Alan Partridge is conduit to talk about ‘taboo’ subjects, says Steve Coogan

As TV character returns to BBC, Coogan says new series is a kind of ‘Trojan horse’ to air issues people feel anxious about bringing up

Alan Partridge has become a “Trojan horse” to talk about “taboo” subjects that make people anxious, Steve Coogan has said.

The hapless TV character is returning to the BBC in How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) – a new series featuring him returning to the UK having been doing promotional work in Saudi Arabia and attempting to rebuild his career through a documentary about mental health.

It has been four years since Partridge last appeared on the BBC. Coogan says he and his co-writers bring the veteran presenter back when there is something to say about UK culture and society.

The actor said Partridge was a “good conduit” to discuss “popular culture … and things that are difficult. Or say things that are perhaps taboo or would be difficult to talk about as … a private person.”