Alan Partridge gets movie sequel and new Sky series
Alan Partridge, the most famous comedy character inhabited by actor Steve Coogan, is to star in a second feature film, it has been confirmed.
Following the success of last year's movie debut Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Coogan will also don the fictional radio DJ's guise for a second series of Mid Morning Matters on Sky Atlantic.
The new series will be complemented by a further new Partridge special, a spoof of popular long-running BBC documentary series Coast, in which Alan is expected to look at Norfolk's coastline.
Henry Normal, co-owner with Coogan of production company Baby Cow, told the Guardian today: "We are planning a sequel [to Alpha Papa], yes, that will be great.
"We are also looking at doing more Mid Morning Matters and another Sky special, a little bit like Coast with Alan Partridge, except I don't think he goes out of Norfolk. I think it's things of interest in Norfolk, that's the general theme."
He added: "We start writing now. I think we make it at the end of summer."
Originally conceived in the late 1980s for radio satire On The Hour, Partridge graduated to television in The Day Today. However it was not until he gained his own series - also first on radio and later moving to television, Knowing Me, Knowing You... With Alan Partridge - a spoof chat show, that he became a firm cult favourite.
A sitcom focusing on the life of the deluded and almost talentless one-time TV presenter and regional radio DJ followed in 1997. I'm Alan Partridge ran for two series to great acclaim, and was followed in 2003 by a special entitled Anglian Lives, spoofing regional television news programming.
Coogan revived the character in 2008 as part of a one-man live tour, and with sponsorship from Fosters beer, a new series seeing Alan hosting a programme on fictional station North Norfolk Digital, launched online in 2011. The series was broadcast on television by Sky Atlantic the following year, alongside a further two new specials: Alan Partridge: Welcome To The Places Of My Life and Alan Partridge On Open Books With Martin Bryce.
More detail about the genesis of Alan Partridge is available in this article
Further details of the Alan Partridge movie sequel have yet to be revealed, but it could be released as early as 2015.
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Henry Normal was speaking at the Advertising Week Europe event in London, where he told delegates that television comedy needs advertising money.
Normal said: "We've got a problem with scripted comedy. The budgets are getting less and less. 14 years ago when we [Baby Cow] made our first show for the BBC, Human Remains, we were getting more than we get today.
"We need advertisers' help to solve that problem. All the programmes we've ever made, I don't see why there shouldn't be advertising in them. I'd put ads in them now. But in 14 years I've hardly spoken to any advertising people whatsoever. It would be great to talk. My door is always open."
He added: "We've done three ad-funded shows in 14 years. In the next 14 years I'd love all our shows to be funded by ads."
Here is a video clip from the first film. It sees Alan singing in his car: