Alan Partridge has demanded his new BBC colleagues watch his show This Time with Alan Partridge after he agreed to “drop everything and step up”.
He marked his return to the network, 24 years after his last presenting gig, by surprising the building with a witty all-staff email on Monday.
BBC employees were shocked after they were greeted with an email from Steve Coogan’s iconic character, ahead of tonight's show.
The message was shared on Twitter alongside a sharp out-of-office response employees received if they replied.
It read: “Dear colleague. I’m Alan Partridge and tonight sees my return to the BBC for the first time in two decades. Yes, some 24 years after my last presenting gig, the BBC have sidled up to me with a short-term offer to co-present your much-loved magazine show This Time, standing in for John Baskell who’s been taken ill.
“My response? Well, although my diary is as clogged as Jon’s arteries (get well, John!) I have agreed to drop everything and step up.”
The letter went on to hint that some colleagues may not be thrilled about his return but was sending the message in a bid to “clear the air” and request everyone to tune in to his show.
After a colleague attempted to send his well-wishes, he received a sassy automated response, which read: “I’m not in the office so both cannot and will not respond to your email. If your email is urgent, perhaps you should have tried calling instead.”
The note concluded with Partridge adding that marking an email as urgent, in red, has no impact on him.
The hilarious email proved a hit with fans, who hailed it “genius.”
"Brilliant, love it", declared one user.
Another added: "Wow! Just can't wait for tonight!"
Others tagged a string of friends in a bid to share the joke.
Despite his success, which saw him nominated for a Leading Actor BAFTA for Stan and Ollie, Coogan said there is still "more to come" from the beleaguered presenter.
“Strangely enough, the more success I have outside of Partridge, the more happy I am to keep doing Partridge," he told the Standard. "I don’t do Partridge because I have to do it, I do Partridge because I’m happy to do it. I still enjoy it and still find it funny. There’s plenty more to come.”
This Time with Alan Partridge is on BBC One, tonight at 9:30pm
