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HIGHLIGHTS
OUTCAST – SEASON 2 FOX (UK), Mon 3 Apr, 10pm The other show from Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, focusing on demons, possession and exorcisms rather than zombies. THE TRIP TO SPAIN Sky Atlantic, Thu 6 Apr, 10pm Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon head to Spain for their latest culinary roadtrip. Now on a new channel. See preview, left.
PRISON BREAK – SEASON 5 FOX (UK) Mon 10 Apr, 9pm After eight year’s off for good behaviour, Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell are ready to break out again (though how they get round the death of Miller’s character at the end of season 4 remains to be seen). See list.co.uk for review. BATES MOTEL – SEASON 5 Universal Channel, Tue 11 Apr, 9pm Surprisingly classy TV series based on Hitchcock’s Psycho starring Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga. This final season will roughly follow the plot of the classic movie (with added Rihanna).
BETTER CALL SAUL – SEASON 3 Netflix, Tue 11 Apr Third season of the Breaking Bad spin-off starring Bob Odenkirk as lawyer Saul Goodman.
DOCTOR WHO – SEASON 10 BBC One, Sat 15 Apr More intergalactic time-travelling adventures and sadly the last episodes from showrunner Steven Moffat and current Doctor, Peter Capaldi. AMERICAN GODS Amazon Prime, Mon 1 May Neil Gaiman’s sprawling fantasy novel hits the small screen. Ex-con Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) discovers that the ancient gods of legend are hiding out in America.
MASTER OF NONE – SEASON 2 Netflix, Fri 12 May Aziz Ansari’s insightful comedy about the life of a struggling New York actor.
TWIN PEAKS – SERIES 3 Sky Atlantic, Mon 22 May, 2am Simulcast of the fervently awaited return of David Lynch’s surreal murder mystery as Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) stops by for another ‘damn fine cup of coffee.’ (It also screens Tue 23 May, 9pm, if you don’t want to stay up all night). EPISODES – SEASON 5 BBC Two, May (date tbc) Matt LeBlanc stars as himself in this behind-the-scenes sitcom set in the world of US TV, with Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig. Final season.
1 Apr–31 May 2017 THE LIST 111
COME DINE WITH US As Rob Brydon heads off on another small-screen trip with Steve Coogan, he chats to Henry Northmore about truth, impressions and trying to make his comedy partner laugh
T here’s an air of authenticity that can make watching The Trip uncomfortable. Essentially a fake foodie travelogue following Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as they review a series of the world’s best restaurants, it all started in the north of England. Series two relocated to Italy, and now the dining duo are heading to Spain. Directed by Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, A Cock and Bull Story), it looks and feels like a documentary, Coogan and Brydon playing exaggerated versions of themselves as they bicker, show off and desperately try to impress each other with their impressionistic skills (their duelling Michael Caines are a joy to behold).
The vast majority of the dialogue is improvised which makes it feel even more genuine. ‘You’re constantly in a state of trying to invent some i ction,’ explains Brydon. ‘Or a half-truth, or i nd a truth and bend it a little bit to make it interesting. It was quite full-on.’ This level of realism has led to some confusion, Brydon admitting that some people believed he genuinely had an affair while i lming in Italy. It also puts added pressure on Brydon and Coogan as they are front and centre in nearly every scene. ‘Generally speaking, people always ask me what the food was like but to be honest that is the last thing on my mind,’ says Brydon. ‘I’m thinking about what I’m going to say and asking myself if I am going to be funny. Or if I am going to come up with anything . . . but usually stuff comes along. It’s always nice if you make someone laugh, especially someone like Steve who I have so much respect for.’
As well as being partially about cuisine, The Trip has also featured literary leanings. The great romantic poets cropped up as Coogan and Brydon drove through the Lake District while their journey along the coast of Italy vaguely tracked the route of Byron and Shelley. For this third series, they follow in the footsteps of poet and novelist Laurie Lee, and Don Quixote creator Miguel de Cervantes, travelling over 1000 miles through the heart of Spain.
All of this links back to the i rst time Coogan and Brydon worked together with Winterbottom on the 2005 adaptation of ‘uni lmable’ novel Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, which similarly featured the pair playing themselves. ‘We come in and do our thing but it’s very much his baby,’ Brydon says of the director. ‘He’s the one who decides where we’re going, which restaurants we go to and the broad themes that we’re going to talk about. But then we invent the majority of the dialogue, with the exception of the plot, which is needed to move the story on.’ There are moments of pathos, humour and drama, but it’s the aforementioned impressions that provide the funniest moments. ‘Every time we’ve done The Trip I’ve thought ahead a bit, done some research and learned a few new voices.’ Despite adding Andy Murray and Barry Gibb to his repertoire, there are some depths Brydon refuses to plumb. ‘I’ve been listening recently to Donald Trump’s voice and thinking to myself how it’s an impressionist’s dream because there are so many quirks in it. It’s full of identii able traits that are easy to copy. But I loathe the man so I can’t bring myself to do him.’
The Trip to Spain premieres on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV, Thu 6 Apr, 10pm (full series on Sky Box Sets the same day).