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Steve Coogan looks set to be spending some time away from his Hove home after revealing today he will set Alan Partridge: The Movie in America.

Armando Iannucci's coruscating political satire show The Thick of It has just returned to television screens.

Tony Martin's new book will be out on October 1. Photo: Roger Cummins Too much top-shelf British comedy has not aired here, writes Tony Martin.

The big surprise with Armando Iannucci, given the number of dark and twisted comedies that he has directed, written or peformed in, is how damn nice and normal he is.

Read Dana Stevens' review of In the Loop . Armando Iannucci Television comedies-turned-movies have a spotty track record: For every South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut , there are a few Bewitched s and Flintstones es.

In the field of artistic endeavour, you can always tell when someone or something is on the wane when works become retrospective, parodic and self-referential. It's usually an indication of boredom or hubris, and sometimes both.

Steve Coogan was on Radio 1 last week, and pretty much admitted that Alan Partridge would be coming to the big screen.

A film of the spoof broadcaster has been mooted for at least four years now, but for Coogan to return to Partridge would be an admission of defeat Off the air ... Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge.