Alan Partridge publishes memoir about his TV comeback, Big Beacon

ExclusiveThursday 11th May 2023, 5:11pm by Jay Richardson

Alan Partridge is publishing his third memoir, Big Beacon, about resurrecting his television career. But also about restoring an old lighthouse
The book will employ "an innovative 'dual narrative' structure you sometimes see in films"
Written with the help of Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons and Steve Coogan, Big Beacon will be published on 12th October

Alan Partridge is publishing a third volume of memoirs, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.

Big Beacon will employ "an innovative 'dual narrative' structure you sometimes see in films".

Published by Seven Dials on 12th October, the book reveals how "Norwich's favourite son and best broadcaster" triumphed "against the odds. TWICE."

Penned with the help of Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons and Steve Coogan, the memoir will relate how Partridge "heroically rebuilt his TV career, rising like a phoenix from the desolate wasteland of local radio to climb to the summit of Mount Primetime and regain the nationwide prominence his talent merits.

"But then something quite unexpected and moving happens, because Big Beacon also tells the story of a selfless man, driven to restore an old lighthouse to its former glory, motivated by nothing more than respect for a quietly heroic old building that many take for granted, which some people think is a metaphor for Alan himself even though it's not really for them to say.*

"Leaving his old life behind and relocating to a small coastal village in Kent, Alan battles through adversity, wins the hearts and minds of a suspicious community, and ultimately shows himself to be a quite wonderful man."

* The two strands will run in tandem, their narrative arcs mirroring each other to make the parallels between the two stories abundantly clear to the less able reader.

Big Beacon is Partridge's third autobiography, following 2011's I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan and 2016's Nomad.

The gaffe-prone presenter was last seen on television in January, when his live Stratagem tour landed on Amazon Prime, and prior to that in 2021 on BBC One's This Time With Alan Partridge.

Last month, Audible announced it had commissioned a third series of From The Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast.

Big Beacon is available to pre-order now.

Alan Partridge: Big Beacon

By Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons and Rob Gibbons

In Big Beacon, Norwich's favourite son and best broadcaster, Alan Partridge, triumphs against the odds. TWICE.

Using an innovative 'dual narrative' structure you sometimes see in films, Big Beacon tells the story of how Partridge heroically rebuilt his TV career, rising like a phoenix from the desolate wasteland of local radio to climb to the summit of Mount Primetime and regain the nationwide prominence his talent merits.

But then something quite unexpected and moving, because Big Beacon also tells the story of a selfless man, driven to restore an old lighthouse to its former glory, motivated by nothing more than respect for a quietly heroic old building that many take for granted, which some people think is a metaphor for Alan himself even though it's not really for them to say.*

Leaving his old life behind and relocating to a small coastal village in Kent, Alan battles through adversity, wins the hearts and minds of a suspicious community, and ultimately shows himself to be a quite wonderful man.

* The two strands will run in tandem, their narrative arcs mirroring each other to make the parallels between the two stories abundantly clear to the less able reader.

First released: Thursday 12th October 2023

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Audiobook