Richard Madeley addresses ‘unfair’ Alan Partridge comparisons

‘I genuinely don’t care,’ said presenter. ‘I don’t take myself seriously’

Richard Madeley has said that the comparisons between his presenting style on Good Morning Britain and Alan Partridge are “a bit unfair”.

The broadcaster’s stint as a guest presenter on the ITV breakfast show has amused some viewers, who have drawn parallels with Steve Coogan’s bumbling, tone-deaf comedy character.

When asked by press about the comparisons ahead of his appearance on the new series of I’m a Celebrity, Madeley said: “I honestly don’t care at all. I think it’s quite funny. It’s part and parcel of doing the job that I do.”

According to Metro, he added: “It’s so important in this business, and particularly the arena that I operate in, that you don’t take yourself seriously. Because if you do, you’re going to have a very unhappy time.

“So if people want to take sentences that I say or little ponderings, [and think], ‘Oh, that’s so Alan Partridge,’ good luck to them.

Madeley added that he didn’t “mind at all” about the comparisons, stipulating that he “genuinely [doesn’t] care” about them.

“I don’t take myself seriously,” he added. “I think some of the quotes are often made up to be honest with you, or they’re taken so ludicrously out of context, but I look at it sometimes and I think, ‘Oh that’s a bit unfair.’

“But I don’t mind, it’s all part and parcel of what I do. It’s fine.”

‘I’m a Celebrity’ 2021 cast (PA Media)

The last time Madeley was compared to Partridge, it was when he discussed his holiday to France with his wife, fellow presenter Judy Finnigan, on air.

After co-host Susanna Reid asked whether he had had a good time, Madeley replied that Finnigan hadn’t spoken to him for two days when they were away after a blunder with the packing.

“I think I’d have been in less trouble if I’d had an affair,” he joked.

In 2019, he also went “full Partridge”, according to viewers, during an interview with a naked anti-Brexit protester.

Viewers were left cringing as Madeley awkwardly attempted to describe the graffiti a nude Dr Victoria Bateman had drawn on her body, that was blurred out on the screen.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! begins on Sunday, November 21 on ITV. Read about the other contestants entering the castle here.