Steve Coogan

Rhod Gilbert working on Llanbobl sitcom

Rhod Gilbert is working on a sitcom based in his fictional Welsh hometown. Back To Llanbobl is being developed by Steve Coogan and Henry Normal's production company Baby Cow, which hopes to shoot a pilot episode this autumn.

Steve Coogan banned for speeding in Brighton

Actor and comedian Steve Coogan has been banned from driving after he was clocked doing 54mph in a 30mph zone.

Alan Partridge: still Jurassic Park after 25 years

I can't imagine ever not finding Alan Partridge funny.

Sky's Steve Coogan land grab

Now that Sky has nabbed the rights to the new series of The Trip, only a minuscule band of wealthy die-hards will be able to watch it. Should we get used to all our best TV going behind a paywall?

Where next for Steve Coogan's The Trip?

When Rob Brydon tweeted that there was a new series of The Trip on the horizon, it was perhaps the best news of the year so far. And it raises the question: where will they go next? How far will their magazine's budget stretch this time?

The third series Brian Pern from Fast Show alumni, Rhys Thomas and Simon Day's, fly on the wall comedy about that stalwart of British cultural life, the ageing rocker.

This particular triptych focuses on Pern's (Day) 45 year anniversary as a musician but really it just continues where the last 2 series left off, Thomas as the brazenly manipulative doc' maker following the childlike but self-centred rock star as he meanders through his life and career, making bad decision after bad decision.

Brian Pern is a member of that species of comedies, where much like Steve Coogan's Saxondale, there is not much laughter at the characters japes and misadventures, there is however a shit tonne of smiling. It's nice, easy to watch and well made, but not brilliant.

The best moments come from the supporting cast, particularly Lucy Montgomery as Pern's eccentric South American girlfriend, Pepita. The absolute stand out is Michael Kitchen who bristles with boredom as the Prog stars long-time manager, John Farrow and is a genuinely brilliant comic creation.

Indeed, I think if you took Kitchen away from the show, it would fall very, very flat, which is really the fault of the scripts. They plod along nicely but a lot of it seems like filler between gags on a sketch show and much of the comedy comes from the star qualities of its guest appearances (big shout out to Peter motherfucking Bowles!) and the choices they make more than the actual comic writing.

Rhys Thomas, who wrote and directed the series has been in the comedy game for 20 years now, and is in the unique position of being part of The Fast Show gang while also being a relatively young writer with much time to develop. The fact that he is survived for so long in the cut throat world of comedy, demonstrates to this reviewer that he probably will and I expect him to be around for a very long time, like some sort of Barry Cryer 2.0, a remnant of the good old days, who comes to prominence once his more talented peers have passed away. Sorry Rhys, that's harsh.

Knowing Me, Knowing Snooze: Steve Coogan book review

Having had an appreciation of the old comic guard, and the traditions of British variety performance, Steve Coogan will understand better than most the famous showbiz rule that you're supposed to leave your audience wanting more. But this is not what they meant. This is not what they meant at all.