TV News: 24, AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D, BARBARELLA, HELLO LADIES/FAMILY TREE, LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, MURDER SHE WROTE, TRIP TO ITALY, WALKING DEAD

A collection of this week's best television news stories, compiled by my good self....

THE TRIP heads for Italy

According to the British Comedy Guide, The Trip's co-producer Andrew Eaton has revealed a second series is being made, to be set in Italy. Eaton let slip the news during a BAFTA talk, where he was joined by stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon at Latitude Festival's Film & Music Arena.

The first series of The Trip aired last November on BBC2, where it lost half its 2 million viewers over a six-week run, although it was critically-adored and has retained a strong fan-base. The series, directed by Michael Winterbottom, was also re-edited into a movie that became a success in North America at various film festivals.

The show saw Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing exaggerated versions of themselves (as they did in Winterbottom's movie A Cock & Bull Story), as Brydon accompanied Coogan on a tour around the Lake District, sampling meals at posh restaurants for a Sunday newspaper column. It's not yet known if this concept will form the basis of series 2, albeit with a switch to sun-kissed Italy, but that does seem very likely.

What do you think? Did you enjoy The Trip last year? I did. Or were you one of the million people who abandoned it during its run? Have you seen the movie version? Will you be tuning into an Italian follow-up, or are you only interested in watching clips on YouTube (some of which became very popular around the world)?

'THE TRIP' 1.6 - "The Angel At Hetton"

The final part of The Trip's study of middle-age loneliness and alienating ambition (told between mouthfuls of luxury food), wasn't the impressive conclusion I was hoping for, but it was a worthwhile ending and one of the more entertaining episodes from a storytelling perspective.

It began with a diversion to Bolton Abbey, with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon walking through the picturesque graveyard together, where they were inevitably inspired to discuss mortality and death, leading to Coogan giving a very amusing eulogy for Brydon, praising his friend while also drizzling this speech with flinty putdowns.

The week's restaurant was The Angel at Hetton, which was very different dining experience for two reasons: the meal was served al fresco and consisted of two Full English Breakfast's for a trifling £24.40. I wasn't sure if this was a particularly delicious fry-up cooked by a Michelin-star restaurant, but I prefer to think Coogan and Brydon had simply turned their nose up at the thought of more pretentious food and just wanted something classic and fulfilling. As they commented, it was the best meal of their trip, served up in the great outdoors -- which they've been increasingly more eager to explore.

There's been an obvious "bromantic" element to this comedy, which was amusingly touched on when Coogan took his "partner" Brydon back to meet his parents. They were shown to be deservedly proud of their famous son's success, while Brydon again opted to communicate mostly via impersonations. In fact, while Coogan's written to evoke a more negative reaction, there are times when Brydon's inability to go five minutes without mimicking a celebrity has me pitying him even more.

The show ended on an emotive sequence, but no real catharsis. The show's too British for hugs and tears having returned from a literally and spiritual "journey", really. Coogan simply dropped Brydon off at his home, then drove away after a curt farewell. But the denouement again visualized the disparity between the two friends: Coogan arrived home to an empty, dark luxury apartment overlooking a grey London skyline. Brydon was being fed a meal by his wife in their cozy home, after playing with his baby boy. The only chink of light for Coogan was his decision to turn down the HBO pilot he'd been offered, which might have led to him living in America for seven years. The inference being that he's found value in a world closer to home, away from a trophy girlfriend and wealthy trappings, and might perhaps keep in closer contact with his friend. Coogan's baptismal dunk in a river, after falling off a stepping stone, perhaps did the trick?

Overall, The Trip was many things: indulgent, ponderous, beautiful, hilarious, wry, repetitive, experimental, insightful, clever, silly, occasionally dull, sardonic, witty, heartrending, and prolonged. It wasn't to everyone's taste (some people missed the pathos because they're looking for laughs, and vice versa), but it was certainly a worthwhile venture, and a good example of the kind of unusual programming BBC2 used to deliver before the digital age eroded its identity.

What did you make of this series, now it's finished and can be examined as a collective piece? Would you be willing to see Coogan and Brydon go on another trip, maybe to the south?

