Michael Winterbottom on The Trip 2

Michael Winterbottom on The Trip 2

Michael Winterbottom on The Trip 2

Michael Winterbottom on sending Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon to Italy's Amalfi Coast for The Trip 2

In the three years since Michael Winterbottom packed Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon off on their critically-lauded, largely improvised gastronomic tour of northern England, much has changed. Coogan has been busy transforming Alan Partridge into a film star and bagging an Oscar nomination for Philomena, while Brydon, no slouch either, has popped up in Gangsta Granny.

However, something about two middle-aged men swapping Roger Moore impressions over haute cuisine struck a chord with the viewing public and, as such, the pair have done us all a favour and headed out on the road again for The Trip To Italy.

“In the new series we talk about the problems of doing a second anything – second series, second film, second album, second holiday,” director Winterbottom tells ShortList. “We’ve deliberately structured it in a very similar way to the first series, but they’re three years older and at a slightly different situation in their lives.”

Winterbottom adds, “You can expect more impressions, too. There are one or two new ones [including this clip of Coogan doing Tom Hardy as Bane], though I wouldn’t expect too many. They are very good at what they do, but they have quite a narrow range…”

So, with Italy and ‘The North’ now stamped in their culinary passports, could The Trip become a trilogy and, if so, where to next? “Well, after the first one we all felt we’d never do a second one,” claims Winterbottom. “And now after the second one we feel we’d never do a third.

“But if we were to do one more, I think Steve would quite like to do America, and Rob would quite like to do Australia." Our vote’s for Oz. We’ve got a feeling Brydon’s Paul Hogan would be spectacular.

The Trip To Italy will air on the BBC later this year

Danielle de Wolfe

As Shortlist’s Staff Writer, Danielle spends most of her time compiling lists of the best ways to avoid using the Central Line at rush hour.