This Time With Alan Partridge doesn’t lean on self-referential in-jokes to appease series super fans, and it’s all the better for it. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any (superficially damaged but still perfectly edible) Easter eggs scattered about the studio.

To prove it, we've rounded up some tiny details from Alan's long-awaited return that even Jed Maxwell might have missed...

1 | Series co-writer Neil Gibbons appears in the first episode

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You can catch him trying to remove his freshly-washed (?) fingers from Alan’s nostrils outside the BBC toilets, as part of a survey on hygiene habits. Was he the man who gave Alan that rotten cold? Based on the fear in his eyes, we’re going with: yes.

He also turns up at the This Time production meeting, where Alan is known as ‘Mr. Berocca’ because he’s "literally fizzing” with ideas.

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2 | Alan scrolls past a sketch of Michael the Geordie on his iPad

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In his second memoir, Nomad, Alan is philosophical about the North Norfolk Digital hostage situation we saw in Alpha Papa. “I’m just thankful that no one was hurt,” he writes. “(with the exception of Michael, who died).”

Alan posted a sketch of his long-time Geordie friend on Twitter at the behest of his therapist a few years back, explaining: "A dead chap I know called Michael. I never took a photograph of him because he found flashes frightening and I don't know how to turn the flash off on my cell phone. But a therapist suggested I might like to draw him and she was right. Borrowing the ID mugshot from his security lanyard I spent two evenings sketching his face and am proud/happy with the results. This is the strongest and most moving of my six attempts."

As Alan scrolls past images on his iPad in search of a newspaper clipping, we see Michael’s kind eyes one final time. The screen ultimately rests on Noel Edmonds, who Partridge has previously described as "a total wazzock".

3 | The very subtle sound of Alan's knees clicking

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My favourite running gag in the new Partridge is the sound of Alan's knees. — Hayley Campbell (@hayleycampbell) March 27, 2019

4 | What Alan really said to Mrs. Magoo

In the #MeToo-themed episode 5, Alan heads to the University of Hull to find out how swearing impacts our physiology. He’s asked to imagine a scenario in which he’s been upset by another driver at a difficult junction.

Alan, immediately identifying the imaginary driver as a woman (Mr. Magoo's equally sightless wife, no less), explodes into a profanity-laden, emotionally-untethered rant that the BBC legal team is forced to reverse. But viewers on Twitter reversed it once more, revealing what Alan really said:

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So what did Alan say in reverse? A quick edit reveals this.. #AlanPartridge #ThisTime pic.twitter.com/2VjsQbYePz — Tom Sykes (@UKCameraOp) March 25, 2019

5 | The BBC receptionist who has clearly been given a talking to

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In his first appearance in the This Time opening intro, the BBC receptionist, played by actress Louisa Corr, looks upon Alan with a barely-held distain reminiscent of the Travel Tavern’s Sophie.

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But in episode 5, the receptionist welcomes Alan with a huge smile as he flashes his entry card. A sign that BBC staffers are beginning to warm to Alan? Or the result of a furious disciplinary hearing? We'll let you decide.

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6 | The position of Alan’s ‘resuscitation doll’s ring finger

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Moving swiftly on.

7 | Alan has a surprising amount of badminton trophies

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A reference to his seedy On The Hour interview with Britain’s international badminton team from 1992? Probably not, but also definitely yes. At least we know where the shuttlecock came from, now.

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8 | The Bond lookalike actually did meet Daniel Craig, and lives in Norwich

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The Daniel Craig lookalike who appears in episode 4 boasts about appearing in Quantum of Solace alongside the Bond star – and it’s true! He appeared as an MI5 agent on the famous Pinewood Studios soundstage. According to the BBC, he describes his lookalike persona as a mix between Craig’s steel and Connery’s charm.

9 | Alan has set up his own infographics company

Peartree Productions may have perished long ago, but a Twitter user with ridiculously good eye-sight noticed that Alan has pivoted into the exciting world of infographics during his sting on "squiggle-haired horticulturist" Monty Don.

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@ThePartridgePod During his undercover sting on presenters using the beeb to get additional money, notice that Alan's dossier is produced by Peartree Infographics? pic.twitter.com/rgfAyfRKQt — ZurichPubQuiz (@ZurichPubQuiz) March 18, 2019

As a bonus, here's the fake pitch document for the Power Plant TV show.

BBC

10 | Pete Gabitas' legacy lives on

BBC

In his memoir I, Partridge, Alan recalls that he was introduced to his former girlfriend-turned-cleaner, Sonja, by the late Blue Barn Media MD Peter Gabitas (who also arranged “similar girlfriends to six or seven” of Alan’s friends.) In the book, he writes about the “big-hearted, big-bellied guy”, his many enemies in Norwich, and his mysterious demise:

“Pete died in a car ‘accident’ on 1 April 2005 [...] There are many of us who suspect foul play. I’m no conspiracy theorist – although I often regale dinner parties blow-by-blow with the arguments advanced by Capricorn One and JFK172 – but I am convinced that Pete was murdered.”

Pete had six pints of lager and half a bottle of wine before the crash, but Alan is adamant he’s a “better driver when drunk”. In any case, he’s still on Alan’s mind – and gets a name check in episode 4 as the man who supplied Alan with his life-size ‘CPR’ doll.

11 | The return of Glenn Ponder

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You’ll remember Glen Ponder as the disgruntled house band leader of Knowing Me, Knowing You. Despite their contracted legal disputes over the years, Alan revealed in his memoir that the pair still regularly go to Nando’s together.

The actor who played Ponder, Steve Brown, turns up with his guitar on This Time alongside Alan’s Irish doppelgänger to play the show out with the rebel song, ‘Come Out, Ye Black and Tans’.

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THAT IS GLENN PONDER AND I CLAIM MY £5 pic.twitter.com/U0UqT7VIzJ — John Rain (@MrKenShabby) March 18, 2019

h/t: Nick Spencer

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