Lock up your Toblerones and set aside the big plates, Alan Partridge is back and in no mood to take prisoners after spending a year adjusting to life overseas.
Actor Steve Coogan has resurrected the tactless presenter for new mockumentary And Did Those Feet… With Alan Partridge, five years after his last TV appearance.
And first images from the production find him dressed in the character’s favoured bomber jacket and jeans while shooting outdoor scenes with a small production team.
The long-running character, who was originally created for radio and made his first TV appearance in 1994, appears to be as manic as ever, with Coogan filmed running through fields and swinging from trees for the new six-part series.
The 30-minute episode with follow Partridge as he returns to the United Kingdom following a year in Saudi Arabia, only to discover something is missing from his life.
Lock up your Toblerones and set aside the big plates, Alan Partridge is back and in no mood to take prisoners after spending a year adjusting to life overseas
Actor Steve Coogan has resurrected the tactless presenter for new mockumentary And Did Those Feet… With Alan Partridge, five years after his last TV appearance
Formatted as a spoof documentary, it will morph into an exploration of the current mental health crisis gripping the UK.
Sarah Monteith, chief executive of production company Baby Cow, said: ‘We’re delighted Alan’s back from Saudi Arabia with his appetite for broadcasting undiminished.
‘ADTFWAP promises to be exactly the sort of uncompromising, state-of-the-nation piece that the country needs, almost as much as he does.’
Jon Petrie, BBC director of comedy commissioning, said: ‘Alan Partridge is the most iconic comedy character in the UK.
‘The wonderful Steve Coogan and Neil and Rob Gibbons continue to innovate and create an even richer world for Alan to inhabit.
‘This unflinching look at the state of the UK through Alan’s eyes promises to add more brilliance to the Partridge canon.’
The series is one of six new comedy shows announced by Petrie, with Greg Davies’ The Cleaner and Man Like Mobeen from Guz Khan set to make a return.
Actor Steve is known for playing his most famous comic creation in TV show I’m Alan Partridge, which ended in 2002.
Coogan filmed running through fields and swinging from trees for the new six-part series
First images from the production find him dressed in the character’s favoured bomber jacket and jeans
The actor was joined by a small production team as he filmed his scenes outdoors
He reprised his role for This Time With Alan Partridge, which follows Partridge as he is given the chance to co-host fictional weekday magazine show This Time.
Steve recently starred in Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning, which aired in October last year.
The Reckoning details Savile’s rise to fame and his campaign of abuse while at the height of his stardom, as well as how his crimes were revealed following his death.
The four-part BBC series was praised for its handling of pedophile Jimmy’s heinous acts.
But in the lead up to its premiere, the series came under fire from victims’ families who were upset that their experiences were being made into entertainment.
In one scene Partridge appeared to be talking to a camera crew (not pictured) while filming a documentary
The 30-minute episode with follow Partridge as he returns to the United Kingdom following a year in Saudi Arabia , only to discover something is missing from his life
The new show is expected to air on the BBC later this year, although a release date is yet to be confirmed by the broadcasting giant
Coogan was seen hanging from a tree as he filmed his latest scenes on location this week
Partridge retrieves a large stick from a muddy pond in another scene from the new show
In October last year, Steve was slated to sign copies of his Alan Partridge autobiography while in character as the inept broadcaster.
However, it was reported that Steve’s team feared it could be jarring for him to appear as Alan so soon after he was seen as Savile in the series.
A source told The Sun: ‘Steve’s team were aware of the highly sensitive nature of the BBC drama and how it could jar with him getting into character as Alan for his book. No one wants to cause a stir.’
The appearance was moved to later in the month so as not to be so close to when The Reckoning aired.
A spokesperson for the actor told MailOnline at the time: ‘Due to a demanding rehearsal schedule for his next film, the book signings will now begin later this month in line with Steve’s availability.’
Steve’s portrayal of the disgraced disc jockey was also branded an ‘acting masterclass’ and ‘convincingly vile’ in the first episode of the four-part series.
When alive, Savile was one of the BBC’s most popular presenters and figureheads, but was exposed as a serial abuser following his death.
He used his involvement in various organisations such as the BBC, the Catholic church, the political sphere, charities, hospitals and prisons to legitimise himself and go undetected while sexually abusing hundreds of children and young people.
And Did Those Feet… With Alan Partridge will follow the fictional TV presenter, portrayed by comedian Steve Coogan, as he realises something is missing from his life
Coogan pictured as Alan Partridge in series one of I’m Alan Partridge, which aired in 1997
Coogan recently starred in Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning, which aired in October last year (pictured as Savile)
