Steve Coogan Returns To The BBC With Alan Partridge As ‘The Voice Of Hard Brexit’ In New TV Series
If you have found yourself missing Alan Partridge and wonder what he’s been up to lately, you’re about to find out as the BBC have just announced that Steve Coogan is set to return to the BBC with his Alan Partridge character for a brand new television series in 2018. On Wednesday, Coogan stated that Partridge would be assuming a new and important role as “the voice of hard Brexit.”
When Steve Coogan announced at the Edinburgh TV Festival that Alan Partridge would be making his return to television screens soon, he joked that he was in Edinburgh to do a bit of research according to the Telegraph.
“Alan will be back on the BBC early next year, there will be a lot of Alan on TV next year. I’m trying to do a leak to the press about it. He’ll just be back on a show, it might be a bit like this. I’m here to do research.”
BBC Comedy Controller Shane Allen has confirmed that BBC Two will be airing an Alan Partridge anniversary special at the end of 2017, which is meant to commemorate what would be the 25th anniversary of Partridge first finding his way onto BBC Radio in 1992. Following this special, BBC One will begin the new Alan Partridge series next year, as Entertainment Weekly reported.
Welcoming Alan Partridge back to @BBCOne & @BBCTwo – one of the top tier of comedy characters of all time. https://t.co/cNG5OGJRiJ pic.twitter.com/iIJ9x37ojG
— BBC (@BBC) August 24, 2017
Shane Allen was ebullient when he gave his public statement about the return of Alan Partridge.
“Alan Partridge is in the top tier of comedy characters of all time, it fills my comedy heart with joy to welcome him back to BBC One and BBC Two.”
The character of Alan Partridge was conjured up in 1991 by Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci. After various comedy radio shows, the character began a new life on television in 1994 with Knowing Me, Knowing You and continued with I’m Alan Partridge.
After Partridge had been away for awhile, he was ceremoniously brought back to life on YouTube with Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge in 2010. He also found his way into movie theaters in 2013 with Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.
As Alan Partridge gets ready to grace our screens in 2018, Steve Coogan explained that the new series will have to explain how he ended up with a show on the BBC while still being an abject failure. Coogan is quietly confident that Partridge would have voted for Brexit, and thinks that this may explain what the character is doing with another show.
“Well, because he has got a show on the BBC, we have a problem, because we have to explain why he’s a failure, but that he has a show. The logic of what he is doing has to make sense. It’s conceivable because in this age of Brexit, they [the BBC] might think they need to get in touch with the ‘Little Englanders’ they ignore. Alan would have voted Brexit for sure. Hard Brexit, given the choice. He’s a Brexiteer because The Daily Mail told him to be.”
The new Alan Partridge series has not been written yet, but is slated to air on BBC One in the Spring of 2018.
[Featured Image by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images]
