Norwich premiere for Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa after fans campaign on Twitter and Facebook

Announcement came from show co-creator Armando Iannucci

'Anglia Square Not Leicester Square' was the slogan of a campaign to get a Norwich premiere

The upcoming Alan Partridge film will get its premiere in Norwich, after an online campaign to bring the Norfolk DJ back home.

The city's Anglia Square will play host to the unveiling of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, as announced by the presenter himself through creator Armando Iannucci.

The statement, released via Twitter, read: "You can imagine how hurt and litigious I felt when people said I was planning to debut my movie in London instead of Norwich, or that I'd allowed my head to be turned by the prospect of big city fame.

"Any suggestion I've hastily cobbled together the lunchtime Norwich screening in response to a local Twitter campaign will be met with the full force of the law."

The film, which was shot at locations across Norfolk, opens in UK cinemas on August 7.

After the event on July 24 Partridge, played by Steve Coogan, will be helicoptered to the Leicester Square premiere.

The online campaign was started by friends Rob Wilkes and Rafiq Turnbull, before gaining thousands of fans on Facebook and being promoted on Twitter by comic Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan’s company, Baby Cow Productions.

Mr Wilkes, a graphic designer, told the Eastern Daily Press: “We didn’t expect so many people to like the page, we expected 500 at most but it’s just taken off.

“The people of Norwich demand this - this is our time for Norwich, we want to rally the people of Norwich to say he’s ours - we deserve it.

“He’s parodied this city for so long, London gets everything - this is a film about a much loved Norwich character and so the premiere should be here.”