Once again, Alan Partridge faces turmoil! But then, who isn’t these days? During his previous television outing, Alan had an on-air breakdown while hosting the light magazine show This Time, ending the series quite literally locked out of the BBC. In the opening of his independent production, the light documentary How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), the broadcaster reveals he’s encountered further difficulties by passing out in front of a guest at a business function for a Norfolk feed company. Hard moments, but such characters rebound: link personal issues to broader trends and see if you can get a series out of it.
Delving into Stress and Loneliness
How Are You? features Coogan’s timeless character in documentary style, looking into an epidemic of anxiety, stress and loneliness that he believes is intensifying: “In old-fashioned language, it’s gone crazy!” The journey will see him experiment with religion, reconnect with friends from school, and embark on calming rural strolls, while dealing with his past. Initial episodes culminate in a fraught but healing gathering with “Sidekick” Simon Denton (Tim Key), Alan’s former colleague on This Time and North Norfolk Digital radio, and as this new series goes on, previously unreleased footage is displayed.
For Coogan and his long-term writing/directing collaborators, How Are You? is a sideways move. In contrast to earlier innovations, How Are You? often retreads it: in addition to resurrecting classic structures, the whole piece resembles the mockumentaries of the last decade. As his life intertwines with the subject matter, we’re most strongly reminded of the podcast series.Contrasting Alans
This leads to a minor issue. There are two Alans: Triumphant Alan (in prime roles) and Struggling Alan (without work), and even though the underdog Alan shone in the classic series I’m Alan Partridge back in 1997, a more wistful Wilderness Alan has recently taken flight in books and audio projects. How Are You? brings us into his space and features Kelly as Katrina, a mismatched romantic partner from the podcast. However, this sad story – he ignores her infidelity with his friend and local tanning-centre mogul – feels like one that would have benefited from the slower pace of audio-only Alan, enabling mental imagery to amplify laughs. When we can’t see him, Wilderness Alan has room to breathe: television nowadays feels more suited to putting Winning Alan under pressure and watching him implode, as happened on previous shows.
Humor in Mistakes
These, however, are quibbles in the face of one large, undeniable fact: whatever medium he inhabits, Partridge remains the funniest comic creation in Britain, and even placeholder Partridge has more laughs-out-loud per half-hour than other TV programs. How Are You? has Alan in multiple creative roles, which showcases his knack for blunders and misjudgments. If explosive fruit edits symbolize struggles, viewers will see it, and no one corrects his verbal errors or similar gaffes in narration. The slight grimace we regularly catch as he strides out of shot sensing the scene went poorly always delights, and likewise for his interlude creations, the best of which sees him attempt to fix us with a sympathetic smile while gulping down a brew.
Striking Moments and Feelings
What could be funnier than his dumpster antics? Definitely not. His appearance is equally entertaining, with his new dye job several shades too light to be plausible, and his 2025 wardrobe featuring mustard chinos, black-and-white pundit pumps, assorted vests and an enthusiastic overreaction to the news that rugby shirts are back in fashion.
Additionally, the theme offers peeks into his inner world that appeared under new creative guidance. Several times, it delivers poignant moments, where Alan’s lack of self-awareness reveals a sadness that almost has us crying tears of emotion, then the comedy returns and laughter resumes. That can happen because we’ve loved him for so long: every appearance is appreciated.
