Steve Coogan

Stephen John Coogan{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/facts/Steve-Coogan|title=Steve Coogan Facts|newspaper=Encyclopedia Britannica }} was born on 14 October 1965 in Middleton, Lancashire,{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-steve-coogan-comedian-44-1827725.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-steve-coogan-comedian-44-1827725.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=My Secret Life: Steve Coogan, Comedian, 44 |date=28 November 2009 |work=The Independent |access-date=3 November 2016}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/oct/03/steve-coogan-autobiography-extract-comedy |title=It took me a long time to face up to my addiction (edited extract from Coogan's autobiography Easily Distracted)|first=Steve |last=Coogan |date=3 October 2015 |work=The Guardian}} the son of housewife Kathleen (née Coonan) and IBM engineer Anthony "Tony" Coogan.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2013/jul/28/profile-steve-coogan-alan-partridge |title=Steve Coogan: older, wiser, but as for his alter ego... |first=Brian |last=Logan |date=27 July 2013 |work=The Guardian |access-date=3 November 2016}}{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/pictures/71st-golden-globes-red-carpet-arrivals/ |title=71st Golden Globes, Red Carpet Arrivals |date=12 January 2014 |publisher=CBS Los Angeles|access-date=3 November 2016}} He has four brothers and one sister,{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4709881/Steve-Coogan-in-persons.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620143229/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4709881/Steve-Coogan-in-persons.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 June 2009|title=Steve Coogan in person |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Allison |last=Pearson |access-date=23 August 2013 |location=London |date=2 August 1997}} and was raised Roman Catholic in what he described as a "lower middle-class or upper working-class" family which emphasised the values of education. His elder brother Martin is a musician, while his younger brother Brendan is a presenter. Coogan's mother is Irish and hails from County Mayo, while his father was born in Manchester to Irish parents Margaret (from County Kilkenny) and Thomas Coogan (a tailor from County Cork), who had settled there shortly before the First World War.{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/11/21/philomena-film-is-not-an-attack-on-the-church-at-all-says-coogan/ |title='Philomena' film is 'not an attack on the Church at all' says Coogan |work=Catholic Herald |date=21 November 2013 |access-date=3 November 2016 |archive-date=20 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020084109/http://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/11/21/philomena-film-is-not-an-attack-on-the-church-at-all-says-coogan/ |url-status=dead }}[https://web.archive.org/web/20140601043306/http://westcorktimes.com/home/archives/25711 westcorktimes.com] During the 1950s, his paternal grandfather established a dance hall for Irish immigrants.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jan/04/steve-coogan-interview-stan-and-ollie |title=Steve Coogan: 'Maybe I've just got flabby and middle-aged' |last=Brooks |first=Xan |date=4 January 2019 |work=The Guardian |access-date=4 January 2019}} Coogan has stated that he had a happy childhood, and his parents fostered children on a short-term basis.

Coogan lived on Manchester New Road in Alkrington. His father stood for the SDP-Liberal Alliance in the Middleton South ward at the Rochdale Borough Council elections in both May 1983Middleton Guardian Friday 15 April 1983, page 11 and May 1984.Middleton Guardian Friday 6 April 1984, page 4 He was also chairman of the Catholic Grammar Schools Parents Association, and protested against the proposal by the Salford Roman Catholic Diocesan Schools Commission to close the sixth form (which ultimately did not happen).Middleton Guardian Friday 7 December 1984, page 11 Coogan attended St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School and Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School.{{cite news |last=Logan |first=Brian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2013/jul/28/profile-steve-coogan-alan-partridge |title=Steve Coogan: older, wiser, but as for his alter ego... |work=The Guardian |date=28 July 2013 |access-date=27 April 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n4754 |title=Steve Coogan Archive |publisher=BBC Radio 4 |access-date=23 August 2013}} Coogan passed two O-levels in 1983, which were likely re-take exams, aged 17.Middleton Guardian Friday 2 September 1983, page 35 In 1984 he gained 4 A-levels: English Literature, British Government and Politics, Art, and General Studies.Middleton Guardian Friday 24 August 1984, page 11Manchester Evening News Friday 17 August 1984, page 24 In the same year, his brother Kevin acquired nine O-levels at the same schoolMiddleton Guardian Friday 31 August 1984, page 9 and took part in local and regional sports competitions, notably in basketball and cross country running.Middleton Guardian Friday 22 April 1983, page 40

Coogan's sister trained to be a teacher at the nearby Hopwood Hall College.{{cn|date=January 2024}} As a family, it was assumed that all the children would become teachers. Coogan had a talent for impersonation and wanted to go to drama school, despite being advised by a teacher that it could lead to a precarious profession.{{cite episode |title=Desert Island Discs with Steve Coogan|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n4754|series=Desert Island Discs |series-link=Desert Island Discs |network=BBC |station=BBC Radio 4 |airdate=18 October 2009}}{{where?|date=October 2014}} After five failed applications to various drama schools in London, he received a place at the theatre company New Music before gaining a place at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama, where he met future collaborator John Thomson.

