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The Trip (2010 TV series)

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The Trip
GenreSitcom
Directed byMichael Winterbottom
StarringSteve Coogan
Rob Brydon
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes24
Production
ProducersAndrew Eaton
Melissa Parmenter
Running time30 mins
Production companiesRevolution Films
Baby Cow Productions
Arbie
Original release
NetworkBBC Two (2010–2014)
BBC HD (2010)
BBC Two HD (2014)
Sky Atlantic (2017)
Sky One (2020)
Release1 November 2010 (2010-11-01) –
31 March 2020 (2020-03-31)
Related
A Cock and Bull Story

The Trip is a British television sitcom and feature film directed by Michael Winterbottom, starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as fictionalised versions of themselves on a restaurant tour of northern England. The series was edited into feature film format and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2010. The full series was first broadcast on BBC Two and BBC HD in the United Kingdom in November 2010. Both the TV series and film received very positive reviews.

Three further series followed. The Trip to Italy was broadcast on BBC Two in 2014, The Trip to Spain was filmed in 2016 and broadcast on Sky Atlantic in 2017, and The Trip to Greece was filmed in 2019 and aired on Sky One in 2020.[1][2] Like the first series, the second, third and fourth were each edited into feature films.[3][4][5] Winterbottom, Coogan and Brydon stated that The Trip to Greece would be the final series for the show.[6]

Origins

[edit]

Coogan and Brydon's roles as fictionalised versions of themselves are a continuation of their improvised performances in the film A Cock and Bull Story (2005), also directed by Michael Winterbottom.[7] In an interview with The Guardian, Coogan said he and Brydon exaggerated "the aspects of ourselves that help the comedy ... I like playing with the fact that it might be me, to give it a bit more edge. So some of the conversations with Rob are funny, but some of them are very uncomfortable. They're sort of genuine arguments. It's a sort of an exaggeration of real life."[7]

Cast

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  • Steve Coogan as Steve Coogan
  • Rob Brydon as Rob Brydon
  • Claire Keelan as Emma, Steve's assistant who joins each of the trips for at least a few days
  • Rebecca Johnson as Sally, Rob's wife
  • Tim Leach as Joe, Steve's son, with whom he has a distant relationship that they gradually mend throughout the series
  • Marta Barrio as Yolanda, a photographer who accompanies Emma, and has a casual relationship with Steve
  • Margo Stilley as Mischa, Steve's American girlfriend who breaks up with him in the first series
  • Ben Stiller appears in a cameo as himself in one of Steve’s dreams

Plot

[edit]

In an effort to save his relationship with his gourmet girlfriend, Mischa (Margo Stilley), actor Steve Coogan accepts a commission from The Observer to go on a restaurant tour of northern England. When Mischa insists they take a break from their relationship, Steve invites colleague and frenemy Rob Brydon. On the trip, Coogan has a number of one-night stands, but is miserable professionally and personally, despite being the bigger star; Brydon, with his young family, is more content and laid-back. The two argue and attempt to one-up and humiliate each other with their impersonations of celebrities including Michael Caine and Sean Connery.

In the second series, Rob and Steve are commissioned to do another restaurant tour, this time in Italy from Piedmont to Capri, following in the footsteps of the great Romantic poets in the early 19th century on the Grand Tour.[8][9] While on the tour, Rob wins a part in an American Michael Mann film. Steve reconnects with his estranged son, Joe, who briefly joins the two towards the end of their trip.

In the third series, Rob and Steve are commissioned to do another restaurant tour, this time in Spain.

The fourth series is set in Greece where Rob and Steve conduct a restaurant tour that follows the path of the Odyssey.