DIRECTOR: Michael Winterbottom
TRANSMISSION: 6 December 2010, BBC2/HD, 10PM

'THE TRIP' 1.5 – "The Yorke Arms"

I'll admit, The Trip's beginning to outstay its welcome with me. It's starting to repeat itself too much, really. Rob Brydon's Al Pacino impression has gone from amusing to extremely irritating, while episode 5 once again ended with a scene of Steve Coogan trying to replicate his friend's "small man in a box"-voice in front of a mirror. In some ways it feels like every episode is a retake of the same storyline, in some ways, and there weren't enough new elements to hold me rapt this week.

Still, there were some fun moments in "The Yorke Arms": I enjoyed seeing Coogan split from Brydon while out hiking, only to stumble upon the world's most boring amateur geologist; some of the impressions (Woody Allen doing Les Dawson jokes) hit the spot; the debate over the lyrics of Abba's "The Winner Takes It All" was interesting; and the anecdotes of missed opportunities (Coogan losing out to Geoffrey Rush in the Peter Sellers biopic, Brydon cut from the same movie as Dustin Hoffman) was also a fun moment.

But seeing Coogan call his teenage son and lonely girlfriend didn't really deliver anything worthwhile, and it was a shame some of last week's story didn't feed into episode 5 (Steve's temptation with cocaine, married Rob making a failed pass at Steve's agent). This was largely self-contained and, while still wryly amusing throughout, I didn't laugh as much. It feels like the joke's wearing thin now, and I'm unsure if next week's finale is going to reveal any deep purpose behind the show. There's a chance viewers are trying to find more substance and subtext than here actually it; finding form and purpose in a simple repetition of theme.

For me, The Trip's about two middle-aged comedians, moving in different directions career-wise, forced to spend time together over six expensive meals, and while largely communicating via bravado and one-upmanship, will come to realize they're best friends who needed a break from their lives to rediscover each other and come to value the simpler pleasures in life. Hopefully the last episode will tie everything together in a bow, rather than just deliver another near-identical three-part installment (daytime sightseeing, the afternoon meal, retiring to bed).

What are your hopes for the finale next Monday?

DIRECTOR: Michael Winterbottom
TRANSMISSION: 29 November 2010, BBC2/HD, 10PM

'THE TRIP' 1.4 - "Hipping Hall"

This is a strange show to review, as there are times when the repetition goes far beyond a joke (just how many Michael Caine impressions do we need to hear?), and it's only in the opening/closing five minutes that the story touches on something deeper. That said, The Trip still has a peculiar grip on my attention, as there are instances when the comedy and drama knit very well.

"Hipping Hall" shook up the format slightly, as Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon were joined for a meal by Steve's agent Emma (Claire Keelan) and Spanish photographer Yolanda (Marta Barrio) from The Observer. This meant Coogan and Brydon had an audience in two attractive women, so their competitiveness took on the feel of cheeky boys trying to impress girls in the school canteen. Having spent three episodes watching a "duel" between two comedians, it was refreshing to see a more layered discussion and interjections from other people. Amusingly, Rob's renowned impression of Ronnie Corbett failed to be recognized by either of the new dinner guests.

I was surprised by the darker turn the episode took, when photographer Yolanda was revealed to be a crack addict and Steve was tempted into a relapse -- which he only narrowly avoided. While having his photo taken on the windswept hills, Steve received the offer of a co-starring role in a US TV pilot, only to have second thoughts when he heard he'd be contracted for seven years if it's a hit. Already concerned about his middle age, you could see the panic in his eyes that so much of his forties would be swallowed up -- and for what? Fame and fortune as the next Hugh Laurie is great, but you get the feeling Steve's beginning to consider the home comforts he's taken for granted.

But maybe the real bombshell was seeing Rob make a clumsy move on Emma back at the hotel, moving in for a kiss while singing as Tom Jones and misjudging her "signals" entirely. It surprised me because Rob's been written as the sensible one who wouldn't risk his marriage, as many episodes have ended with him having an affectionate bedtime chat with his wife on the phone. Is hanging around Steve beginning to rub off on him? Or was this just a silly mistake brought on by loneliness?

Overall, I'm still enjoying The Trip, but it never stays consistently brilliant for me to consider a whole episode totally successful. There are fantastic scenes, good lines, occasionally intriguing character moments, but also a lot of repetitiveness and indulgent twaddle. I think a two hour-long specials would have been a better format for this, to take the sting out.