{{main|Alan Partridge}}

File:Alan Partridge booksigning.png

Coogan began his career as a comic and impressionist, performing regularly in Ipswich, before working as a voice artist for television advertisements and the satirical puppet show Spitting Image.Barton, Laura . "[https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/oct/26/steve-coogan-rob-brydon Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan: 'We're not the big buddies people think we are']". The Guardian, 26 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2021 In 1988, he provided vocals for the acid house record 'Don't Believe the Hype' credited to Mista E. The record peaked at number 41 in December 1988, narrowly missing the main chart rundown. In 1989, he appeared in a series of specially shot sketches in the Observation round in the long-running ITV game show The Krypton Factor. In 1992, Coogan won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his performance with long-time collaborator John Thomson, and starred alongside him and Caroline Aherne in a one-off Granada TV sketch show, The Dead Good Show. His most prominent characters developed at this time were Paul Calf, a stereotypical working-class Mancunian, and his sister Pauline, played by Coogan in drag. While working on the Radio 4 comedy On the Hour, Coogan created Alan Partridge, a parody of British sports presenters, with the producer Armando Iannucci. Coogan described Partridge as a Little Englander, with right-wing values and poor taste.{{Cite web|last=Husband|first=Stuart|date=5 August 2013|title=Alan Partridge: the 'A-ha!' moments|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10208780/Alan-Partridge-the-A-ha-moments.html|access-date=14 September 2015|work=The Daily Telegraph}} He is socially inept, often offending his guests,{{Cite web|date=27 July 2013|title=Alan Partridge's top 10 hits – in video|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/jul/27/alan-partridge-greatest-hits|access-date=14 September 2015|work=The Guardian}} and has an inflated sense of importance and celebrity.{{Cite web|last=Keeling|first=Robert|date=7 August 2013|title=Alan Partridge's top TV moments|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/alan-partridges-top-tv-moments/|access-date=20 April 2022|publisher=Den of Geek}} According to Coogan, Partridge was originally a "one-note, sketchy character"{{cite magazine|last=de Semlyen|first=Nick|title=Steve Coogan Talks Alan Partridge|url=https://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1757|magazine=Empire|access-date=14 September 2015}} and "freak show", but slowly became refined as a dysfunctional alter ego.{{Cite web|last=Coyle|first=Jake|date=4 May 2014|title=Steve Coogan on 23 Years of Alan Partridge|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/05/steve-coogan-alan-partridge_n_5097062.html|access-date=14 September 2015|work=HuffPost}}

In 1992, Partridge hosted a spin-off Radio 4 spoof chat show, Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge. On the Hour transferred to television as The Day Today in 1994, followed by Knowing Me, Knowing You later that year.{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Ben|date=4 September 1994|title=Comedy / Knowing him, knowing us, ah-haah: Alan Partridge, smarmy master of the crass interview, is bringing his chat show to television. Ben Thompson meets the gauche celeb's comic creator, Steve Coogan|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy--knowing-him-knowing-us-ahhaah-alan-partridge-smarmy-master-of-the-crass-interview-is-bringing-his-chat-show-to-television-ben-thompson-meets-the-gauche-celebs-comic-creator-steve-coogan-1446647.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy--knowing-him-knowing-us-ahhaah-alan-partridge-smarmy-master-of-the-crass-interview-is-bringing-his-chat-show-to-television-ben-thompson-meets-the-gauche-celebs-comic-creator-steve-coogan-1446647.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=14 September 2015|work=The Independent}} In 1997, Coogan starred as Partridge in a BBC sitcom, I'm Alan Partridge, written by Coogan, Iannucci and Peter Baynham, following Partridge's life in a roadside hotel working for a small radio station. It earned two BAFTAs{{Cite web|title=BAFTA Awards Search {{!}}Steve Coogan|url=http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=Steve%2520Coogan|access-date=2015-11-11|website=awards.bafta.org}} and was followed by a second series in 2002. After I'm Alan Partridge, Coogan tired of Partridge and limited him to smaller roles.{{Cite web|last=Wray|first=Daniel Dylan|date=9 October 2020|title=Aha! – The Oral History of Alan Partridge|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/oral-history-of-alan-partridge/|access-date=2020-10-09|website=Vice}} Coogan said he did not want to say goodbye to Partridge, and that "as long as I can do my other things, that, to me, is the perfect balance". He later said that Partridge had once been an "albatross" but had become "a battered, comfortable old leather jacket".{{Cite web|last=Nicholson|first=Tom|date=2020-09-05|title=Steve Coogan: How we made Alan Partridge's 'Monkey Tennis' scene|url=https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a33922072/steve-coogan-how-we-made-alan-partridges-monkey-tennis-scene/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913083028/https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a33922072/steve-coogan-how-we-made-alan-partridges-monkey-tennis-scene/|archive-date=13 September 2020|access-date=2021-12-02|website=Esquire|language=en-GB}} Critics have praised Partridge's complexity, realism and pathos. Vanity Fair called him a British national treasure{{cite magazine|last=Kamp|first=David|date=March 2012|title=Comedian Steve Coogan Goes from Cult to Classic|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/03/steve-coogan-201203|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=14 September 2015}} and the Guardian described him as "one of the greatest and most beloved comic creations of the last few decades".{{Cite web|last=Heritage|first=Stuart|date=4 April 2014|title=Alan Partridge: a guide for Americans, newcomers and American newcomers|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/apr/04/alan-partridge-a-guide-for-americans-newcomers-and-american-newcomers|access-date=14 September 2015|work=The Guardian}} Partridge is credited with influencing cringe comedies such as The Inbetweeners, Nighty Night and Peep Show.{{Cite web|date=24 February 2015|title=The 10 best TV sitcoms of all time|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10121664/The-10-best-TV-sitcoms-of-all-time.html|access-date=14 September 2015|work=The Independent}} In 2001 a poll by Channel 4, Partridge was voted seventh on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.{{cite web|title=100 Greatest TV Characters|url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/tv_characters/results.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531160558/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/tv_characters/results.html|archive-date=31 May 2009|access-date=26 May 2019|publisher=Channel 4}}

File:Alan Partridge at the Hollywood Cinema (geograph 6378088).jpg

Paul Calf began as a character named 'Duncan Disorderly' in Coogan's early stand-up routines. Calf first came to wider public notice in 1993, with several appearances on Saturday Zoo, a late-night variety show presented by Jonathan Ross on Channel 4. Paul has appeared in two video diaries, an episode of Coogan's Run, and in various stand-up performances. He is an unemployed Mancunian wastrel with a particular hatred of students. His catchphrase, spoken to disparage something or someone, is "Bag o' shite". Paul lives in a council house in the fictional town of Ottle with his mother and his sister, Pauline Calf (also played by Coogan). His father, Pete Calf (played by Coogan in Coogan's Run) died some time before the first video diary was made. For a long time he was obsessed with getting back together with his ex-girlfriend, Julie. Paul's best friend is "Fat" Bob (played by John Thomson), a car mechanic who eventually married Pauline. Paul supports Manchester City and is very partial to Wagon Wheels. He wears Burton suits, sports a bleached mullet hairstyle, and drives a Ford Cortina. Pauline Calf's Wedding Video won the 1995 BAFTA Television Award for Best Comedy.{{Cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1995/television|title=Television in 1995 | BAFTA Awards|website=awards.bafta.org}}