Episodes

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Overview

[edit]
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
161 November 2010 (2010-11-01)6 December 2010 (2010-12-06)BBC Two
264 April 2014 (2014-04-04)9 May 2014 (2014-05-09)
366 April 2017 (2017-04-06)11 May 2017 (2017-05-11)Sky Atlantic
463 March 2020 (2020-03-03)31 March 2020 (2020-03-31)Sky One

Series 1: The Trip (2010)

[edit]
See also: The Trip (2010 film)
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [10]
11"The Inn at Whitewell"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon1 November 2010 (2010-11-01)2.30
22"L'Enclume"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon8 November 2010 (2010-11-08)N/A
33"Holbeck Ghyll"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon15 November 2010 (2010-11-15)N/A
44"Hipping Hall"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon22 November 2010 (2010-11-22)N/A
55"The Yorke Arms"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon29 November 2010 (2010-11-29)N/A
66"The Angel at Hetton"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon6 December 2010 (2010-12-06)N/A

Series 2: The Trip to Italy (2014)

[edit]
See also: The Trip to Italy
No.
overall		No. in
series		EpisodeDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [10]
71"Il Cenobio dei Dogi, Camogli"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon4 April 2014 (2014-04-04)1.64
82"Da Giovanni, San Fruttuoso"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon11 April 2014 (2014-04-11)1.55
93"La Suvera, Pievescola"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon18 April 2014 (2014-04-18)1.43
104"Hotel Locarno, Rome"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon25 April 2014 (2014-04-25)1.47
115"Villa Cimbrone, Ravello"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon2 May 2014 (2014-05-02)1.32
126"Il Riccio, Capri"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon9 May 2014 (2014-05-09)1.35

Series 3: The Trip to Spain (2017)

[edit]
See also: The Trip to Spain
No.
overall		No. in
series		EpisodeDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [10]
131"Txoko"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon6 April 2017 (2017-04-06)N/A
142"Etxebarri"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon13 April 2017 (2017-04-13)N/A
153"La Posada del Laurel"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon20 April 2017 (2017-04-20)N/A
164"Nöla"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon27 April 2017 (2017-04-27)N/A
175"Parador de Almagro"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon4 May 2017 (2017-05-04)N/A
186"El Refectorium"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon11 May 2017 (2017-05-11)N/A

Series 4: The Trip to Greece (2020)

[edit]
See also: The Trip to Greece
No.
overall		No. in
series		EpisodeDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [10]
191"Troy to Kavala"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon3 March 2020 (2020-03-03)N/A
202"Kavala to Pelion"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon3 March 2020 (2020-03-03)N/A
213"Pelion to Athens"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon10 March 2020 (2020-03-10)N/A
224"Athens to Hydra"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon17 March 2020 (2020-03-17)N/A
235"Hydra to the Mani"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon24 March 2020 (2020-03-24)N/A
246"The Mani to Ithaca"Michael WinterbottomSteve Coogan & Rob Brydon31 March 2020 (2020-03-31)N/A

Other

[edit]

The concept was revived for The Big Night In, a 20 April 2020 telethon held during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a skit which had the pair conducting a video call from their homes to discuss making a segment for the telethon.[11]

Reception

[edit]

The Trip received positive reviews. Andrea Mullaney of The Scotsman said that "on paper, The Trip sounds bloody awful: a cosy, luvvie giant in-joke for Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon", but went on to describe it as "completely brilliant" and "hilarious".[12] Brian Viner of The Independent said: "The Trip never fails to oblige. I love it for its originality and its daring."[13] John Crace of The Guardian described the show as "one of the funniest things on TV."[14] Director Richard Curtis described the series as one of the greatest television programmes of all time at the 2013 British Comedy Awards.[15] It was nominated, in 2011, for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Situation Comedy, and Steve Coogan won the award for Best Male Comedy Performance.[16] It won the Best New Programme award at the 2012 Broadcast Awards in London.[17] In 2018, Rob Brydon was nominated for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Male Comedy Performance, but lost out to Toby Jones for Detectorists.[18]

The second series, The Trip to Italy, also received positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 87% of 54 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.3 out of 10.[19] Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice wrote that The Trip to Italy "is basically more of the same Trip ... Now we know just what to expect from Coogan and Brydon, although as long as you're willing to settle in for the ride, that's not necessarily a bad thing."[20] Scott Foundas of Variety found the series a "warmly enjoyable continuation of their improvised cultural and culinary adventures."[21] William Goss of Film.com wrote: "Plenty enjoyable for fans of the first one, but by the end, it also has the consistency of reheated comfort food."[22] Amber Wilkinson of The Daily Telegraph gave the film version of The Trip to Italy a grade B score, writing that Coogan and Brydon's "improvisation has been honed to the point where the jokes land solidly without losing naturalism and the pair of them are clearly enjoying la dolce vita."[23]

