London has it's well-known statues of Nelson, Cromwell and other people who
may have fought in battles and things a long time ago for some reason or
another. Now it appears Norwich is to get a new statue. Who, you may
ask, is the statue of? Churchill? King Richard I? No. It's
Alan Partridge! (Admittedly,
if you've read the headline above then this will be less of a surprise to you
and our attempt to create an air of numbing suspense will be somewhat
misplaced.)
Norfolk sculptor Steve Price has begun work on a 60ft-tall statue to
immortalise Steve Coogans comic creation. The artist is now looking for
funding and a suitable site to raise the monument, which has already become
nicknamed "Alan of the East".
This all began when TV channel UKTV G2 polled viewers to discover which comic
legend should be remembered in statue-form. An astonishing 85 per cent voted for
the fictional ex-'knowing me knowing you' host.
Speaking about the statue Price said "This is just what Norfolk needs, a real
tourist attraction celebrating one of the most enduring comedy icons of recent
years."
While the plan is welcomed by many die-hard Partridge
fans, there is also a sizable element of the Norwich population who have vowed
to oppose any plans to implement what they see as a ridiculous folly. We
will keep you posted on how this mini-saga pans out.
