Steve Coogan

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?

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.

Monstrously vain maybe... but we can't help loving Alan

We shrivel inside to watch him ... and know that later, when his brain catches up, he'll be shrivelling too.

This Time with Alan Partridge review

Steve Coogan and the show's writers, Neil and Rob Gibbons, have summoned up another perfect reimagining of 'the Partridge'

Fans review the return of Alan Partridge

Can Alan still cut it in 2019, or did he fluck it up? Here are your verdicts on This Time With Alan Partridge.

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.

This Time With Alan Partridge review

To see Alan back on tv, and the BBC at that, is a real joy but it's superseded by the fact that he's better than ever.