How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge)

[Miguel Wilkins]

Alan Partridge wouldn't defect to Reform: The writers explain why
The twins who revitalised the character on his politics, mental health and exploring taboo subjects
Liam Kelly
01 October 2025
telegraph.co.uk

More than three decades in broadcasting, Alan Partridge has done it all. He started out as a sports presenter, became a BBC chat show host, was banished to North Norfolk Digital's graveyard radio slot, fronted documentaries and triumphantly returned to the Corporation before flaming out in a blaze of acrimony.

Now he's back. Following a brief but lucrative (if ultimately unfulfilling) stint in Saudi Arabia, Partridge is returning to our screens with yet another tilt at making it big. This being Partridge means it is, of course, farcical. His latest wheeze is to self-fund, write and present "Britain's first-ever documentary about mental health" after he had a distressing experience of his own: twice fainting face-down in a woman's lap while presenting an agricultural show.

The choice of subject matter was a good way to illustrate how desperate Partridge is to force his way back into the mainstream, according to Neil Gibbons who, along with his twin brother Rob, has been writing the character with Steve Coogan for the past 15 years.

"What we wanted was Alan to be cynically trying to produce content that he felt was both worthy and would insulate him against accusations of careerism," Neil says. "And if someone is doing a documentary on a subject like that, it feels like you can't really question their motives without coming across as mean-spirited yourself." Rob, the elder by one minute, warms to this theme. "For him, the beauty of mental health is [that] it's invisible, so nobody can prove that he's lying when he says he's had his own problems."
Exploring taboo subjects

That mental health is a topic Partridge appears to know very little about, and is probably quite afraid of, is no barrier to him attempting to use it as a way to prove that he is, once again, a serious broadcaster. Classically Partridgian lines, such as that "fox hunters are a minority" or that "Jesus believed chicken soup could cure depression", hammer that point home.

"Even in this series, it's ostensibly about mental health but actually, if you watch all six episodes and note down how much stuff is about mental health, it's not really a great deal, is it?" asks Rob. "It's just the vanity project of a fading presenter who wants to sort of try out all the tools of being a documentary maker, hoping it gets him some more work."

A lot of the humour in How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge) comes from the character having to navigate a thorny topic while being constantly terrified of being cancelled for saying something that isn't politically correct. "It means that he is constantly losing his bearings in conversations," says Neil. "And it means that he can't ever speak confidently and openly because he's constantly trying to think, 'How is this going to play?' It's a very useful springboard for comedy."

The character's long lifespan – he first appeared on screen in 1991 – and the fact that he is so beloved by so many means that it can be used as a way to explore taboo subjects that other comedic writers would not dare. One memorable scene from the new series features Partridge happening upon an old cassette show reel in which he shows off his "range" of accents, including Brummie, Caribbean and then, to the strain of instantly-recognisable stereotypical music known as the "Oriental riff", Chinese. It is hilarious, but hard to imagine in 2025 a new comedic creation doing accents in a funny way.

'We're always trying to make sure that it's the character generating the comedy, and that you're laughing at Alan," says Neil. "When people are watching it, they know that he's a very badly flawed character, and they know that he's constantly making missteps like that, that they know that he is the butt of the joke. If that wasn't so well established, then we would probably have to tread a bit more carefully so that things like that weren't misconstrued as a first base, end-of-the-pier kind of unreconstructed comedy."

He adds: "It allows you to push the boat into areas that you wouldn't do if it was a brand new character, where people are going 'Hang on a second, what's this?'"

The brothers are clearly close – they never interrupt one another, instead instinctively knowing when the other has finished talking – but they are geographically separated when we speak on a video call. Rob lives in South London, while Neil is in Stockport. Neil says that it is useful to get "a bit of distance" while working together, though they always have an online chat open.

