin-doctor, locking horns with Radio Norwich’s finest over Brexit, set the news agenda in the week the magazine came out. From The One Show to BBC2’s Daily Politics, to any number of radio talk shows, newspapers and august titles like the Radio Times and NME covered the story.

Armando Iannucci discussing his Big Issue take over on the One Show

Armando’s editorial turn also caused raptures on social media. Our cover and extracts of #TuckervPartridge were shared tens of thousands of times, bringing a host of new readers to The Big Issue (you’ve very welcome!) and attracting some very nice words from some other very funny people.

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