Steve Coogan

Steve Coogan spent most of his time on the original series of The Trip getting irritated by travelling and dining companion Rob Brydon.

But it hasn't put them off embarking on another culinary journey together, this time in Italy.

Apparently, much has changed in the lives of the two comedians since their virgin voyage around the Lake District in 2010.

"Rob, tired from the responsibilities of being the father of a young child, is looking for some adventure," reveals a show insider.

"Steve, meanwhile, has been living a life of abstinence and hard work in Los Angeles but, now on a hiatus from his job there, has the time to come back to Europe and wants to see his children."

This second series is again directed by acclaimed documentary maker Michael Winterbottom, and it takes in the stunning scenery of Capri, Tuscany and the Amalfi coast.

Otherwise, it's business as usual, complete with their impersonations of the likes of Tom Hardy - who they're both rubbish at! - Michael Caine and Robert De Niro.

Beautiful views, mouthwatering food and guaranteed sunshine - it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it...

Even though the original Trip was basically just Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon being Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, performing endless impressions over gourmet meals you couldn't possibly afford, there was a prickly knowingness to it that made it a bit of a dry comedy gem. So we're thrilled that the veteran comedians have once again teamed up with Michael Winterbottom for another restaurant crawl, this time over in sunkissed Italy. With the vino flowing, we anticipate exchanges that are more scathing and impersonations that are more exuberant to be showcased in The Trip to Italy.

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Rob Brydon & Steve Coogan's Italian trip

After their Yorkshire gastro-odyssey in The Trip, Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan set off for the next series - around Italy in a Mini, to stuff themselves silly (again). Here, Brydon gorges on the glamour of it all...

Doll and Em stars actresses Emily Mortimer and Dolly Wells as exaggerated versions of themselves. Whilst Mortimer will be familiar to most from The Newsroom, as well as countless Hollywood films, Wells' name is less well known. However, most will have seen Wells over the years in one sitcom or another and she's probably best known for her appearances in Star Stories and Some Girls. The loose story of the show sees Dolly split up with her boyfriend and head to America to work as Emily's assistant. Obviously, this balance of power between the pair builds up a tension based on the fact that one is much more successful than the other. Several comic sequences throughout the episode increase these hostile feelings including one in which Dolly can't work out how to use Emily's sat-nav and another where Dolly finds herself inadvertently locked out of Emily's house.

Doll and Em draws obvious comparisons with The Trip, as it features two real-life friends working together and the slight resentment that builds during the show. The difference is that Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are both well-known and the problems that arose during The Trip made both men question how their careers had gone. Meanwhile, Doll and Em is a lot more one-sided with the former being an almost unrecognisable presence and the latter being an actress whose hit it big in America. Despite Emily's fame though, I just can't buy the fact that she'd be stopped on the street and asked to pose for photos, which is what happened in one scene in this episode. But my main problem with Doll and Em is that it really didn't go anywhere and at the end of the day felt quite inconsequential. I didn't find it funny nor did I identify with either woman and in addition I know exactly in which direction this series is going. Whilst I can see what Wells and Mortimer were trying to achieve with their show, it comes across as a self-indulgent passion project rather than a fairly well-observed comedy drama.

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