The 48-year-olds grew up in Sandbach, Cheshire, and were teenage fans of Partridge during his original incarnation. After graduating from university – Neil did law at Manchester while Rob read political science at Warwick – they moved to London together. They had corporate jobs but entered, and won, a BBC competition for new comedy writers after penning a sketch about a Labour supporter who sought to win back his ex-wife by becoming a councillor. They started writing for Radio 4 programmes and first came into Coogan's orbit when they submitted a script called Pigsy Doodle to Baby Cow, his production company.

The brothers got invited by Coogan to work on a potential revival of Paul and Pauline Calf (the spoof video diary also known as Three Fights, Two Weddings, and a Funeral) and to write for his 2008 live tour. The Partridge character had been in deep-freeze since the end of I'm Alan Partridge in 2002, not least because Coogan thought the character had become an "albatross around [his] neck". But they pitched some ideas that the star loved. That became 2010's Mid Morning Matters, and Partridge has been a regular fixture on screen, in books and podcasts for much of the time since – all co-written by the Gibbons twins.

"What struck us really, really quickly about Steve, that was perhaps unexpected, is that even though the character is his character, and to a large extent, is him, he's not proprietorial about it at all and he's not precious," says Rob. "If something seems funny, he'll laugh generously. It only took a few minutes and it felt like we were up and running... Once you win his trust, he treats you very much on the level. Without naming any names, there are plenty of people in the industry who are also of his level who wouldn't and don't act like that."

Neil does add that, even after more than a decade, it is still surreal "when you're in a room with Steve Coogan and he starts doing the Partridge voice".

The new series is some of the funniest Partridge in the canon, partly because of Coogan's always exquisite performances, and partly because the central character is so much more rounded than the one that was a James Bond fanatic and kept saying "A-ha!" or "Back of the net!"

Coogan said at a recent screening of the new series that a large part for Partridge's durability was the new elements that the Gibbons brothers have brought to the character.
Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge in This Time with Alan Partridge "All the writing with Armando [Iannucci], Patrick Marber and Peter Baynham was very good and funny and had spikiness to it, but Rob and Neil are totally comfortable with poignancy or pathos and aren't as cruel to Alan," he said. "Alan evolved under their stewardship to be more three-dimensional, so that sometimes you can actually feel sorry for Alan and have compassion for him."

Rob says: "You end up laughing at a character more when you feel for them. And also, I think, there's no getting away from the fact that if you write down the details of his life, how could you not feel sorry for him? He's a pathetic, pathetic figure. On the surface, he may seem hard to like and quite petty, but actually, he's just a frightened little boy. That's all he is, and he's never, ever got past that."

The success of the Gibbons twins at revitalising Partridge is all the more remarkable because they are more than two decades younger than the character, who is long said to have been born in 1955. Neil insists that there is no magic behind their being able to so accurately render the views and touchstones of that generation. "Fundamentally, we're just quite boring, fogeyish people, and having the inherent spite and inferiority complex that Alan does probably helps," he says.

Thoughts on Farage

Partridge, with his driving gloves and distrust of the Left, has always seemed to embody a very English form of Toryism. But with the Conservative party seemingly in terminal decline, would he find himself doing what so many other Tories are doing and flocking to Reform UK? "Possibly. When we talked about what would Alan's views on Brexit be before, it is quite easy to imagine that he would be drawn in by the everyman-ness of Nigel Farage, but when he gets to know him a bit more think, 'Actually this guy's a bit of a d---'," says Neil. "Alan jumps to conclusions, and then suddenly it sort of sours. It can be hard to pin down what his views are, because he's ruled so much by the vagaries and whims of his character and his mood at any given moment that that trumps things like ideal and principle."

Reform may be superficially attractive to Partridge, but he is unlikely to go out canvassing for the party. "He's the sort of person that would probably be drawn to the branding and the pints and the nice silk tie of it, but then if he got to a meeting and it was more working class types, I think he'd be like 'I'm not sure about this,'" Neil adds.
"That's why he was very much a Cameron/Osborne type, and he liked the way that they were perceived nationally. Whereas if he went to Tory events and found himself surrounded by other public school people, he wouldn't like that either. He's a badge-wearing follower of politics, rather than the sort to turn up at the meetings."