DIRECTOR: Michael Winterbottom
TRANSMISSION: 22 November 2010, BBC2/HD, 10PM

'THE TRIP' 1.3 - "Holbeck Ghyll"

I'll be brief: episode 3 was possibly the least funny episode so far, partly because the formula's becoming slightly oppressive, but I also found there was more pathos to savour. For that reason, and the fact the episode ventured out into the wider world more often, I enjoyed this episode more emotionally. My usual praise and complaints remain the same (great banter, witty lines, self-indulgent, beautiful scenery, formulaic narratives), but there were some really lovely moments this week...

In particular, I adored the final scene, with Steve Coogan naked in front of a bathroom mirror, checking his face for wrinkles, while trying to mimic Rob Brydon's popular "small man trapped in a box" party trick and utterly failing. In such a brief scene we got a potent sense of Coogan's fear of mortality, jealousy, and competitive streak. He's a fascinating person (or exaggerated "character", we should say), and I think The Trip should be doing similar character moments.

Episode 3 wisely commented on the fact Coogan and Brydon's meals are following the same pattern, which helped take the edge off my own disquiet with the formula. The "competitive impressions" were absent, as Coogan and Brydon instead made each other laugh with a fruity English accent, co-creating a character called Holbeck Ghyll (the peculiar name of the restaurant). Maybe this marks a turning point, with their one-upmanship put aside? I hope so, as The Trip definitely needs to find some progression as we begin the final half next week.

Asides

• Enough with the Anthony Hopkins and Al Pacino impressions, Mr Brydon! Those are beginning to grate. And as The Trip is already labeled a vanity project by some, using this episode to compare yourself to the poet Coleridge won't go down too well, Mr Coogan...
• Check out this article in The Guardian, where food critic Jay Rayner (The Observer columnist Coogan is fictionally substituting) offers his thoughts.

DIRECTOR: Michael Winterbottom
TRANSMISSION: 15 November 2010, BBC2/HD, 10PM

'THE TRIP' 1.2 - "L'Enclume"

I was hoping to add The Trip to my weekly review roster, but after sampling episode 2's "L'Enclume" I have a feeling that would be pointless. Not that this is a bad comedy, because I find it amiable and entertaining, but it's beholden to a rigid formula so far: Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon travel to a swanky restaurant in the idyllic northern countryside, they have dinner while teasing each other and competing with impressions, and then retire to bed after calling their other halves.

Consequently, I feel like I've said everything I want to say last week. "L'Enclume" was effectively more of the same, albeit with a different set of impressions for Coogan and Brydon to do battle with. I particularly liked their attempt to do the best naturalistic Bond villain, Coogan's insight into the acting style of Richard Gere (look into the middle distance and act like you've just remembered something), and the observation that Anthony Hopkins isn't afraid to touch his own face. I could happily watch Coogan and Brydon chew the fat, half-scripted or not, for a very long time. The opening dream sequence, guest-starring Ben Stiller, was also a fun surprise, and I like it when the story touches on the disparities between Coogan and Brydon. The former an inveterate bachelor, the wrong side of 40, desperate to get himself a Hollywood career equal to his hero Jack Lemmon; the latter a more satisfied Welshman seen using his talents to charm his wife over the phone.

The Trip is a series I'm definitely going to see through to its final destination, but I hope the journey's a touch more unpredictable than episode 2 felt most of the time.

What do you think?

DIRECTOR: Michael Winterbottom
TRANSMISSION: 8 November 2010, BBC2/HD, 10PM

'THE TRIP' 1.1 - "The Inn At Whitewell"

Ramble on over to Obsessed With Film, where you can read my review of semi-improvised comedy THE TRIP, starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, brought to you by the makers of sticky toffee pudding:

"I don't want to do British TV", Steve Coogan tells his agent during The Trip's first episode, somewhat ironically. But thank goodness Coogan's more flexible in reality, as it would be a shame to permanently lose one of the UK's best comic actors to Hollywood. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are reunited for director Michael Winterbottom's six-part peripatetic comedy The Trip, playing exaggerated versions of themselves, for what's essentially a TV sequel to their 2005 movie A Cock & Bull Story. Continue reading...