To age, they say, is to decline. Yet some things actually improve as they get older: certain wines, His Majesty King Charles, certain cheeses and, most of all, the Alan Partridge podcast, now back for its fourth series.

What will this series offer that the first three didn’t? Nothing, that’s not the point. Instead it will continue, just as before, to draw back the curtain, open the cupboard and provide full loft access to the life of one of the most fascinating men in north Norfolk (Alan Partridge).

Once again, Mr Partridge will delight listeners by casting his net over some of the smallest issues in the UK: stately homes, British porches, what life was like in 1994, the health of his assistant and his return to modelling.

But he’ll tackle the big issues too. For the dark shadow of the British justice system looms large of his life. Many great men have fallen before the law, their fortunes and reputation lain waste by a single poor decision. Jonathan Aitken, Lester Piggott, and there are probably others. Now comes the turn of Alan Gordon Partridge as he faces a criminal case that could alter the course of his life forever while providing a narrative arc around which the series can hang.