Rob Brydon admits he and Steve Coogan initially dismissed the core premise of *The Trip* as “a bit passé”. The 61-year-old comedian, best known as Uncle Bryn, revealed he was against playing a fictionalised version of himself when director Michael Winterbottom first pitched the idea.
It’s a bold risk for a show that relies entirely on the chemistry between two real-life friends. If the audience didn’t buy the characters, the entire format would have collapsed. Instead, it became a cult hit.
Curiosity Over Skepticism
Brydon, speaking ahead of the season five premiere in London, conceded that Winterbottom was right to push back. “We were both against the idea,” Brydon said. “But in fact, as ever, Michael was right because it just gives the show… you’re more curious about it. Is that how they really are?” He explained that while the characters are heightened, they aren’t pure caricatures. “We just exaggerate it until it becomes funny,” he noted. “There’ll be grains of truth.”
Freezing in Scandinavia
The latest instalment, *The Trip to the Northern Lights*, takes the duo from Swedish hotels to remote Norwegian fishing huts. It’s their fifth season, following stints in north England, Italy, Spain, and Greece. The setting is starkly different from previous warm-weather locations. Brydon admitted the cold was manageable until they crossed into the Arctic Circle. “It wasn’t that cold, apart from when we went into the Arctic Circle,” he said. “The scenes were so breathtaking that you didn’t mind the cold.” He also confirmed the pair stripped down to their underwear for numerous sauna and cold plunge scenes, calling the experience “wonderful”.
A release date for the new series hasn’t been announced yet. Fans will have to wait to see if the aurora borealis is as photogenic as the food.
Source: BBC Entertainment
This article was compiled by the IndiaBBCNews editorial system from verified international news sources. Facts have been independently reviewed. Original reporting: BBC Entertainment.
