The Trip to Italy

When Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan embarked on their culinary tour of the north of England in 2010's The Trip, I confess I did not know what to expect, but I very quickly came to love it. Under the helm of director Michael Winterbottom, the duo played fictionalized versions of themselves, and offered over six episodes a wonderful concoction of sheer laugh-out-loud comedic moments, wonderful blurs of reality and fantasy, incredibly poignant moments of pathos and self-reflection, and it has to be said - fantastic food and scenery.

Four years on, and the location is a bit more exotic, the glamour is hyped up a bit, and the food is distinctly more Italian (though apparently no less sumptuous) but still the glorious journey with these two middle-aged men continues to provide great results for one to sit back and enjoy.

A key part of both series, was the cultural and culinary journey that the boys found themselves in. In The Trip to Italy, the journey seems a bit more ad-hock than the previous outing, but all the more adventurous for it; we really do get a sense of discovery when watching Brydon and Coogan travel through the Italian Riviera. One stunning location after another, for me at least generated a bit of envy, but mostly it just felt like I was soaking up and enjoying Italy with the pair of them. The whole feel of each episode really is unique and wonderful to behold.

Though the core formula between the two men is still the same (same barrage of impressions and quips, same tongue-in-cheek camaraderie, same ever-moving mix of comedy and poignancy) there are some alterations and evolutions for both the "characters" of Rob and Steve. Whereas series 1 sort of saw Steve Coogan as the highly ambitious actor, aspiring Lothario, and great imposer of his own slight superiority this series, whilst still portraying him as trying to better himself over Brydon and to preserve his worth in his own eyes as much as anyone else's, we do see a softer, slightly more mellow and slightly more human side of him. Similarly, whereas the original Trip saw Rob Brydon as a very relaxed, affable, humerous and charming man, in the Italian version we still do get all these qualities, but with a distinct edge, and a lot more flair and aspiration; a bit more spring in the great Welsh man's step. I won't go so far as to say that the two roles have reversed, but there is definite cause to draw distinction, similarity and difference between the two figures we are presented with in series 1 and subsequently in series 2. What's more to have such an intruiging, ongoing and thoroughly well performed insight into these two characters only adds to the wealth of charm this series has for me. It was also a very pleasant welcome back for characters such as Emma and Steve's fictional son; they too had development to show off.

Faults? Really not many. OK, there are a couple of times when even this fictional 'mock-umentary' strays a tad too far into the definitely fictional, predictable and hyped up. Also, in series one the literature and massive cultural English figures that Steve and Rob kept citing and aspiring to were elements that very succinctly and very smoothly flowed from episode to episode, whereas this time it seems like a slight after-thought that is a bit forced in places.

Really though, these are definitely not major, and every single element of The Trip to Italy comes together in a marvelous and greatly intrinsic tapestry of sublime viewing. Fans of series 1 will only go on to love series 2 and its developments I feel. But if you have been following this programme or not, I really do insist that it is a true marvel, presented and performed in a truly unique fashion.