A review article of the series was published in the online quarterly film journal Senses of Cinema in 2015, which reflects upon its relationships to poetry, the work of Walter Benjamin, allegory, tragedy, mourning, Italian neorealism, Romanticism, and The Gravediggers scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet.[24] In 2019, The Trip was ranked 95th on The Guardian's list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.[25]

International broadcast

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In Australia, the programme was first screened Wednesday nights at 10:00pm on ABC1 starting on 14 December 2011, six months after the feature film edit of The Trip was released.[26]

DVD releases

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The first series of The Trip was released on 13 December 2010. The second series was released on 12 May 2014, as well as a boxset featuring all 12 TV episodes, and a boxset of the film versions.[citation needed]

Future

[edit]

In 2023, Coogan mentioned wanting to do a fifth season, perhaps in the two men's ancestral homes of Wales and Ireland.[27][28] However, in 2024 Michael Winterbottom stated in an interview that there would be no more series.[29]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ @babycowLtd (4 February 2020). "New series #Thetrip to Greece 03.03.20 10pm SkyOne 🍷 #Stevecoogan & @RobBrydon" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 8 August 2021. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  3. ^ Brown, Mark (15 February 2016). "The Trip leaves BBC2 and heads to Spain". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  4. ^ Brydon, Rob [@RobBrydon] (7 February 2017). "April. Yes" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 July 2018 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "'The Trip to Greece' Acquired by IFC Films for Summer 2020 Release". TheWrap. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Steve Coogan says 'The Trip to Greece' will be the final series of the hit show". NME. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  7. ^ a b Barton, Laura (26 October 2010). "Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan: 'We're not the big buddies people think we are'". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  8. ^ "The Trip series 2 will shoot in Italy". Baby Cow Productions. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Steve Coogan to publish his autobiography". British Comedy Guide. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d "BARB Top 30s". Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  11. ^ "The Big Night In". 23 April 2020. BBC Television. Retrieved 23 April 2020. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  12. ^ "TV review: Accused/The Trip". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  13. ^ Viner, Brian (30 November 2010). "Last Night's TV - Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders, BBC2; Art of Germany, BBC4; The Trip, BBC2". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  14. ^ Crace, John (23 November 2010). "TV review: Dispatches: City of Fear; Accused; The Trip". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  15. ^ Barton, Laura (18 January 2014). "Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon eat again and take The Trip to Italy". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Television Awards Nominees and Winners in 2011". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 26 April 2011. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  17. ^ "Fred West drama Appropriate Adult wins TV award". BBC News. BBC. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  18. ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2018: All the nominees and winners". BBC News. BBC. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  19. ^ "The Trip To Italy (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  20. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (13 August 2014). "It's Business as Usual for The Trip Stars, and That's Fine". The Village Voice. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  21. ^ Foundas, Scott (21 January 2014). "Sundance Film Review: 'The Trip to Italy'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  22. ^ Goss, William (24 January 2014). "Sundance Review: 'The Trip to Italy'". Film.com. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  23. ^ Wilkinson, Amber (22 January 2014). "Sundance 2014: The Trip to Italy, review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  24. ^ Underwood, Adam (March 2015). "'The Trip' as Mourning Comedy". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  25. ^ "The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century". The Guardian. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  26. ^ "The Trip - The Inn at Whitewell". ABC Television. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  27. ^ Edwards, Chris (9 June 2023). "Steve Coogan says he and Rob Brydon "should" make another season of 'The Trip'".
  28. ^ Guide, British Comedy (25 May 2023). "Steve Coogan wants another series of The Trip, reveals more Partridge". British Comedy Guide.
  29. ^ Jones, Damian (19 February 2024). "Michael Winterbottom says "no more Trips" even though Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan want to do America".
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