How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge) is on BBC One at 9:30pm on October 3

[Miguel Wilkins]

I feel like Alan Partridge is my friend
Steve Coogan on the return of his enduring character
1st October 2025

Coming home to Norwich after a year working in Saudi Arabia, Alan Partridge makes a return to television at 9.30pm - to produce, present and direct 'Britain's first ever documentary about mental health'. How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge) will air on BBC One and iPlayer from 9.30pm. Steve Coogan and his co-writers the Gibbon Brothers previously spoke about the character's return at a screening – as we covered here – but here's a new Q&A issued by the BBC:

What can viewers expect from How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge) and where does it find Alan?

Alan has been in Saudi Arabia nursing his wounds after he was fired by the BBC, but he has now done a new self-funded series (with some sponsorship from Flench and Sun Tanning Centres). It's a documentary series on mental health, which is why it's called How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge) where Alan examines the state of the mental health of the nation and also our individual states of mental health.

You mention Saudi Arabia. Why there?

He found that there's an expat audience in Saudi that fit his demographic, Alan appeals to them and they appeal to Alan. So, he had a little professional vacation for the last two years in Saudi Arabia, where he hosted things from Today At The Riyadh Stock Exchange, right through to Happy Birthday Crown Prince.

You've been playing Alan for over 30 years, what keeps him creatively interesting to you?

Some people ask: 'why don't you do lots of different characters?' And Icould do that, but the character is so well known now that you can take him on these strange little journeys. You don't need to introduce the character any more as everyone knows him, so you can go off on these adventures and put him in strange places and different situations and different contexts. He's just a conduit for what's going on in the world, so when something happens or there's a change of the zeitgeist, or people have different views on things or things shift in the national psyche, Alan can reflect all that.

When you revisit him do you feel like you're slipping back into something familiar?

Yes. I have a strange relationship with Alan Partridge, because many years ago I did lots of different characters and then I sort of settled on Alan as he seemed to be the most fruitful. Then I felt like I was saddled with him, so I went off to do some other things and I got recognition for things, like Philomena that got lots of Oscar nominations, and then I got Bafta nominations for things that were non-Alan.

So that  felt like I'd exorcised the ghost and then I thought I'd come back to Alan, I feel like he's my friend. It's like living with a friend who gets on my nerves, then once you move away you become friends again and you meet up with them and you're on an equal footing - that's my relationship with Alan.

Do you think Alan is growing or do you think it's his inability to grow that fuels the comedy?

I think Alan wants to grow, wants to be modern, wants to be relevant, but can't quite manage it and that's why people laugh at him. I think younger people still like watching Alan because they see their parents trying to be trendy, God forbid, and they see their parents' clumsy attempts to be on message, if you like.

Are you surprised by Alan's popularity with younger audiences?

I'm very pleased with Alan's relevance to younger people because it means I can milk it for a few more years! It's definitely a cross- generational thing, I often meet parents with grown up children where they all like Alan Partridge. I did used to wonder how it would be relatable, but of course, in the old days, it wasn't so much - it was just that the parents were younger, and they would think, 'Oh, that could be me!' I sometimes say things like: 'Thank God I'm not as bad as he is', so there is some vicarious pleasure in it.

Do you think this show says something about the way British society engages with mental health?

Well, yes. The thing about Alan is that you can use him to talk about difficult subject matters. Because it's comedy, it creates this safe space - it's through the lens of a character, so it is a way of talking about things. The way we write it, Alan might say things that are inappropriate or problematic - Alan's whole life is definitely problematic - but I think it's a way of talking about stuff, which takes the curse off it, it makes it enjoyable and not scary.

