Steve Coogan says Alan Partridge will return

Steve Coogan says viewers have not seen the last of his most famous character, Alan Partridge.

Coogan said BBC2 controller Jane Root was wrong to say the second series of I'm Alan Partridge, broadcast on the channel last autumn, was the character's last outing.

However, he admitted he would only don Partridge's casual slacks and Giles Brandreth-style jumpers for one-off specials, reports Media Guardian.

"I won't do another series but I don't rule out doing a special. I've not buried him completely because I enjoyed doing him," Coogan said.

The comic added he would not return to Partridge this year because he was busy working on other TV and film projects. "I would consider a special but it's on the backburner at the moment," Coogan said.

The second BBC2 series of I'm Alan Partridge last autumn received more mixed reviews than its multi-award-winning predecessor. However, it attracted good audiences.

Coogan is working on a series for BBC3 in which TV personalities recite Shakespeare's most famous soliloquies.

The show, which has the working title From Bard to Verse, will feature contributions from TV stars such as Ronni Ancona, Alistair McGowan and Lisa Riley.

"They're people you wouldn't normally associate with Shakespeare. I think it's a good, fresh way of bringing it to life," Coogan said.