Other Coogan creations include Tommy Saxondale, Duncan Thicket, Ernest Eckler and Portuguese Eurovision Song Contest winner Tony Ferrino. Duncan Thicket has appeared in a tour of live shows. Coogan, along with his writing partner Henry Normal, founded Baby Cow Productions in 1999. Together, they have served as executive producers for shows such as The Mighty Boosh, Nighty Night, Marion and Geoff, Gavin & Stacey, Human Remains and Moone Boy, as well as the Alan Partridge feature film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. They have also produced Where Are the Joneses?, an online sitcom which uses wiki technology to allow the audience to upload scripts and storyline ideas.{{cite web |url=http://wherearethejoneses.com |title=Where are the Joneses? |publisher=Wherearethejoneses.com |access-date=2 November 2008 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020170520/http://wherearethejoneses.com/ |archive-date=20 October 2008 }} Other TV shows he has starred in include Coogan's Run, Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible, Monkey Trousers and Saxondale. Coogan has provided voices for the animated series I Am Not an Animal and Bob and Margaret, two Christmas specials featuring Robbie the Reindeer, and an episode of the BBC Radio Four spoof sci-fi series Nebulous. He played the Gnat in the 1998 TV adaptation of Alice Through the Looking-Glass starring Kate Beckinsale,

Coogan starred in BBC2's The Private Life of Samuel Pepys in 2003, and Cruise of the Gods in 2002 and portrayed Factory Records boss, Tony Wilson in the film, 24 Hour Party People (2002). In 2006, he had a cameo in the Little Britain Christmas special as a pilot taking Lou and Andy to Disneyland. Coogan has played himself several times on screen. First, in one of the vignettes of Jim Jarmusch's 2003 film Coffee and Cigarettes, alongside Alfred Molina. Second, in 2006 Coogan starred with Rob Brydon in Michael Winterbottom's A Cock and Bull Story, a self-referential film of the "unfilmable" self-referential novel Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne. In the film, Coogan plays a fictional, womanising version of himself. The first film that Coogan co-wrote with Henry Normal was The Parole Officer, in which he also acted alongside Ben Miller and Lena Headey. He has an uncredited cameo in Hot Fuzz, scripted by Shaun of the Dead writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. He also starred in the Night at the Museum trilogy in which he played Octavius, a miniature Roman general figure, alongside Owen Wilson's Jedediah, a miniature cowboy figure. In 2007, Coogan played a psychiatrist on Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO, and in 2008, starred in the BBC1 drama Sunshine.

In March 2008, it was confirmed that Coogan would return to doing comedy as part of his first stand-up tour in ten years. The tour, named "Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge and other less successful characters", saw the return of some of his old characters including Paul Calf and Alan Partridge.{{cite web |url=http://www.coogans-run.co.uk/h/steve-coogan-newsitem.php?id=703 |title=First live dates in a decade |publisher=Coogan's Run |access-date=2 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921104140/http://www.coogans-run.co.uk/h/steve-coogan-newsitem.php?id=703 |archive-date=21 September 2008 }} Reviews of the tour were mixed.{{cite web |url=http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Steve-Coogan-fails-sparkle/story-12548801-detail/story.html|title=Steve Coogan fails to sparkle |publisher=Stoke Sentinel |access-date=20 April 2022 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222125958/http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Steve-Coogan-fails-sparkle/story-12548801-detail/story.html|archive-date=22 December 2014}}{{cite news |url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2008/10/16/nothing-to-laugh-at-for-steve-coogan-s-angry-fans-64375-22045908/ |title=Nothing to laugh at for Steve Coogan's angry fans |work=Liverpool Daily Post |access-date=2 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722151528/http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2008/10/16/nothing-to-laugh-at-for-steve-coogan-s-angry-fans-64375-22045908/|archive-date=22 July 2013}}{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/alan-partridges-less-successful-show-964292.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205091355/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/alan-partridges-less-successful-show-964292.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 December 2008 |title=Alan Partridge's less successful show |work=The Independent |access-date=2 November 2008 |location=London |first=Jonathan |last=Brown |date=17 October 2008}} Much of the criticism focused on the apparent unrehearsed quality of some of the performances and on Coogan's nervous stage presence. Chortle comedy guide described it as "most definitely a show of two halves: the superlative Alan Partridge plus a collection of characters that are not only less successful, but woefully less funny".{{cite web |last=Bennett |first=Steve |title=Steve Coogan As Alan Partridge And Other Less Successful Characters |url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/shows/tour/s/15969/steve_coogan_as_alan_partridge_and_other_less_successful_characters/review?id_review=15969 |work=Chortle comedy review October 2008 |publisher=Chortle |access-date=25 November 2011}}

As the tour progressed and the problems were ironed out, reviews were very positive. Dominic Maxwell of The Times described the show as "twice as entertaining as most other comedy shows this year".{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/oct/06/steve.coogan.alan.partridge |title=Reviews roundup: Steve Coogan is Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters |first=Simon |last=Masterton |work=The Guardian |date=6 October 2008 |access-date=1 December 2017}} Brian Logan of The Guardian awarded it four stars and described it as "shamelessly funny".{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/oct/06/comedy |title=Comedy review: Steve Coogan / New Theatre, Oxford |first=Brian |last=Logan |date=5 October 2008 |access-date=1 December 2017 |work=The Guardian}} Reviews such as the one from the Trent FM Arena exemplified how much the show had improved after dealing with the glitches on its first few dates: "When Steve Coogan first brought this show to Nottingham last month, the reviews were poor... the intervening weeks have made a big difference, and last night's audience at the Trent FM Arena went home happy. More please, and soon."{{cite news |url=http://www.nottinghampost.com/Review-Steve-Coogan-Trent-FM-Arena/story-12262916-detail/story.html |title=Review: Steve Coogan, Trent FM Arena |date=25 November 2018 |access-date=1 December 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150311165258/http://www.nottinghampost.com/Review-Steve-Coogan-Trent-FM-Arena/story-12262916-detail/story.html |archive-date=11 March 2015 }}

