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Once again, Alan Partridge faces turmoil! But then, who isn’t these days? During his previous television outing, Alan suffered a public collapse while presenting the magazine program This Time, wrapping up with him excluded of the BBC. As his latest self-made endeavor begins, the non-fiction piece How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), Alan discloses he’s encountered further difficulties by collapsing onto a woman during an interview at an industry gathering for an agricultural firm. Challenging periods, yet figures like Partridge recover: tie your troubles to a national trend and see if you can get a series out of it.

Exploring the Epidemic of Anxiety

How Are You? features Coogan’s timeless character in documentary style, looking into an epidemic of anxiety, stress and loneliness that he perceives as escalating: “In old-fashioned language, it’s gone crazy!” He tries out spiritual practices, reconnect with friends from school, and embark on calming rural strolls, alongside facing his history. Episode one builds towards a hostile but cathartic reunion with “Sidekick” Simon Denton (Tim Key), Alan’s former colleague on This Time and North Norfolk Digital radio, and as the episodes progress, we’re shown unseen clips from Alan’s stints.

For Coogan and his long-term writing/directing collaborators, How Are You? marks a change of pace. While the previous show explored new ground, How Are You? sometimes rehashes past ideas: as well as directly reviving old formats, the whole piece resembles the mockumentaries of the last decade. With his personal issues seeping into the content, it recalls his audio ventures.

The Two Sides of Alan Partridge

That presents a small problem. We see two versions of Alan: Successful Alan (with high-profile jobs) and Outcast Alan (on the sidelines), and despite Wilderness Alan leading the beloved show I’m Alan Partridge back in 1997, a reflective version has emerged lately in books and audio projects. How Are You? situates us in his world and casts Katherine Kelly as Katrina, his highly inappropriate love interest from the podcast. But that tragic tale – he refuses to accept her betrayal with his friend and local tanning-centre mogul – seems better suited to podcast pacing, enabling mental imagery to amplify laughs. When we can’t see him, Wilderness Alan has room to breathe: current formats thrive on challenging the triumphant version and observing his collapse, as seen before.

Comedy Through Flaws

Yet, these issues pale beside a key reality: whatever medium he inhabits, Partridge remains the funniest comic creation in Britain, and even placeholder Partridge has more laughs-out-loud per half-hour than other TV programs. How Are You? is produced and directed by Alan, as well as starring him, which opens up his genius for sloppy errors and poor editorial decisions. If explosive fruit edits symbolize struggles, viewers will see it, and he remains unchecked on misspeaking or other mistakes in commentary. The slight grimace we regularly catch as he strides out of shot sensing the scene went poorly never stops being funny, and nor do the idents he’s made to fit between segments, highlighted by his awkward, caring expressions while gulping down a brew.

Memorable Scenes and Sentiments

Is there anything more joyous than Alan grunting as he squats down next to a skip? Definitely not. He is also a visual treat, with a poorly chosen hair shade, and his attire including bright trousers, black-and-white pundit pumps, an arsenal of body warmers and excited response to fashion trends.

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, then the comedy returns and laughter resumes. That can happen because we’ve loved him for so long: any version of Alan Partridge is always welcome back.