Back (of the net)

After 15 years away, Alan Partridge is set to clamber back on board the BBC gravy train, with a new series appearing on BBC2 in the spring of 2018. While some comebacks are greeted with a mixture of delight and unease, this one should be the cause of unalloyed joy: such has been the quality of recent Partridge output - particularly the two books I, Partridge and Nomad and the 2013 film Alpha Papa - that there aren't really any nagging doubts that it could be a disappointment. And, as good as Mid Morning Matters has been, it's infuriating for the likes of me that it hasn't been on terrestrial TV so has been much harder to keep up with.

If you're thinking that Alan returning to the Beeb is improbable, given his previous history with Auntie, then Steve Coogan has a very plausible explanation: "It's conceivable, because in this age of Brexit, they might think they need to get in touch with the 'Little Englanders' they ignore. Alan would have voted Brexit for sure. Hard Brexit, given the choice. He's a Brexiteer because the Daily Mail told him to be."