In 2008, BBC Worldwide bought a 25% stake in the production company. It did not offer the largest sum, but was chosen by Coogan and Normal owing to their previous work with and strong connection with the BBC. In 2009, Coogan was featured, alongside Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and Julia Davis, in the spoof documentary TV film Steve Coogan – The Inside Story.{{cite web|url=http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/steve_coogan_the_inside_story/ |title=Steve Coogan – The Inside Story – BBC2 Factual |publisher=British Comedy Guide |access-date=25 May 2014}} The same year he spoke on the influence of Monty Python on his comedy when he appeared in the television documentary, Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut).{{cite news |title=Monty Python: Still On Comedy's Flying Trapeze |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/arts/television/04mcgr.html |access-date=26 August 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times|date=30 September 2009 |last1=McGrath |first1=Charles }}

File:Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (12096838575).jpg at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival]]

In 2010, he worked again with Brydon and Michael Winterbottom for the partially improvised BBC2 sitcom The Trip, in which he and Brydon tour northern restaurants.{{cite web |url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/winners-nominees-2011,1766,BA.html |title=Television Awards Nominees and Winners in 2011 |publisher=Bafta.org |access-date=29 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612170120/http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/winners-nominees-2011,1766,BA.html |archive-date=12 June 2011 }} The movie was followed in 2014 with the film, The Trip to Italy, about him and Brydon taking a food-tasting trip through Italy, followed by The Trip to Spain (2017){{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_trip_to_italy_2014/|title=The Trip To Italy|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=3 November 2016}} and The Trip to Greece (2020).{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/steve-coogan-rob-brydon-comedy-the-trip-to-greece-arriving-in-may-1234575172/|title= Film News Roundup: Steve Coogan-Rob Brydon Comedy 'The Trip to Greece' Arriving in May|website= Variety|date= 9 April 2020|access-date= 22 April 2020}} He worked again with director Winterbottom in The Look of Love (2013), about '50s porn-king, Paul Raymond.

Partridge returned in 2010 with a series of shorts, Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge, written with new writers Rob and Neil Gibbons.{{Cite news|last=Aroesti|first=Rachel|date=2014-03-15|title=Tim Key: from living-room poetry jams to comedy ubiquity|language=en-GB|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/mar/15/tim-key-sidekick-simon-single-white-slut|access-date=2016-02-18|issn=0261-3077}} It was followed by the spoof memoirs I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan (2011){{Cite news|last=Gordon|first=Edmund|date=23 November 2011|title=I, Partridge by Alan Partridge – review|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/23/i-partridge-alan-partridge-review|access-date=18 December 2017|issn=0261-3077}} and Nomad (2016),{{Cite web|date=20 July 2016|title=Watch Alan Partridge announce new book Nomad and mercilessly diss Game of Thrones|website=Independent.co.uk |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/exclusive-watch-alan-partridge-mercilessly-diss-game-of-thrones-before-announcing-new-book-nomad-a7146646.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/exclusive-watch-alan-partridge-mercilessly-diss-game-of-thrones-before-announcing-new-book-nomad-a7146646.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=24 July 2016|language=en-GB}} the feature film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013),{{cite magazine|last=de Semlyen|first=Phil|date=30 April 2012|title=Armando Iannucci on Alan Partridge Movie|url=https://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=33802|magazine=Empire|access-date=14 September 2015}} and several TV specials.{{Cite web|last=Delgado|first=Kasia|date=5 May 2016|title=Alan Partridge's Scissored Isle is the broadcaster's very funny journey of (sort of) redemption|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-05-05/alan-partridges-scissored-isle-is-the-broadcasters-very-funny-journey-of-sort-of-redemption|access-date=19 May 2016|website=Radio Times}}{{cite magazine|last=Seale|first=Jack|date=25 June 2012|title=Meet the men who made Alan Partridge funnier than ever|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-06-25/meet-the-men-who-made-alan-partridge-funnier-than-ever|magazine=Radio Times|access-date=14 September 2015}} In his autobiography, Coogan wrote that Alpha Papa was the hardest he had ever worked and that the production was fraught; however, he was proud of the finished film.

Coogan produced, co-wrote and co-starred in the drama film Philomena (2013).{{cite news |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/philomena-trailer_n_3731192 |title=Philomena Trailer: Judi Dench's Next Oscar Nomination Might Be Right Here |work=HuffPost |access-date=20 April 2022 |date=9 August 2013}} He portrayed the real-life journalist Martin Sixsmith, who helps a former resident of an Irish Roman Catholic mother and baby home, Philomena Lee, played by Judi Dench, find her son after decades long absence. The film received acclaim and was a financial success. The Variety critic Justin Chang wrote, "The two leads make decent sparring partners and better allies, and Coogan is especially good whenever Martin's impatient manner tilts into genuine moral indignation."{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2013/film/global/philomena-review-venice-toronto-1200594214/|title= Venice Film Review: 'Philomena'|website= Variety|date= 31 August 2013|accessdate= September 26, 2023}} Coogan received the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Venice Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay as well as nominations for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay. The film earned four Academy Award nominations including for Best Picture losing to Steve McQueen's historical drama 12 Years a Slave (2013).{{Cn|date=June 2024}} Coogan's autobiography, Easily Distracted, was published in October 2015.{{cite book |last=Coogan |first=Steve |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jCdRCgAAQBAJ |title=Easily Distracted |date=8 October 2015 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-4481-8351-7}}{{cite news| last=Jones | first=Alice | title=Easily Distracted by Steve Coogan, book review: Alan Partridge fans will find plenty to relish| website=The Independent | date=8 October 2015 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/easily-distracted-by-steve-coogan-book-review-alan-partridge-fans-will-find-plenty-to-relish-a6685176.html}}

File:Philomena - Steve Coogan Stephen Frears (9712275459).jpg at a screening for Philomena]]In 2016, after Henry Normal stood down, Christine Langan (head of BBC Film at the time) was hired by Coogan (creative director of Baby Cow Productions) as the new CEO; this led to BBC Worldwide increasing its stake to 73%.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/19/head-of-bbc-films-christine-langan-steve-coogan-baby-cow |title=Head of BBC Films Christine Langan to join Steve Coogan's Baby Cow |last=Pulver |first=Andrew |date=19 July 2016 |work=The Guardian |access-date=23 November 2019 |issn=0261-3077}} Since joining, Langan has executive-produced all of the content from Baby Cow Productions, including Camping, Stan & Ollie, Zapped and The Witchfinder.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

