THE future of Steve Coogan’s hit TV series has been revealed after the actor swerved a driving ban.
The actor and comedian was hauled in front of a judge after being caught speeding on the M6 last year.
But in an attempt to avoid getting disqualified from driving, Steve penned a letter to the court, pleading to keep his license.
According to the Evening Standard, the 59-year-old said in the document he needed to be able drive to film a new series of The Trip.
The publication quotes Steve telling Birmingham Magistrates Court: “I have a series of important film commitments scheduled for 2025, many of which involve driving as a central component of the work.”
He continued: “I am due to appear in a well-established TV series called ‘The Trip’ (with Rob Brydon) which as the title suggests requires me to drive.
“This starts filming towards the end of June 2025 and if I were unable to drive, the production would likely be unable to proceed.”
The BBC comedy series first launched in 2010 on BBC Two before moving to Sky and features pals Steve and Rob on their travels abroad.
It sees them play exaggerated versions of themselves as they travel by car reviewing restaurants.
24 episodes have been produced so far over four series, though The Trip to Greece in 2020 was thought to be the final instalment.
Both stars have publicly expressed the desire to film a new series, with locations in Ireland, Wales and the US reportedly considered.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Steve Coogan dealt brutal blow by Channel 4 as comedy series dropped after just one season” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6352890067112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Last year Steve’s Channel 4 comedy-drama Chilvary was axed after just one series.
However, a second series was said to be in the pipeline, though Steve and show star Sarah Solemani were looking for a new home for the show.