1991: On The Hour (pictured in 2010) created Partridge with Coogan in 1991 and co-wrote several projects.Alan Partridge was created for the 1991
BBC Radio 4 comedy programme
On the Hour, a
spoof of British
current affairs broadcasting, as the show's hapless
sports presenter. Developing
On the Hour, the producer,
Armando Iannucci, asked
Steve Coogan to voice a generic sports reporter with elements of
Elton Welsby,
Jim Rosenthal and
John Motson. Coogan had performed a similar character for a BBC
college radio station while at university. The name was inspired by the former
Newsbeat presenter Frank Partridge. Iannucci,
Patrick Marber,
Richard Herring and
Stewart Lee wrote much of the early Partridge material; Herring credits the creation to Coogan and Iannucci.
1992–1996: Knowing Me, Knowing You and The Day Today Marber felt Partridge had potential for other projects, and encouraged Coogan to develop his character. That December,
BBC Radio 4 began broadcasting a six-episode spoof chat show,
Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge. The series saw Partridge irritate and offend his guests, and coined his catchphrase, "Aha!". In 1994,
On the Hour transferred to television on
BBC Two as
The Day Today, in which Partridge reprised his role as sports reporter. The series ends with Partridge accidentally shooting a guest. A Christmas special,
Knowing Me, Knowing Yule, followed in December 1995, in which Partridge attacks a BBC commissioning editor, ending his television career. At the 1996
Labour Party Conference, Coogan interviewed the
Labour leader,
Tony Blair, in character as Partridge. Iannucci recalled that Blair did not realise Partridge was a fictional character and that his campaign director,
Alastair Campbell, instructed him to tell journalists that Blair had a "great sense of humour".
1997–2002: ''I'm Alan Partridge'' In 1997, BBC Two broadcast a
sitcom, ''
I'm Alan Partridge, written by Coogan, Iannucci and Peter Baynham. It follows Partridge after he has been left by his wife and dropped from the BBC. He lives in a roadside hotel outside Norwich, presents a graveyard slot on local radio, and desperately pitches ideas for new television shows. Iannucci described the series as "a kind of social X-ray of male middle-aged Middle England". BBC Two broadcast a second series of I'm Alan Partridge
in 2002, The writers found the second series difficult to make, feeling it had been too long since the first and that expectations for sitcoms had changed. In 2008, he performed a tour, Steve Coogan as
Alan Partridge and other Less Successful Characters'', featuring Partridge as a
life coach. Coogan returned to Partridge after pursuing other projects, such as his work with the director
Michael Winterbottom on films such as
24 Hour Party People (2002)
. He said he did not want to end the character, and that "as long as I can do my other things, that, to me, is the perfect balance".
2010: Mid Morning Matters Partridge returned in 2010 in a series of
YouTube shorts,
Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge, as the host of a digital radio show with a new character, Sidekick Simon (
Tim Key). The series was later broadcast by
Sky Atlantic.
2011–2012: I, Partridge and TV specials In 2011, a spoof autobiography,
I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan, written by Coogan, Iannucci and the Gibbons brothers, was published by
HarperCollins. Coogan also recorded an
audiobook version as Partridge. In the book, Partridge recounts his childhood and career, attempts to settle scores with people he feels have wronged him, and dispenses wisdom such as his assertion that
Wikipedia has made university education "all but pointless". Coogan appeared as Partridge to promote
I, Partridge on
The Jonathan Ross Show and
BBC Radio 5 Live. It received positive reviews and became a bestseller. On 25 June 2012, Partridge presented a one-hour Sky Atlantic special,
Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of My Life, taking the viewer on a tour of Partridge's home county,
Norfolk. It earned Coogan the 2013 BAFTA for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme. and co-produced by
StudioCanal and Baby Cow Productions, with support from
BBC Films and the
BFI Film Fund. The film sees Partridge enlisted as a
crisis negotiator during a siege at his radio station.
2015–2019: Scissored Isle and This Time In 2015, Coogan co-presented a special Christmas episode of the
Channel 4 chat show
TFI Friday as Partridge. In February 2016, Sky Atlantic broadcast a second series of
Mid Morning Matters. ''Alan Partridge's Scissored Isle
, a mockumentary in which Partridge examines the British class divide, followed in May also starring Ben Rufus Green. A second book, Alan Partridge: Nomad'', a
travelogue in which Partridge recounts a journey across the UK, was published on 20 October. In July 2017, Partridge appeared in an episode of the
BBC Radio 4 programme
Inheritance Tracks, in which guests choose music to pass to future generations; he selected "
Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" by
Barry Mann and the theme from
Grandstand. Iannucci guest-edited an October 2017 issue of
The Big Issue, featuring a debate on
Brexit between Partridge and
Malcolm Tucker, a character from
The Thick of It, another sitcom created by Iannucci. On 27 December, BBC Two broadcast a documentary about the history of Partridge,
Alan Partridge: Why, When, Where, How and Whom? Coogan felt it was the right time for Partridge to return as he might represent the views of Brexit voters. ending with Partridge having a breakdown on air and being locked out of the BBC building. In August 2019, after he was caught speeding, Coogan escaped a driving ban after arguing that a planned Partridge series could not be filmed on public transport, as driving is part of Partridge's character. The
magistrates determined that it would cause “exceptional hardship" on the production staff if the series were cancelled.
2020–present: From the Oasthouse, Stratagem and How Are You? In September 2020,
Audible launched an Alan Partridge podcast,
From the Oasthouse. It has Partridge discussing topics such as relationships, family and the
culture wars. Coogan said the podcast format was liberating, with more opportunity for nuance and less need to create punchlines to unite the audience. In April 2022, Coogan began a UK Alan Partridge tour,
Stratagem, in which Partridge gave a motivational talk and addressed topics such as
identity politics and
culture wars. The
Guardian critic Brian Logan gave the show four out of five, praising its "rich comedy of physical awkwardness" and writing that Partridge was now "at the centre of his own thriving multi-platform metaverse". He noted that though Coogan had once tired of Partridge, he now "clearly takes pleasure in the performance". The
Independent critic Louis Chilton gave it two out of five, finding its jokes obvious and dated and that Partridge did not work in a live format. In August 2022, Partridge joined the rock band
Coldplay to perform the 1985
Kate Bush song "
Running Up That Hill" at
Wembley Stadium, London. A third Partridge memoir,
Big Beacon, covering his return to television and his experience restoring a lighthouse, was published in October 2023.
The Times gave it a positive review, praising its "skilfully terrible writing". To promote the fourth series of
From the Oasthouse, a Partridge-themed garden was created at the 2025
Hampton Court Garden Festival. Coogan said the writers were happy to use Partridge in such marketing because it was in character for him to pursue desperate promotional opportunities. In October 2025, a spoof documentary series, ''
How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge), was broadcast on BBC One. It features Partridge exploring mental health issues after losing his job with the BBC and taking various trivial corporate endorsements. The Guardian'' critic Jack Seale gave it four out of five, writing that "the subject matter here allows for the glimpses into Alan's soul that have been there ever since the Gibbons brothers took over co-writing duties". == Character ==