Coogan played the comedian Stan Laurel in the 2018 biographical film Stan & Ollie, alongside the American actor John C. Reilly, who played Oliver Hardy.{{cite news |title=Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly will be Laurel and Hardy in Stan & Ollie |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/steve-coogan-john-c-reilly-will-laurel-hardy-stan-ollie/ |work=Empire |date=18 January 2016}} Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Coogan "slips neatly into the role" and added, "Coogan and Reilly not only excel at creating convincing impressions of one of the most famous comic teams of the last century, but they do an uncanny job of recreating a handful of their famous routines, which today mostly play as mild yet expertly timed delights."{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/stan-ollie-review-1153668/|title= 'Stan & Ollie': Film Review London 2018|website= The Hollywood Reporter|date= 21 October 2018|accessdate= September 26, 2023}} For his performance, he earned a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In 2019, Partridge returned to the BBC with This Time with Alan Partridge, a spoof of magazine shows such as The One Show,{{Cite news|last=Abbott|first=Kate|date=2019-02-14|title=Part David Cameron, part Piers Morgan – Alan Partridge returns in time for Brexit|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/feb/14/alan-partridge-bbc-brexit-steve-coogan|access-date=2019-02-15|issn=0261-3077}} followed by an Audible podcast, From the Oasthouse, in 2020.{{Cite web|last=Harp|first=Justin|date=2020-09-03|title=Exclusive: Steve Coogan discusses the 'absence' of cast on Alan Partridge podcast|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a33904842/steve-coogan-alan-partridge-podcast-twist-explained/|access-date=2020-09-04|website=Digital Spy|language=en-GB}} The podcast has now run for three seasons,{{Cite news |last1=Richardson |first1=Hollie |last2=Frizzell |first2=Nell |last3=Bharadia |first3=Priya |date=2023-08-24 |title=Best podcasts of the week: Alan Partridge solves the culture wars, grandparenting and more |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/aug/24/hear-here-alan-partridge-oasthouse |access-date=2023-10-18 |issn=0261-3077}} including a free teaser episode where Partridge commented on the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.{{Cite web |title=Alan Partridge's commentary on the King's Coronation is 'perfection' {{!}} indy100 |url=https://www.indy100.com/celebrities/alan-partridge-king-charles-coronation |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=www.indy100.com |language=en}}

In April 2022, Coogan began an Alan Partridge tour, Stratagem.{{Cite web |last=Christie |first=Janet |date=7 May 2022 |title=Steve Coogan brings Alan Partridge to Scotland with a Stratagem for living our lives |url=https://www.scotsman.com/must-read/steve-coogan-brings-alan-partridge-to-scotland-with-a-stratagem-for-living-our-lives-3677111 |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=The Scotsman |language=en}} Reviewing the show for the Guardian, Brian Logan noted that though Coogan had once tired of Partridge, he now "clearly takes pleasure in the performance".{{Cite web |last=Logan |first=Brian |date=2022-04-27 |title=Alan Partridge: Stratagem review – two hours of tremendous silliness |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/apr/27/alan-partridge-stratagem-review-steve-coogan-edinburgh-playhouse |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=The Guardian |language=en}} Coogan starred in the 2022 film The Lost King, playing the husband of the writer Philippa Langley, who discovered the bones of King Richard III.{{Cite news |last=Kermode |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Kermode |date=2022-10-09 |title=The Lost King review – Sally Hawkins saves Richard III dig drama |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/09/the-lost-king-review-sally-hawkins-richard-iii-dig-drama-leicester-car-park-stephen-frears-jeff-pope-steve-coogan |access-date=2023-06-01 |issn=0261-3077}}

Coogan played Jimmy Savile in the BBC One series The Reckoning (2023). Coogan said the decision to play Savile was "not one I took lightly", and that the script "tackled a horrific story which – however harrowing – needs to be told".{{Cite news |last=Waterson |first=Jim |date=2021-09-26 |title=Steve Coogan to play Jimmy Savile in 'sensitive' BBC drama |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/26/steve-coogan-to-play-jimmy-savile-in-sensitive-bbc-drama |access-date=2023-06-01 |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |title=Jimmy Savile drama The Reckoning air date confirmed on BBC |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/jimmy-savile-reckoning-air-date-confirmed-newsupdate/ |access-date=2023-09-28 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}} Despite the controversy surrounding the series,{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67065850 | title=Jimmy Savile: The Reckoning actor Steve Coogan praised but critics say drama adds little | work=BBC News | date=10 October 2023 }} Coogan's performance was mostly praised by critics,{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/the-reckoning-steve-coogan-reactions-b2427072.html | title=The Reckoning viewers praise Steve Coogan's 'skin-crawling' portrayal of Jimmy Savile | website=Independent.co.uk | date=10 October 2023 }} and he was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68614794|title= BAFTA TV Awards 2024: Nominations|website= BBC|date= 20 March 2024|accessdate= March 20, 2024}} Coogan appeared in the 2024 film Joker: Folie à Deux as Paddy Meyers, a TV personality who interviews the Joker.{{cite web |last=Godfrey |first=Alex |date=August 1, 2024 |title=Can't Smile Without You |url=https://gb.readly.com/magazines/empire/2024-08-01/66aa16117002ac5f94d90615?srsltid=AfmBOorwxNBJ63iZBFG5kK72SNlANgEMEuaX7XVqUq73ljsl9e7iIcUv |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240802101418/https://gb.readly.com/magazines/empire/2024-08-01/66aa16117002ac5f94d90615?srsltid=AfmBOorwxNBJ63iZBFG5kK72SNlANgEMEuaX7XVqUq73ljsl9e7iIcUv |archive-date=August 2, 2024 |access-date=August 2, 2024 |website=GB Readly}}

Filming for the next Partridge project, Alan Partridge: How Are You?, began in early 2024.{{cite web |last1=Goldbart |first1=Max |last2=Merican |first2=Sara |date=May 20, 2024 |title=Filming Underway On Alan Partridge BBC Series; 'Scam' Legal Action In India; New Show From 'Top Gear' Hosts; Amazon's 'Top End Bub' Adds Cast – Global Briefs |url=https://deadline.com/2024/05/alan-partridge-bbc-and-did-those-feet-filming-begins-filming-1235923906/ |accessdate=20 May 2024 |website=Deadline Hollywood}} Coogan stars in multiple roles in a London stage version of the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove, adapted by Iannucci. The play opened at the Noël Coward Theatre on 8 October 2024.{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2023/legit/global/steve-coogan-stanley-kubrick-dr-strangelove-veep-armando-iannucci-1235735306/|title= Steve Coogan Boards Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove' London Stage Adaptation From 'Veep' Creator Armando Iannucci|website= Variety|date= 26 September 2023|accessdate= September 26, 2023}}

