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Movies & TV

05th Mar 2022

Steve Coogan wants to bring The Trip to Ireland

Rory Cashin

‘It’s not just boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage and boiled bacon anymore. And then a big knob of butter!’

First released back in 2010, The Trip was an immediate hit with fans of Steve Coogan, as he paired up with his real-life best bud (but often on-screen bitter frenemy) Rob Brydon, travelling around England to eat food, drink alcohol and do a series of celebrity impressions.

This was followed up in 2014 with The Trip to Italy, then again in 2017 for The Trip to Spain, and finally in 2020 for The Trip to Greece, which Coogan, Brydon and series director Michael Winterbottom all said would the final bow for the show.

Fans were disappointed – especially Irish fans, since Coogan and company never took their road-trip to Ireland – but the man himself was incredibly busy, not only working on This Time with Alan Partridge, but also preparing to bring Partridge on the road for new comedy vehicle Stratagem.

Ahead of Coogan’s live dates in Belfast and Dublin, JOE had the opportunity to sit down with him and have a long conversation about the past, present and future of his career, and you can check out that interview in full right here:

During our chat with Coogan, in which he also revealed that he’s bringing back the immediately iconic character Martin Brennan, we asked if there was any chance he might eventually bring The Trip to Ireland?

Coogan told us the following:

“The last Trip we did was The Trip to Greece, and I was lobbying the director Michael to come to Ireland. I said ‘It’s not just boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage and boiled bacon anymore. And then a big knob of butter!’ Which is very nice by the way!

“And also I felt like – and I could talk about Ireland forever – but it has gone through this massive, massive cultural change over the last 40 years. Some things have changed, some things have stayed the same.

“But the Ireland of 40, 50 years ago… young people have reclaimed Ireland and it is very interesting what has happened to the country.

“The whole legacy of Irish history and where it is now – and where the Irish are culturally in the world now – is something I would like to explore, and The Trip would’ve been a fun way to do it. But that might still happen!”

Steve Coogan is bringing his new Alan Partridge comedy show Stratagem to the SSE Arena in Belfast on 22 April, and the 3Arena in Dublin on 23 and 24 April.

Clip via Chortle

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