Strangely [although] I think it's a cynical move [for Alan] to talk about mental health, it actually does help people talk about it. Although the series is funny and irreverent, it does actually throw up a lot of genuine issues, so it's not just frivolous.

You touched on the writing of the series, you've worked with writers and directors Neil and Rob Gibbons for years, what is that collaboration like?

I really enjoy writing with them. It's always enjoyable, sometimes they go off and write by themselves, reassemble stuff together, and then we talk it through and 'workshop' it. I know that when I'm going to meet them that I'll be laughing that day. We have lunch, go back and discover stuff and laugh and it's enjoyable because you know other people are going to be laughing at the thing that you've just created. It's really, really pleasurable and they're very funny.

They have slightly different roles, Rob is slightly harder to make laugh than Neil, so I know if Rob's laughing, then it's definitely funny - so he's a good barometer in that respect. They are almost an overlapping Venn diagram, but there's a slight difference in their personalities, they both bring something slightly different. They shepherd me, I'm sometimes slightly directionless – I'm quite creative – but they say 'go this way' or nudge me that way, they'll give me quite critical and specific direction.

For example, they'll say, remember to go down on the last word in that sentence because it's funnier than if you go up on the last word of that sentence. It can be quite detailed direction, but it's a testament to how much they're invested in how it's executed because they manage me creatively.

Do you think younger viewers will see Alan Partridge differently from the viewers that grew up watching Knowing Me Knowing You?

Yes, younger viewers definitely see Alan differently because Alan has changed and he's not a small-minded, uber-conservative, white Little Englander now, he's someone who realises that if you want a career in television, you have to get with the programme.

He knows that, so he's desperately trying to appear to be beyond reproach in terms of new protocols and new ways of behaving. I think what's funny is seeing someone appearing to be on message, but grappling with it and you're not entirely sure whether he's sincere or not. And that's funnier than someone just being unpleasant or bigoted – it's funny to have somebody who's trying to be good.

What has been your favourite Alan Partridge moment that you've filmed?

Crikey! Favourite Partridge thing that we've filmed I think is Alan herding sheep. I literally herded sheep, it wasn't an act!

What I enjoyed about it was that Alan's really good at herding sheep, which is not what you'd expect – you'd think he'd make a hash of it. He's absolutely delighted about how good he is at it and offers to volunteer for the shepherd, he says if I have any spare time just call me and I'll come and help you herd the sheep. The shepherd gave me a few words to say: 'come by, walk on.'

Who is the most unexpected celebrity fan of Alan Partridge?

The chairman of the All-Ireland hurling team. That is true.

Do you think Alan has what it takes to be the next Jame Bond?

I think Alan thinks he's probably too old, but thinks had he taken a different fork in the road in his thirties or his twenties, maybe he would have thought that he could have been in that universe. I think he sometimes sheds a tear, but that horse has left the stable.

What would be Alan's ideal meal deal?

Prawn cocktail, steak and chips, black forest gateau. Alan doesn't eat at any fast food outlet.

What's Alan's go-to motorway services?

I think he likes Heston service station because it was one of the first ones when the first stretch of the M4 opened in the late 1960s I believe. He's also a big fan of Lancaster Service Station because it has a brutalist flying saucer on a kind of a shaft and it looks very futuristic and Alan likes that.

What is Alan's ideal date night?

A barbecue outside a camper van with Julia Bradbury in the Shropshire countryside.

Three things that we don't know about Alan?

Alan sometimes dreams that he is a female Olympic gymnast and that he scores ten out of ten on the beam and does a somersault and he realises he's beat the Russians.

Alan has part of a stethoscope inside him after a bungled operation he had in his forties.

Alan was once slapped in the face by a nun in the Duomo Cathedral in Palermo when hewas 25 years old.

[Miguel Wilkins]

Alan Corr appeared on Arena on RTÉ Radio 1 to capture the essence of Alan and parse the Partridge.