File:Steve Coogan 2013.jpg]]

Coogan has said that he likes to "keep [himself] private", and added: "I have never wanted to be famous, as such – fame is a by-product."{{cite news |title=Steve Coogan tells press standards inquiry he 'never signed away privacy' |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/steve-coogan-tells-press-standards-876555 |access-date=20 April 2022 |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=22 November 2011 |archive-date=5 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205172517/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/steve-coogan-tells-press-standards-876555}} He has been a British tabloid fixture since as early as 1996, and has stated that such outlets have subjected him to entrapment and blackmail, printed obvious lies about him,{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4172666.stm |title=Love and Coogan deny baby claim |work=BBC News |access-date=2 November 2008 |date=22 August 2005}} and have targeted his family and friends in attempts to extract stories from them.{{cite news |title=Steve Coogan's witness statement to the Leveson inquiry – full text |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/interactive/2011/nov/23/steve-coogan-witness-statement-leveson-inquiry |access-date=24 November 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 November 2011 |location=London}} Coogan in some cases strongly denied allegations, but in others did not contest them because he wanted to shield vulnerable friends from adverse publicity.{{cite web |title=Steve Coogan – Steve Coogan Tried To Protect 'Vulnerable' Owen Wilson |url=https://www.contactmusic.com/news/steve-coogan-tried-to-protect-vulnerable-owen-wilson_1264687 |work=ContactMusic |date=22 November 2011 |access-date=24 November 2011}}

The tabloids{{which|date=October 2022}} also published intrusive information about his relationships and the schooling of his child. Coogan has also been critical of the broadsheet press, saying they have colluded with the tabloids in the interests of selling newspapers. In 2005, he said "The Guardian tends to have its cake and eat it. It waits for the tabloids to dish the dirt and then it talks about the tabloids dishing the dirt while enjoying it themselves."{{cite news |last=Woolaston |first=Sam |title=The Life and Opinions of Steve Coogan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/oct/21/londonfilmfestival2005.londonfilmfestival |access-date=24 November 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=21 October 2005 |location=London}} He later gave credit to the same newspaper for its investigation of the phone hacking scandal.{{cite web |title=Steve Coogan rips into The News of the World |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkeSJLgzG8k | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/SkeSJLgzG8k| archive-date=2021-10-30|via=YouTube |date=8 July 2011 |access-date=24 November 2011}}{{cbignore}} He has said that the press, by persistently intruding in his private life, has effectively made him "immune" to further attack as his "closet is empty of skeletons".{{cite web|title=Steve Coogan gives evidence to Leveson Inquiry into media ethics |url=http://www.suchsmallportions.com/pg/news/suchsmallportions/read/38613/steve-coogan-gives-evidence-to-levenson-inquiry-into-media-ethics|work=Such small portions the comedy digest|publisher=Such Small Portions|access-date=24 November 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406111138/http://www.suchsmallportions.com/pg/news/suchsmallportions/read/38613/steve-coogan-gives-evidence-to-levenson-inquiry-into-media-ethics|archive-date=6 April 2012}}

{{main|News International phone hacking scandal}}

Coogan favours reform and regulation of the British press.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/sep/25/coogan-clegg-libdem-press-leveson|title=Coogan fears press reforms delay|date=25 September 2012|work=The Guardian|first1=Hélène|last1=Mulholland|first2=Alan|last2=Travis|access-date=23 August 2013}} He became a prominent figure in the News International phone hacking scandal as one of the celebrities who took action against the British tabloids in light of these events. He was made aware by his phone service provider of "possible anomalies" on his phone in 2005 and 2006.{{cite news |last=Milmo |first=Cahal |title=Phone hackers targeted treasure trove of information, says Coogan |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/phone-hackers-targeted-treasure-trove-of-information-says-coogan-2215050.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/phone-hackers-targeted-treasure-trove-of-information-says-coogan-2215050.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=24 November 2011 |newspaper=The Independent |date=15 February 2011 |location=London}} In 2010, Coogan's legal firm obtained a partially redacted version of Glenn Mulcaire's hacking notebook by a court order which showed Coogan had been targeted and his personal information was in the possession of Mulcaire.

Mulcaire was forced by the High Court of Justice to disclose to Coogan's legal team who amongst the staff at the News of the World ordered him to hack phones. This information was obtained by Coogan's lawyers on 26 August 2011.{{cite news |last=Chandrasekhar |first=Indu |title=Phone hacking: timeline of the scandal |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8634176/Phone-hacking-timeline-of-a-scandal.html#2011 |access-date=24 November 2011 |date=10 November 2011 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London}} Interviewed on Newsnight on 8 July 2011, Coogan said he was "delighted" by the closure of the News of the World and said it was a "fantastic day for journalism". He said the idea of press freedom was used by the tabloids as a "smokescreen for selling papers with tittle-tattle" and said the argument against press regulation was "morally bankrupt".

