This week’s TV picks and Richard Arnold’s week in showbiz
Alan Partridge returns as the co-host of teatime magazine show This Time…
Expect more embarrassing gaffes and awkward moments as TV’S most inept presenter returns in a second
series of This Time with Alan Partridge.
In the comedy, Steve Coogan’s alter ego presents longrunning weekday show This
Time with co-host Jennie Gresham (Susannah Fielding).
‘It’s what’s known as a magazine show, bottling all the magic of magazine reading and translating that into 30 minutes of TV,’ says Alan. ‘It covers current affairs, global issues, everyday niggles and some very light politics all held together with good old-fashioned chat.’
The first series saw Alan make a comeback when he was brought in as a stand-in after one of This Time’s regular presenters fell ill. Although each episode predictably ended in chaos, Alan’s now established as one of the main hosts.
The last time we saw him, Alan landed in hot water with his bosses after he upset Jennie on air and she stormed out of the studio. So how does the land lie between the pair now?
‘We’ve had our ups and downs,’ says Alan. ‘But are we friends? Are Ant and Dec friends? Are Holly and Phil? Are Richard and Judy? No, of course not!’ ✣ This Time with Alan Partridge is on BBC1