Steve Coogan

After last week's awkwardness, Alan is back in his astonishing puffer jacket and back on top, letting us in on both his weekly meat consumption and his views on corporal punishment. An inch broader than some previous Partridges, but no less expertly constructed, with big laughs everywhere.

Gervais & Coogan changed comedy & took different paths

Some 15 years after the birth of Alan Partridge and David Brent, both men are back with new shows. But while Coogan has focused on collaboration, Gervais appears to be working more and more in a vacuum - and it shows.

Has Piers Morgan killed Alan Partridge?

The second episode of This Time has dipped in the ratings. "A-ha!" says his rival host.

As Tony Hayers's widow will testify, Alan Partridge and death aren't always comfortable bedfellows. Tonight, the passing of former This Time presenter John Baskell leaves Alan with the job of co-presenting a sombre tribute. Will he find the right tone? What do you think?

This Time with Alan Partridge, episode 2, review

This is television comedy for the connoisseur.

There was something metatextually fascinating about the scheduling on Monday night, when the BBC followed Warren with This Time With Alan Partridge. Steve Coogan's return - remember, this character was created in 1991, and that's some longevity in comedy years - was by and large triumphant. I clutched myself gleefully at the pitch-perfect pastiche of The One Show, replete with fixed grins and soft-soaping and "questions" that a stuffed velveteen rabbit could bat back with a sleepy paw, and sudden shifts to "investigation": goodness, that real-life show is one drift of dreck.

Susannah Fielding is a terrific asset. I''m immensely looking forward to further intense interplay between those two egos sitting slightly too forcedly close together on the couch. Partridge now has just enough (intensely hard-won) self-knowledge to know when he's flubbed something; his tragedy is that it can never be enough to prevent re-flub, often before the mouth has closed. Grand already and can get only better.

I've never seen Coogan better or Partridge funnier

I don't think I've ever seen Coogan better or Partridge funnier. The character is more rounded and involving but still endearingly silly and oh-God-did-he-really-just-say-that?

Review: This Time with Alan Partridge

This Partridge was only lukewarm as I said at the top, whereas I always prefer mine steaming hot.

Review: 'This Time with Alan Partridge' is a triumph

Even when Alan's keeping his mouth shut, there are plenty of laughs to be had from his forced smiles and the look of absolute terror in his eyes at being on live TV. Not to mention the silent fury on his face when his co-host steals a joke he said off-air.