Coogan provided an eight-page witness statement to the Leveson Inquiry, and appeared at the inquiry on 22 November 2011 to discuss the evidence. He said he was there reluctantly representing a lot of celebrities who felt they could not speak out for fear of reprisals from the tabloid press.{{cite news |title='This is not the Steve Coogan and Hugh Grant show' |url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/people-news/leveson-inquiry/42898/not-steve-coogan-and-hugh-grant-show |access-date=24 November 2011 |newspaper=The Week |date=22 November 2011}}

In March 2021, Coogan said "the tabloid press is controlled by a handful of tax shy billionaires with an agenda. Anyone who stands up to the press is attacked by them because they're bullies." He added "the fact that Meghan Markle and Harry were attacked has nothing to do with jet-setting hypocrisy. It's because they broke the golden rule, which is to leave us alone and we'll go easy on you next time."{{cite web | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/steve-coogan-piers-morgan-harry-meghan-b1815668.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/steve-coogan-piers-morgan-harry-meghan-b1815668.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title= Steve Coogan calls Piers Morgan 'symptomatic' of everything that's wrong with UK media | work=The Independent | first=Stuti | last=Mishra | date=11 March 2021 | access-date=10 May 2021}}

In 1993, Coogan was living in Didsbury.Middleton Guardian Thursday 14 January 1993 He later lived in the manor house Ovingdean Grange in Ovingdean, East Sussex, until 2017, when it was advertised for sale at £3.25 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/luxury/celebrity-homes/coogans-brighton-home-for-sale-alan-partridge-star-puts-ovingdean-grange-mansion-on-the-market-for-a111381.html|title=Alan Partridge star's Ovingdean Grange mansion for sale for £3.25m|date=4 March 2020}} As of 2022, Coogan has lived in Barcombe, in the Lewes District of East Sussex.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/steve-coogan-quiet-life-sussex-6868960|title=Steve Coogan's quiet life away from the cameras in East Sussex|first=Thomas|last=Fox|date=28 March 2022|website=Sussex Live}}

Coogan married Caroline Hickman in 2002 and they divorced in 2005.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4724055.stm |title=Coogan's wife is granted divorce |work=BBC News |access-date=2 November 2008 |date=28 July 2005}} He dated the model China Chow for three years.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/fashion/with-a-style-of-her-own-making-up-close.html|work=The New York Times |first=Bob |last=Morris |title=With a Style of Her Own Making – Up Close |date=20 December 2011}} In March 2011, he was guest editor for the men's magazine Loaded, where he began dating the glamour model Loretta "Elle" Basey.{{cite news |title=Steve Coogan dating Elle Basey? |url=http://www.comedy.co.uk/features/steve_coogan_elle_basey/ |access-date=25 August 2013 |newspaper=British Comedy Guide |date=September 2011 |quote=Coogan, 45, guest edited the mag in character as Norwich radio DJ Alan Partridge for the March 2011 issue, and posed with 21-year-old lingerie and glamour model Elle Basey for the issue. |archive-date=21 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821174321/https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/steve_coogan_elle_basey/ |url-status=dead }} They split in 2014.{{cite news |last=McNally |first=Anne |title=Anne McNally's short-circuit diary: July 2016 and more |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/08/anne-mcnally-social-diary-july-2016 |work=Vanity Fair |date=August 2016 |access-date=10 August 2017}} He has a daughter from a four-year relationship with the solicitor Anna Cole.{{cite news |last=O'Hagan |first=Sean |author-link=Sean O'Hagan (journalist) |title=The good, the bad and the ugly |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/aug/19/television |work=The Observer |date=19 August 2007 |access-date=6 August 2021 }}{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Emma |title=Steve Coogan: 'Alan Partridge would have voted Brexit' |url=http://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/steve-coogan-alan-partridge-would-have-voted-brexit-1-5124497 |work=The New European |date=27 July 2017 |access-date=10 August 2017 |archive-date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922075144/https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/steve-coogan-alan-partridge-would-have-voted-brexit-1-5124497 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |last=Khan |first=Shehab |title=Tom Watson's team 'seemed to hate Jeremy Corbyn', says Steve Coogan's daughter |url=https://www-independent-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tom-watson-jeremy-corbyn-labour-leader-deputy-party-team-steve-coogan-daughter-clare-coogan-cole-a7868561.html?amp&_js_v=0.1#webview=1 |work=The Independent |date=31 July 2017 |access-date=10 August 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Although raised Catholic, Coogan is now an atheist.{{cite web |last=Garrahan |first=Matthew |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1184662e-618f-11e3-916e-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1184662e-618f-11e3-916e-00144feabdc0.html|url-status=live|archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Lunch with the FT: Steve Coogan |work=Financial Times |date=13 December 2013}} A motoring enthusiast, he has owned a number of Ferraris, but ceased after calculating that the costs exceeded those of running a private plane.{{cite news |last=Wollaston |first=Sam |title=The Life and Opinions of Steve Coogan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/oct/21/londonfilmfestival2005.londonfilmfestival |work=The Guardian |date=21 October 2005 |access-date=9 September 2008 |location=London}} In February 2016, he was fined £670 and banned from driving for 28 days after being caught speeding in Brighton.{{cite news |url=https://metro.co.uk/2016/02/26/not-so-a-ha-steve-coogan-slapped-with-a-driving-ban-for-28-days-5718766/ |title=Not so A-ha! Steve Coogan slapped with a driving ban for 28 days |work=Metro |date=26 February 2016 |access-date=22 May 2016}} In August 2019, he escaped the usual six-month ban for a further speeding offence as his next TV series depended on his ability to drive; he was given a two-month ban and a £750 fine.{{cite news |last1=Waterson |first1=Jim |date=13 August 2019 |title=Alan Partridge saves Steve Coogan from lengthy driving ban |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/aug/13/alan-partridge-saves-steve-coogan-from-lengthy-driving-ban |work=The Guardian}} He was again spared six penalty points and a six-month ban for speeding in February 2025, reduced to five points and two months as a longer ban would have prevented filming of a new series of The Trip, which would have affected the many people involved.{{cite news| last=Glynn | first=Paul | title=Coogan spared lengthy driving ban to film The Trip| website=BBC News | date=6 February 2025 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g9vp24z6qo}}

He has been open about his depression and past drug use. He described himself as "half-Irish" in an interview in 2020, and was granted an Irish passport in March 2023.{{cite web |url=https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/steve-coogan-gets-irish-passport |title=Steve Coogan has finally received his Irish passport |publisher=irishcentral.com |date=21 March 2024 |access-date=25 April 2024}}

