The Trip

The Trip episode 1 review

Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon and Michael Winterbottom reunite in this understated but frequently funny series opener to The Trip...

The conceit is that the two comedians play heightened versions of themselves, which in the former's case seems to be a less obnoxious, more successful Alan Partridge, and in the latter's case, a worldlier, more knowing Uncle Bryn from Gavin & Stacey. Never mind the haute cuisine, The Trip is a shameless example of television feeding off itself, and sporadically very funny indeed. Moreover, speaking of Shameless, it's high time television showcased the beauty of the north of England. There must be people south of Newport Pagnell, too young to remember All Creatures Great and Small, who think of the north as one big, grubby council estate. Much as I enjoyed watching Coogan and Brydon in last night's opener, I enjoyed seeing the Trough of Bowland in my native Lancashire more.

I don't know if you've seen Michael Winterbottom's fine Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, but there's a funny scene at the end of the film when Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, both talented impressionists, are trying to out-Al Pacino each other. Well The Trip (BBC2), also directed by Winterbottom, is kind of that scene turned into a six-part road movie with a bit of restaurant criticism thrown in. Coogan and Brydon are driving around the north of England in a Range Rover, supposedly reviewing gourmet establishments for The Observer, while also addressing their midlife problems, indulging in some awkward male bonding, and continuing the battle of the impressions from the previous film.

I'm not entirely sure whether they're being themselves or engaging in some kind of self-parody. It's a bit wanky and self-indulgent to be honest. There is the odd genuinely funny moment - the bad-tempered Michael Caine-off is good - but mostly I felt I wasn't really in on the joke. Possibly the only people who are in on it are Coogan and Brydon.

All anyone really wants from Steve Coogan is Alan Partridge. And the fact that he knows it, that Norwich's finest swings like a comedy albatross around his neck, underpins the arch air of knowing antagonism he brings to The Trip (BBC2). Here's an anti-comedy if ever there was one.

Featuring Coogan and Rob Brydon playing heightened versions of themselves (their description), The Trip wilfully blurs fact and fiction as this mismatched pair, Brydon's innate amiability crossing verbal swords with Coogan's surly ego, set off on a restaurant review tour of the rural north of England on behalf of a Sunday magazine. It's a perfect set-up, egotistical and pointless, given neither of them knows much about food, which fuels a subtle meander around the oxbow lake of celebrity ego.

Coogan brutally sends up his image with a performance that's so deeply dislikeable you end up admiring his ability to be so sublimely cussed.

'I don't want to do British TV - I want to do films, good films,' he whines to his agent on the phone and, even though you know it's an exercise in fiction and not reality TV, it does feel, well, real.

It's a bumpy trip and no mistake. The laughs are of the dark and despairing kind, built mainly around the pair of them sat at a restaurant table battering each other with impressions, like Ultimate Cage Fighter played out by the voices of Michael Caine and Anthony Hopkins. It's a send-up but it's tongue-in-spleen rather than tongue-in-cheek.

There's a slightly irksome air of self-congratulation but it's hard to take against a show where Coogan chooses Joy Division's Atmosphere ('don't walk away... in silence') as the perfect soundtrack for cruising through the verdant English landscape. Makes a change from The Lark Ascending, that's for sure.

The Trip review

The trip is a treat.

The Trip Episode 1.1 review

There's a very appealing and amusing atmosphere whenever Coogan and Brydon are sharing scenes, which they do the majority of the time.

The Trip review

The Trip isn't consistently funny and could be viewed as a letdown in that sense but it's a pleasant means of spending a half hour in front of the googlebox.

Review: The Trip 1x1

You'll laugh a bit, but mostly you'll find your mind messed up by the whole experience and wondering what's going on.

This new, Michael Winterbottom-directed six parter sees Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reprise their roles as "themselves" in A Cock and Bull Story as slightly feuding buddies. This time they're on a voyage around the north of England as Coogan writes restaurant reviews for the Observer having broken up with his American girlfriend. A lot of it consists of the two trading impressions and funny voices - but the show exists to explore Coogan's perceived (and actual?) persona as an ennui-riddled womaniser. It's very self-aware, but often very funny. And an enjoyable foodie travelogue, too.

In the sub-genre of muted, low-key comedies that BBC2 has made its own recently, this must be the lowest key of all. It's a sort of improvised road movie in which Steve Coogan (or a fictionalised version of him) ropes Rob Brydon (ditto) into a tour of northern restaurants he's supposedly writing up for a Sunday newspaper. They head first to a gastro-hotel in rural Lancashire, where a mix-up on the booking means they have to share a room. But first they share a meal and some lightly sautéed banter. Coogan jostles for superiority and is a bit more controlling and neurotic about things; Brydon gently mocks. The laughs come when they compete over lunch about whose impressions are better (Coogan's version of Anthony Hopkins in The Bounty is great). It adds up to a wispy nothing with faint hints of the film Sideways. But with likeable performances, a light touch from Michael Winterbottom (who has directed the pair before in A Cock and Bull Story) and fine locations, there's something curiously moreish about it.