Steve Coogan announces The Trip's return as he swerves driving ban
- Steve Coogan has revealed that a fifth series of The Trip is set to film in June, as he pleaded not to be banned from driving for speeding
- The Alan Partridge star, who already had six points on his licence, was behind the wheel of a Range Rover clocked doing 97mph on the M6 last summer
- His upcoming reunion with Rob Brydon is the second time that Coogan has used his filming commitments as justification to not lose his licence
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are making another series of The Trip this summer Coogan has revealed, as he sought not to be banned from driving.
The Alan Partridge star, who already had six points on his licence, was behind the wheel of a Range Rover that was caught speeding at 97mph on the M6 on 29th July last year.
In a letter to Birmingham Magistrates Court, Coogan plead for a punishment which did not result in a ban, citing his need to drive in the upcoming series, the location of which has yet to be revealed.
"I have a series of important film commitments scheduled for 2025, many of which involve driving as a central component of the work", he wrote.
"I am due to appear in a well-established TV series called The Trip (with Rob Brydon) which as the title suggests requires me to drive.
"This starts filming towards the end of June 2025 and if I were unable to drive, the production would likely be unable to proceed."
Coogan argued for the magistrate to impose five penalty points instead of six, leaving him just below the level where an automatic six-month disqualification is considered.
"These projects would be severely impacted, not only affecting my own livelihood but also the many individuals dependent on these productions for work", he said.
"These include camera, sound, and lighting technicians, riggers, and others on modest wages who would face cancellations and financial hardship, as rescheduling such projects is often highly complicated."
Currently starring in the stage adaptation of Dr Strangelove, Coogan said that the past penalty points on his licence are due to expire in August, he has stuck to the speed limits since the incident and expressed frustration that it has taken almost six months for the prosecution to be brought.
"The delay ... has significantly affected not only my ability to plan for the coming year but also discussions with colleagues and collaborators regarding potential upcoming projects" he argued.
He entered a guilty plea and was handed five penalty points, leaving him one point short of facing a ban. He was ordered to pay a £2,500 fine, plus £90 costs and a £1,000 victim surcharge.
This is not the first time Coogan has brought up his television career when facing a driving ban.
In 2019, he told magistrates in Crawley that a lengthy disqualification would force the cancellation of a new Alan Partridge series he was developing for the BBC, believed to be Alan Partridge: How Are You?, the character's long-in-development series assessing the mental health of the nation, which is set to finally air in the next few months.
"I'm producing a travelogue follow-on TV series where I'm basically driving around Britain," he told the court.
"The whole nature of the series is that it is a travelogue and it's an artistic thing that he drives and that defines his character. You couldn't put him on a train because that not who he is - it's part of his character that he drives."
Coogan said camera shots of him driving could not be faked, and argued that up to 20 members of the production crew were financially reliant on the show being made.
The court ultimately decided to ban Coogan from driving for two months, instead of the usual six, so that the show could be made as planned, though it was ultimately delayed by six years.
He and Brydon have already made four series of The Trip, playing exaggerated versions of themselves as they travel by car together visiting restaurants.
Directed by Michael Winterbottom, the first two series, set in the UK and Italy, aired on the BBC, with the later two trips around Spain and Greece broadcast by Sky.
Both Coogan and Brydon have previously been non-committal about their desire to make a fifth series, although they have suggested Ireland, Wales and the US as possible destinations.
Winterbottom publicly ruled out the possibility of another series in February last year, yet Coogan's court case suggests that this has changed, with pre-production already underway.
Appearing on The Dish podcast this week, Coogan disclosed that The Trip To Italy had been his favourite of the series to film, but also spoke fondly about the original, which shot in his native north of England.
He was banned from driving for 28 days and fined £670 in 2016 after he was caught driving at almost twice the speed limit on a 30mph road in Brighton, but has frequently expressed his love of driving, and in his letter to the court for his latest offence he says he drives around 14,000 miles a year for his work on TV shows, films, and podcasts.
A Sky spokesperson declined to comment on the new series, which is likely to once again be made by Coogan's production company Baby Cow (Gavin & Stacey, This Time With Alan Partridge).
The Trip Collection
The Trip
Steve Coogan has been commissioned by a Sunday newspaper to review half a dozen restaurants in the North of England. When his food-loving American girlfriend backs out, Steve is faced with a week of meals for one. Reluctantly, he calls Rob Brydon, the only person he can think of who will be available. Heading north in a stylish black Range Rover, the pair begin a journey of bickering, jokes and reflection. Across the dinner tables of the North's best restaurants, the neurotic and sardonic Coogan and the genial, eager-to-entertain Brydon spar on anything from Coleridge or career insecurities to which of them does the best Michael Caine impression.
The Trip To Italy
From acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom comes the follow-up to the BAFTA winning first series The Trip. Four years after they ate their way round the North of England Brydon and Coogan take their own Grand Tour around Italy, following in the footsteps of Byron and Shelley. The Trip To Italy reunites two men for more delectable food, sharp-elbowed rivalry and plenty of laughs.
The Trip To Italy
Just as Don Quixote undertook three journeys, so Steve and Rob will set off on a third jaunt of their own, this time travelling over 1,000 miles down the entire length of Spain. Following in the footsteps of poet and novelist Laurie Lee, Steve and Rob's semi-fictional alter-egos hit the road in search of culture, history, breath-taking vistas and, of course, some of the finest food in Europe.
First released: Monday 31st July 2017
DVD- Distributor: 2 Entertain
- Region: 2
- Discs: 3
- Minutes: 516
- Subtitles: English
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The Trip To Greece
Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan have taken themselves off to Greece for their latest series of The Trip, so expect plenty of moussaka and feta and bickering as the two comedians eat their way around the Greek islands.
First released: Monday 20th April 2020
DVD- Distributor: 2 Entertain
- Region: 2
- Discs: 1
- Subtitles: English
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