Partridge attracts 3.4m viewers

A million fewer people watched Alan Partrridge last night that the final episode of The Office.

An average of 3.4 million viewers tuned in to see the return of Steve Coogan's awkward Norwich celebrity.

Although down on The Office, which was in the same 10pm time slot the previous week, the ratings are still much higher than BBC2's average. ITV's News At Ten only just beat it, with 3.5million viewers.

The new series was also a critical success, although many journalists and viewers complained about the laughter track added to the show.

Unofficial overnight figures also show that BBC2's other new comedy, tlc, made a good start with 3.1million viewers.

Published: 12 Nov 2002