Coogan has supported the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9046812/A-ha-Can-Steve-Coogan-save-Ed-Miliband.html|title=A-ha! Can Steve Coogan save Ed Miliband?|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=29 January 2012|date=29 January 2012 |first=Richard |last=Eden |location=London}} He believes that the Conservative Party think "people are plebs" and that "they like to pat people on the head".{{cite AV media |people=Dimbleby, David (presenter), Harman, Harriet (panellist), Alexander, Danny (panellist), Rees-Mogg, Jacob (panellist), Allsopp, Kirstie (panellist) |date=27 September 2012 |title=Episode from Brighton |series=Question Time |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n2wrd |medium=Television |location=Brighton |work=BBC One |access-date=10 August 2017}} In 2013, he voiced his support for abolishing the British monarchy.{{cite news |last1=McTeirnan |first1=Anthea |date=9 August 2013 |title='I'd abolish the royal family' – Steve Coogan on what separates him from Alan Partridge |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/i-d-abolish-the-royal-family-steve-coogan-on-what-separates-him-from-alan-partridge-1.1487388 |access-date=25 April 2024 |quote=The Irish blood really does seem to run strongly in Coogan's veins. He sees it as separating himself from the people who run the United Kingdom. 'I distrust the British establishment,' he says. 'My background's made me not want to be part of any establishment. I don't want to be welcomed with open arms anywhere.'}} In August 2014, Coogan was one of 200 public figures to sign a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in the Scottish independence referendum.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/07/celebrities-open-letter-scotland-independence-full-text |title=Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories |work=The Guardian |date=7 August 2014 |access-date=26 August 2014}}

Coogan endorsed the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 general election. He hosted a rally for Corbyn in Birmingham, saying: "The Tory tactic was to try to make this a choice between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, but this has backfired as people – and I readily admit to being one of them – have started to listen to what Jeremy Corbyn says rather than what other people have been saying about him."{{cite news |last=Mortimer |first=Caroline |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/News/uk/politics/corbyn-steve-coogan-endorsement-tories-taking-the-urine-a7777971.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/News/uk/politics/corbyn-steve-coogan-endorsement-tories-taking-the-urine-a7777971.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Steve Coogan backs Jeremy Corbyn for PM because 'Tories are taking the p***' |work=The Independent |date=7 June 2017 |access-date=14 June 2017}} In November 2019, along with other public figures, Coogan signed a letter defending Corbyn, describing him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emergent far-right nationalism, xenophobia and racism in much of the democratic world" and endorsed him in the 2019 general election.{{cite news |last=Neale |first=Matthew |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/new-letter-supporting-jeremy-corbyn-2568734 |title=Exclusive: New letter supporting Jeremy Corbyn signed by Roger Waters, Robert Del Naja and more |work=NME |date=16 November 2019 |access-date=27 November 2019}} In December 2019, along with 42 other cultural figures, Coogan signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party in the election. The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few".{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/03/vote-for-hope-and-a-decent-future |title=Vote for hope and a decent future |work=The Guardian |date=3 December 2019 |access-date=4 December 2019}}{{cite news |last=Proctor |first=Kate |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/03/coogan-klein-lead-cultural-figures-backing-corbyn-labour |title=Coogan and Klein lead cultural figures backing Corbyn and Labour |work=The Guardian |date=3 December 2019 |access-date=4 December 2019}}

In September 2023, Coogan addressed the Liberal Democrat Conference by video link, expressing that he would tactically vote for the Liberal Democrats over the Labour Party in the 2024 general election, as "the candidate best placed to kick the Tories out is the Lib Dem candidate".{{cite news |last=Walker |first=Peter |date=23 September 2023 |title=Coogan and Vorderman back tactical voting calls at Lib Dem conference |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/sep/23/coogan-and-vorderman-back-tactical-voting-calls-at-lib-dem-conference |access-date=23 September 2023 |issn=0261-3077}} In October, Coogan was among more than 2,000 cultural figures to sign a letter calling for a Gaza ceasefire and accused the UK government of "not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them" in the wake of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.{{cite news |last=Stolworthy |first=Jacob |date=2023-10-18 |title=Tilda Swinton, Steve Coogan and Miriam Margolyes among 2,000 artists calling for Gaza ceasefire |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/gaza-israel-hamas-tilda-swinton-b2431129.html |access-date=2023-10-19}} Following criticism that the letter did not acknowledge the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, Coogan said that "it goes without saying that what Hamas did is evil beyond imagination — it was horrific and brutal".{{cite web |date=22 October 2024 |title=Steve Coogan condemns Hamas 'terrorist attacks' after signing heavily criticised open letter |url=https://news.sky.com/story/steve-coogan-condemns-hamas-terrorist-attacks-after-signing-heavily-criticised-open-letter-12990185 |website=Sky News}} In June 2024, Coogan was one of more than 100 cultural figures to sign a letter calling for Labour to halt sales of arms to Israel if it is elected.{{cite news |last=Ferguson |first=Donna |date=2 June 2024 |title=More than 100 artists tell Starmer to halt arms sales to Israel if he becomes PM |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jun/02/more-than-100-artists-call-on-labour-to-take-stand-against-arms-sales-to-israel |access-date=3 June 2024 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}} That month, ahead of the general election, he endorsed the Green Party and campaigned for Siân Berry.{{cite web |last=Berry |first=Sian |title=Brilliant to have Steve Coogan (!) a real star, backing our campaign today! Such a great day and all the team on the doorsteps and all the Brighton people behind the doors are also stars for the support they are showing us each and every day. Full of thanks! #VoteGreen |work=X (formerly Twitter) |url=https://x.com/sianberry/status/1804586073877852552?t=vRnso76ftUt-ayc4hH70Gw&s=19 }}

Coogan's show Steve Coogan in character with John Thomson was winner of the Perrier Award for best show at the 1992 Edinburgh Fringe. He has won numerous awards for his work in TV including British Comedy Awards, BAFTAs and The South Bank Show award for comedy. In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In 2005, a poll to find the Comedians' Comedian saw him being voted amongst the top 20 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.{{cite news|last=Thorpe|first=Vanessa|title=Cook tops poll of comedy greats|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jan/02/arts.artsnews|access-date=22 May 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2 January 2005|location=London}}

• List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain
• Martin Brennan (character)

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{{Wikiquote}}

• {{IMDb name|176869}}
• {{Screenonline name|515230}}
• {{Guardian topic}}
• [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2006/mar/29/uk.filmnews Coming to a cinema near you ... Alan Partridge as Our Man in Tashkent]
• [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4963714 Steve Coogan: From a Partridge to 'Cock and Bull] Fresh Air interview by Terry Gross
• [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n4754 Steve Coogan on BBC Radio Desert Island Discs]
• [https://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/s/33364/steve_coogan Profile on Chortle]

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