Steve Coogan: Life and career of Manchester actor from Alan Partridge to appearing in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

Manchester has contributed a great deal to the world of performing arts, with plenty of musicians, actors and comedians heralding from around the city and region. One of these is a man who made his name portraying a character, but has shown that he’s far more than just that.

Steve Coogan has been a surprise talk of the town this week following his appearance in a trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux, a sequel to the 2019 film about the iconic Batman villain. Coogan is set to appear alongside Joaquin Phoenix (who will once again play the Joker) and Lady Gaga who will become Harley Quinn. Just who Coogan will play has not yet been confirmed, but it certainly made fans smile seeing him pop up. 

Coogan was born in Middleton on October 14 1965. His career started as a voice actor on the hit political satire show ‘Spitting Image’, but not before earning a degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. His time on Spitting Image came to an end in 1992, the same year that perhaps one of the most iconic characters ever created made his TV debut.

Alan Gordon Partridge

Alan Partridge, a journalist and presenter from Norwich, first appeared on UK screens as a sports reporter on spoof news show ‘The Day Today’. Getting into various tricky situations and providing textbook commentary on sports from football to horse racing, Partridge had very much landed. 

In 1994, Partridge got his own chat show and ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ saw the presenter welcome a range of guests onto his sofa. The series came to a dramatic end when Partridge accidentally shot one of his guests who had brought Lord Byron’s duelling pistols onto set. Needless to say, his series was cancelled and despite pleading with BBC chiefs, he did not get another series. 

Partridge has been transported through to the 21st century by Coogan, and we’ve seen the presenter go on to write books, make podcasts and even, in 2013, a film. ‘Alpha Papa’ but Partridge in a tough hostage situation that started in the studios of North Norfolk Digital. 

Alan Partridge is set to return to the small screen soon, with details of a new series called ‘And Did Those Feet’ released by BBC. The show is set to document Alan’s return to Norwich after months working in Saudi Arabia. 

Films 

Coogan has appeared in a wide range of films as characters other than Partridge, too. He wrote, produced and starred in the 2013 ‘Philomena’ in which he starred alongside Judy Dench. 

Another top performance was as Stan Laurel in the 2018 film ‘Stan & Ollie’ following the life of legendary comedy duo Laurel & Hardy. It was a powerful film and showed the pair towards the end of their careers, and Coogan along with John C Reilly as Ollie combined for a funny and emotional experience. 

Television

Although widely recognised for his appearances as Alan Partridge, Coogan has a rich tapestry of other TV roles under his belt. One of perhaps the most controversial was his portrayal of former BBC presenter Jimmy Saville in the drama biopic ‘The Reckoning’ in 2023. 

The series recounts the sexual offences of Saville, and follows his career from the 1960’s up to his death in 2011. After it was confirmed Coogan would play Saville, he said it wasn’t a decision he made lightly, but that it “tackled a horrific story which – however harrowing – needs to be told".