"Give me another series, you shit!" A day after we learned that The League Of Gentlemen would be returning to the small screen for a 20th anniversary special, news now comes that Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge will soon be back on the BBC to mark the 25th anniversary of the character.
Coogan and Partridge co-creator Armando Iannucci have been hinting at a return to the character's original home for some time now, but confirmation has finally come from the Beeb itself, being announced at the Edinburgh TV festival. The BBC's Comedy Controller, Shane Allen, confirmed an hour-long 25th anniversary special to be broadcast on BBC Two before the end of the year, ahead of a full series to air on BBC One in 2018.
"Alan Partridge is in the top tier of comedy characters of all time," said Allen. "It fills my comedy heart with joy to welcome him back to BBC One and BBC Two." Coogan has previously stated that he wants the series to be Partridge's take on Brexit – an ideal angle for the consummate Little Englander.
First created in 1991 as a fake sports presenter for the BBC Radio spoof On The Hour, Alan Partridge has never really left the limelight, even if the character's fictional timeline centres around his continued failures. From I'm Alan Partridge to the feature film Alpha Papa to the mock-autobiography I, Partridge, there is now over two decades of character backstory to draw from. He is truly ultimate in petty, awkward C-list celebrities, and as the recent Mid Morning Matters series proved, there's still plenty of mileage in the character.
Will we finally see A Partridge Among The Pigeons? Youth Hostelling With Chris Eubank? Or perhaps Monkey Tennis? Whatever form it takes, Partridge will be back in 2018.