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Alan Partridge finds himself in a predicament! However, many are in similar straits today? During his previous television outing, Alan suffered a public collapse while hosting the light magazine show This Time, ending the series quite literally locked out of the BBC. At the start of his new, self-produced project, the non-fiction piece How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), the broadcaster reveals he’s experienced another setback by fainting into the lap of a female interviewee at a corporate event for Norfolk agribusiness stalwarts. Challenging periods, yet figures like Partridge recover: link personal issues to broader trends and try to develop a program from it.

Delving into Stress and Loneliness

How Are You? showcases the beloved persona in investigative guise, probing widespread emotional struggles that he perceives as escalating: “In old-fashioned language, it’s gone crazy!” The journey will see him experiment with religion, revive old school ties, and take a lot of restorative country walks, while dealing with his past. The first installment leads to a tense yet relieving meeting with “Sidekick” Simon Denton (Tim Key), an ex-co-worker from broadcasting days, and as the episodes progress, hidden moments from his career emerge.

With Coogan and his creative partners, How Are You? is a sideways move. While the previous show explored new ground, How Are You? frequently revisits old themes: along with bringing back former styles, the whole piece resembles the mockumentaries of the last decade. With his personal issues seeping into the content, it recalls his audio ventures.

Contrasting Alans

It creates a slight challenge. The character has two facets: Successful Alan (with high-profile jobs) and Outcast Alan (on the sidelines), and even though the underdog Alan shone in the classic series I’m Alan Partridge back in 1997, a more wistful Wilderness Alan has recently taken flight in books and audio projects. How Are You? places us inside the oasthouse and casts Katherine Kelly as Katrina, his highly inappropriate love interest from the podcast. Yet this heartbreaking narrative – he refuses to accept her betrayal with an acquaintance and entrepreneur – might have worked best in audio form, enabling mental imagery to amplify laughs. Off-screen, the character feels more expansive: current formats thrive on challenging the triumphant version and watching him implode, as happened on previous shows.

Humor in Mistakes

Yet, these issues pale beside a key reality: in any format, he is the top humorous character in Britain, and temporary versions still offer huge comedy than other TV programs. How Are You? features Alan as star, producer, and director, which highlights his talent for mistakes and bad choices. If explosive fruit edits symbolize struggles, that’s what we’re getting, and he remains unchecked on misspeaking or other mistakes in commentary. The slight grimace we regularly catch as he strides out of shot aware that the segment was a failure consistently amuses, and the same goes for his transitional clips, the best of which sees him attempt to fix us with a sympathetic smile while drinking tea clumsily.

Striking Moments and Feelings

Is there anything more joyous than Alan grunting as he squats down next to a skip? Absolutely not. His appearance is equally entertaining, with his new dye job several shades too light to be plausible, and his 2025 wardrobe featuring mustard chinos, contrasting shoes, multiple gilets and over-the-top joy about style revivals.

Plus, the subject matter here allows for the glimpses into Alan’s soul that have been there ever since the Gibbons brothers took over co-writing duties. More than once the series pulls off flashes of pathos, where his ignorance uncovers sorrow that nearly brings viewers to tears, until humor takes over and giggles follow. That can happen because we’ve loved him for so long: all iterations are gladly received.