A-HA – it’s Alan Partridge!

For our second bumper Christmas special, what could be more seasonal than a Partridge in a pear tree?

Yes, this week Britain’s most beloved broadcaster (at least that’s how he’d see himself) is delivering a Letter To My Younger Self exclusively in The Big Issue, reflecting on a life which has brought him professional success, but on a personal level has been a bit of mixed bag.

Also inside

• Our continuing investigation into the thousands of people being granted asylum in the UK only to be made homeless
• How Tish Murtha’s portraits of deprivation in the north of England sadly still ring true
• It turns out Christ was actually born Before Christ, according to esteemed The Rest is History podcasting historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook
• Rugby great Gareth Thomas tells us how he’s tackling stigma surrounding HIV
• We take a look at Ridley Scott’s latest complex film about Napoleon
• And rediscover the man behind Bradley Cooper’s Maestro
• How you could benefit from getting to know a sheep
• Plus Bath vendor Feral says selling the magazine “gets him up on his feet” and his customers provide “a good support network”

As well as lots more!

If you can, please buy a copy from your local vendor.

If you can’t buy in person, you can purchase magazines from The Big Issue Shop or download a digital version via The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play