Alan Partridge: Matt Smith returns to TV for first time in four years in surprise cameo

The Crown star appeared as Partridge’s latest sparring partner

Matt Smith made a surprise cameo in This Time with Alan Partridge on Friday night (14 May), marking his first scripted TV appearance in four years.

The Doctor Who star, who last appeared on the small screen as Prince Philip in The Crown, joined This Time as a journalist, Dan Milner, who had criticised Partridge’s show, only to regret doing so when Steve Coogan’s character retaliated by dropping references to a presenter Milner was having an affair with.

Milner’s scene saw him call the show within the show “lousy”, criticising its “chit chat and banter” and Partridge’s interview with the inventor of the hand-dryer.

In response, Partridge insisted his viewers are less interested in the big political issues of the day and more invested in “hand-dryers, speed bumps and bigger fines for dog dirt”.

Read The Independent’s three-star review of This Time here, in which Ed Cumming wrote: “In this new woke TV world, where he is constantly aware of what he’s not allowed to say, his wings are clipped. There’s also none of the slimy desperation, clinging to him like one of his cheap blazers, that characterised his early career. Don’t give him another series, you swines.”

Our interview with Susannah Fielding – who stars alongside Coogan – is also available to read here.