Coogan avoids Partridge pigeonhole (From Knutsford Guardian)

Coogan avoids Partridge pigeonhole

9:44am Monday 9th July 2012 in National Entertainment News © Press Association 2013

Steve Coogan has revealed he's worked hard not to get typecast since finding fame as Alan Partridge.

The funnyman, 46, is back on screens as the bumbling broadcaster in the new TV series Mid Morning Matters: Special Edition.

But when asked if the character's success ever felt like a curse, he admitted: "If you make a character that's very successful then, yes, it can be. I have to fight not to be typecast. I have to generate a lot of other work for myself as some people don't see me as anything other than Alan.

"You can't have success without that side of it, but it's a nice problem to have. I was such a huge fan of things like Fawlty Towers and Monty Python, and when I was starting out I would think, wouldn't it be wonderful to have that kind of impact."

Steve, who stars in an upcoming film about Soho porn baron Paul Raymond, said he often gets mistaken for his alter ego.

"A lot of people do think he's real because they call me Alan. People say, 'Alan, can I have your autograph?' and I go, 'It's Steve actually' and they go, 'Yeah, all right Alan'."

:: Mid Morning Matters: Special Edition starts on Sky Atlantic tonight (July 9).