Here’s a piece of news that we weren’t expecting to write today: the fictional character Alan Partridge has helped Steve Coogan to cut down the length of his new driving ban. Here’s how…

Chortle reports that Coogan was caught going 36mph in a 30mph zone, resulting in the actor/writer facing charges from Crawley magistrates. It could’ve resulted in a lengthy ban: since Coogan already had nine points on his licence, a further three points would’ve seen him on the receiving end of a six-month ban from driving.

However, an upcoming series involving Alan Partridge helped Coogan to shorten this ban.

“The whole nature of the series is that it is a travelogue and it’s an artistic thing that he drives and that defines his character,” Coogan told the magistrates.

He added: “You couldn’t put him on a train because that not who he is – it’s part of his character that he drives.”

Coogan stated that the shots of Alan driving couldn’t be faked. He also mentioned that 15 to 20 people have already been signed up to work on the show, and they would all be out of a job if the project was delayed by six months.

Cutting Coogan some slack because of Alan’s upcoming series, then, the magistrates opted to shorten the driving ban to two months, which will let the show go ahead as planned. Ah-ha!