He gets around does that Steve Coogan, with his love of fast cars, his lanky gait and his slightly oddball, sneery Manchester stare.
If he’s not making TV shows via his Baby Cow production company (I Am Not An Animal) then he’s getting more mileage out of Alan Partridge (soon to be immortalised in movie form) or starring in some new film or other (Around The World In 80 Days, A Cock And Bull Story, The Persuaders, etc).
In fact the cocky, sneery, award-winning git gets everywhere – including back on BBC2 with a new sitcom called Saxondale.
In this he plays roadie-turned-pest-controller Tommy Saxondale, a fella with hair like Rick Wakeman after electric shock therapy and major anger management problems. It’s familiar comedy territory for Coogan fans in that it relies on uncomfortable and uneasy moments to provoke laughs.
Hence he and his wife openly discuss their sex lives in front of his newly hired young pest control protégé and, when the same employee moves in with him, he happily chats about his vintage jazz mag collection before handing them over for him to enjoy.
On first viewing it’s a genuinely measured and funny performance from Coogan, who wrote it alongside Neil MacLennan, and the supporting cast (Nighty Night’s Ruth Jones as wife Magz, Morwenna Banks as bitchy receptionist Vicky and Rasmus Hardiker as apprentice pest killer Raymond) look as though they’re well up to the task too.
Critics may want to dislike Coogan but he consistently produces the comedy goods. It’s no Alan Partridge but it’s certainly no Tony Ferrino either. Good stuff.
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