Steve Coogan hit the headlines this week for putting the housekeeper and gardener of his £4million estate on furlough. The Government scheme, which covers 80 percent of workers’ wages, was implemented to prevent employers from laying-off their staff due to financial struggles during the coronavirus lockdown. This isn’t the first time the Manchester born comedian has been at the centre of controversy, with his off-the-cuff remarks often drawing attention. One such instance happened during a press screening for his TV show ‘The Trip’, which has appeared on the BBC and Sky. There he made sneaky comments about the popular programme’s director Michael Winterbottom.
Comedic-drama ‘The Trip’ recently aired its fourth series, which followed on from the success of the TV hit’s launch on the BBC in 2010.
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play fictional versions of themselves in the show, where they travel around the world reviewing restaurants and the delicious delights put onto their plates.
During their hilarious interactions they often make snide remarks and try to outperform one another with celebrity impersonations.
In previous interviews, the TV stars admitted they are not the best of friends in real life but have a great onscreen chemistry – despite the constant bickering shown on the small screen.
At the premiere of ‘The Trip’ series two in 2014, which saw the pair travel to Italy, they gave an insight into what life was like behind the scenes.
There Steve joked that the new episodes were “pretty much the same” as the previous series and that there wasn’t “much plot”.
When asked how restaurants are chosen to feature in the show, the ‘Alan Partridge’ actor made a sneaky remark about director Michael Winterbottom.
Steve sarcastically quipped: “He goes on a trip to Italy himself with his producing partner, who is also his wife.
“They take a long, long, long, tireless trip around Italy, choosing the best restaurants and it’s all tax deductible, so there you go.”
He continued to make the joke that “it’s work” while gesturing quotation marks in the air with his one hand.
DON’T MISS
Piers Morgan’s savage snub to The Trip star Steve Coogan [EXPOSED]
Steve Coogan’s incredible night out with Liam Gallagher [UNEARTHED]
Rob Brydon’s confession about rows with Steve Coogan [REVEALED]
Soon after ‘Gavin and Stacey’ star Rob Brydon interjected with an “interesting thing” about the making of the show.
He said: “There were a few restaurants that we wanted to film in but they said no because we couldn’t show them a script.
“They thought, ‘What if [they] say horrible things about our restaurant?’, but every restaurant we filmed in their business went through the roof once the show had gone out.
“Their websites were crashing and all sorts, so you know they should have said yes.”
