Aha! Cult comedy character Alan Partridge has finally got a statue of himself in his home city of Norwich.

The 11-foot artwork was constructed by two huge fans of the Steve Coogan-inspired personality and was displayed outside The Forum overnight on Thursday.

And the duo responsible, Nick Dutton and Gavin Fulcher, felt it was something to keep peoples’ spirits up during this tough time.

"It was just a bit of fun really. I think during this time we could all do with a bit of light relief," Fulcher told the BBC.

"When you go to uni and meet new people, you say you’re from Norwich and people instantly mention Alan Partridge. He is so synonymous with the city, and the people have taken to him too."

Mr Dutton and Mr Fulcher, who are both in the film industry, have been working on the Partridge figure in their spare time for three years.

They were also quick to insist the stunt was not being used to promote the comedy character’s latest venture: From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast.

The statue will remain outside The Forum in Norwich until Sunday.

Partridge, who is a creation by Coogan and Armando Iannucci, has blessed British television screens since the mid 1990s.

His most famous shows include I’m Alan Partridge, Knowing Me, Knowing You and his hit 2013 film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

More recently, Coogan has revived the character for This Time with Alan Partridge, a spoof of evening programmes such as The One Show.