Steve Coogan weighs killing off Alan Partridge as he revives the character for mental health mockumentary

Steve Coogan says a part of him wants to kill off Alan Partridge after more than three decades in the role as he prepares to revive the inept broadcaster for a new BBC mockumentary about Britain's mental health crisis. The project, How Are You? It's Alan Partridge, marks a return of the character in a format that satirizes public discourse while keeping Partridge's voice at the center.

Coogan, 59, originated Partridge in 1991 for the spoof current affairs concept that began on radio and later spilled into television, film, and his own podcast From The Oasthouse. He recalled a moment when he began dressing in the character's famously conservative clothes off set, including one shirt, and realized the change: it felt as if the outfit had followed him into real life.

There was a time when Coogan felt saddled with Partridge, but he has since said that when he performs the character it is by choice, not obligation. He told a podcast that he keeps notes on his phone, jotting ideas as they occur, and that he laughs at himself as Partridge enters his thoughts, then records the moment for potential use on stage or screen.

Partridge has spanned four decades across various formats, including TV shows and specials, documentaries, films and, more recently, his own podcast. Coogan has been recognized with multiple awards for the role, most recently in 2017 when Alan Partridge’s Scissored Isle earned Best Male Comedy Performance at the TV BAFTAs.

In the new Partridge project, the character is positioned to jump on the mental health bandwagon. Coogan suggested the show will reflect on the topic in a way that could help him return to television, saying that the team is still editing the material.

Coogan also notes that Partridge’s infamous lack of tact and blind spots around political correctness remain central to the humor. He describes the character as not an evil person but a fool, and notes that sometimes the fool says things that people secretly agree with. He adds that some material is deliberately provocative, with lines that are so wrong they make him laugh, though he stresses the audience understands Partridge is ill-informed but trying his best.

The actor has indicated further Partridge-led projects could follow, though no release dates have been announced. He has completed work on other projects and continues to steer Partridge’s arc in ways that balance nostalgia with topical commentary.

For fans, the question remains whether Partridge will ever truly ride off into the sunset or continue to reappear in new forms as British culture reckons with the realities of mental health and public discourse.