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Alan Partridge is in crisis! Yet, who isn’t struggling nowadays? When we last saw him on screen, Alan was melting down live on air while presenting the magazine program This Time, ending the series quite literally locked out of the BBC. At the start of his new, self-produced project, the informative film How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), the broadcaster reveals he’s since hit another low by passing out in front of a guest at an industry gathering for an agricultural firm. Tough times, but personalities of Partridge’s calibre know how to bounce back: tie your troubles to a national trend and attempt to turn it into a show.

Investigating Mental Health Trends

How Are You? then, sees Steve Coogan’s immortal alter ego in documentary style, examining a wave of mental health issues that he perceives as escalating: “In old-fashioned language, it’s gone crazy!” His path includes dabbling in faith, 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), his old partner from past shows, and as the episodes progress, we’re shown unseen clips from Alan’s stints.

Alongside his co-writers and directors, 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, it mirrors earlier faux-documentaries from the 2010s. With his personal issues seeping into the content, we’re most strongly reminded of the podcast series.

The Two Sides of Alan Partridge

It creates a slight challenge. There are two Alans: Winning Alan (currently has a big paid presenting gig) and Struggling Alan (without work), and even though the underdog Alan shone in the classic series I’m Alan Partridge back in 1997, a nostalgic take has developed in books and audio projects. How Are You? places us inside the oasthouse and features Kelly as Katrina, a mismatched romantic partner from the podcast. Yet this heartbreaking narrative – Alan is in denial about Katrina cheating on him with a pal and business owner – 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 watching him implode, as happened on previous shows.

Humor in Mistakes

Still, these are minor points compared to a major truth: in any format, he is the top humorous character in Britain, and even placeholder Partridge has more laughs-out-loud per half-hour than competing shows. How Are You? has Alan in multiple creative roles, which opens up his genius for sloppy errors and poor editorial decisions. Should he believe exploding fruit represents mental health, that’s what we’re getting, and there’s nobody to tell him that he’s accidentally used the word “tastistics” or similar gaffes in narration. The subtle wince he shows off-camera knowing on some level that that piece to camera was another balls-up consistently amuses, and the same goes for his transitional clips, topped by his earnest, flawed grins while drinking tea clumsily.

Memorable Scenes and Sentiments

Is there anything more joyous than Alan grunting as he squats down next to a skip? Absolutely not. Visually he’s a feast too, with his new dye job several shades too light to be plausible, and his clothing showcasing loud pants, contrasting shoes, an arsenal of body warmers and over-the-top joy about style revivals.

Plus, the subject matter here allows for the glimpses into Alan’s soul that appeared under new creative guidance. Repeatedly, the show achieves emotional depth, where Alan’s lack of self-awareness reveals a sadness that almost has us crying tears of emotion, then the comedy returns and laughter resumes. That can happen because we’ve loved him for so long: every appearance is appreciated.