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Alan Partridge is in crisis! Yet, who isn’t struggling nowadays? In his last TV appearance, Alan was melting down live on air while fronting the entertainment series This Time, concluding the season by being shut out of the BBC. As his latest self-made endeavor begins, the light documentary How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), the presenter shares he’s since hit another low by passing out in front of a guest at an industry gathering for an agricultural firm. Challenging periods, yet figures like Partridge recover: link personal issues to broader trends and see if you can get a series out of it.

Delving into Stress and Loneliness

How Are You? then, sees Steve Coogan’s immortal alter ego in roving factual mode, looking into an epidemic of anxiety, stress and loneliness that he perceives as escalating: “If I can use an outdated term, it’s just got mental!” He tries out spiritual practices, revive old school ties, and enjoy therapeutic hikes, alongside facing his history. Initial episodes culminate in a fraught but healing gathering with “Sidekick” Simon Denton (Tim Key), his old partner from past shows, and as the episodes progress, previously unreleased footage is displayed.

For Coogan and his long-term writing/directing collaborators, How Are You? represents a shift in direction. Whereas This Time pushed Partridge into new territory, How Are You? often retreads it: as well as directly reviving old formats, the whole piece resembles the mockumentaries in recent years. With his personal issues seeping into the content, we’re most strongly reminded of the podcast series.

Dual Personas of the Character

This leads to a minor issue. We see two versions of Alan: Winning Alan (currently has a big paid presenting gig) and Wilderness Alan (doesn’t), and although Wilderness Alan was the star of the faultless TV sitcom 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 includes Kelly in the role of Katrina, his highly inappropriate love interest from the podcast. However, this sad story – he refuses to accept her betrayal with a pal and business owner – might have worked best in audio form, where the listener’s imagination can co-write the comedy. Without visuals, he seems more free: current formats thrive on challenging the triumphant version and seeing his downfall, as in past series.

Comedy Through Flaws

Still, these are minor points compared to a major truth: 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 competing shows. How Are You? has Alan in multiple creative roles, which highlights his talent for mistakes and bad choices. If he thinks Britain’s mental health problems are best illustrated by an aggressively edited montage of exploding fruit, viewers will see it, and there’s nobody to tell him that he’s accidentally used the word “tastistics” or similar gaffes in narration. The brief pained expression he makes exiting sensing the scene went poorly always delights, and nor do the idents he’s made to fit between segments, topped by his earnest, flawed grins while drinking tea clumsily.

Memorable Scenes and Sentiments

What could be funnier than his dumpster antics? Definitely not. Visually he’s a feast too, with an implausibly light hair color, and his 2025 wardrobe featuring mustard chinos, contrasting shoes, assorted vests and over-the-top joy about style revivals.

Moreover, the content reveals his deeper side that emerged with the current writers. Repeatedly, the show achieves emotional depth, where Alan’s lack of self-awareness reveals a sadness that briefly evokes strong feelings, until humor takes over and giggles follow. That can happen because we’ve loved him for so long: all iterations are gladly received.