Alan Partridge finally gets that second series

This Time With Alan Partridge is coming to BBC One later this year

Article by Jamie Dunn | 12 Feb 2018

Alan Partridge is coming home to roost. It’s been more than 20 years since the esteemed broadcaster left the BBC in disgrace after fatally shooting belligerent restaurant critic Forbes McAllister live on his chat show Knowing Me, Knowing You (he then punched a number of guests including the BBC's chief commissioning editor Tony Hayers during the subsequent Christmas special, Knowing Me Knowing Yule). But after years of obscurity on local digital radio, Partridge has been handed a reprieve by the BBC in the form of new six-part chat show This Time with Alan Partridge.

In a press release today from the BBC, This Time with Alan Partridge is described as “a heady mix of consumer affairs, current affairs, viewer interaction, highbrow interview and lightweight froth; very much the sweet spots for a man whose CV boasts over two decades of weekday local radio.”

Steve Coogan is back playing Partridge, whose broadcasting style has been described as “equidistant between chit chat and analysis”. Joining Partridge on the show is Susannah Fielding, who plays Partridge’s co-presenter Jennie Gresham, and Tim Key, who’s back as Simon, Partridge’s sidekick from his days on radio show Mid-Morning Matters on North Norfolk Digital.

Coogan has suggested previously that this new show will see Partridge come into his own as the perfect voice for Brexit. “It’s conceivable, because in this age of Brexit, [the BBC] might think they need to get in touch with the ‘Little Englanders’ they ignore,” Coogan told The New European.

It turns out there might be one good thing to come out of Brexit after all. This Time with Alan Partridge will air on BBC One later in 2018; Jurassic Park!