Alan Partridge is reborn, again, in new series And Did Those Feet…
For the first time since his 2017 sojourn to Qatar, Alan Partridge will again revive his beleaguered broadcasting with a trip to the Middle East
Photo: Featureflash Photo Agency
Not since an impromptu bullying trip to Qatar with disgraced English sports broadcaster Richard Keys and his “exceptionally Scottish” friend Andy has Alan Partridge’s fire burned so brightly. That was May 2017, when his masterful Scissored Isle aired to little or no fanfare. His phone was just not ringing. It’s been a whirlwind since then for Partridge (played as always by Steve Coogan). After landing back at the BBC in 2019 with This Time, he was fired from the show in 2021. The following year, he bounced back (as is his wont) with the divisive (read: hated) Strategem live show, only to bounce back once again (see) with another season of his podcast, From The Oasthouse, and the release of his third book, Big Beacon: A Lighthouse Rebuilt, A Broadcaster Reborn. Well, guess who’s back in the big time.
Despite killing a man on air, accidentally encouraging an “advert for the IRA,” calling their viewers “idiots,” and blowing his interview with Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal Princess Anne, the BBC is ready to get back in bed with Partridge, again. Deciding against the “living-in-a-lighthouse thing,” Partridge will host a six-episode mockumentary for the BBC called And Did Those Feet… With Alan Partridge. The series follows the beleaguered and, according to the logline, “beloved” broadcaster as he returns to Norwich after a year in Saudi Arabia.
Restoring our faith in humanity, belief in a higher power, and British broadcasting in one fell swoop, BBC published photographic proof of And Did Those Feet… With Alan Partridge earlier today. It shows Partridge ready to get in the mind of the everyday British person and figure out what the hell makes it tick. Advertised as one of, “if not the first,” documentaries to “address the issue of mental wellness,” Partridge, who will write, present, produce, and direct the series, is dropping the hyper-masculine Bear Grylls act for the series, courageously declaring, “I’m Alan Partridge, and I’m not OK.”
“I’m delighted to follow the Daily Mail’s exclusive coverage of filming and their gallery of paparazzi-style images with my own press release more or less confirming the details they’ve announced. All best, Alan,” Partridge said in a statement.
Outside of the storyline, the show is written by Coogan and his longtime Partridge partners Neil and Rob Gibbons, who will direct and executive produce the series. The Gibbons have been working on Partridge-related projects since 2010’s Mid Morning Matters. Jurassic Park! Alan Partridge is back.