10 Actors Who Aren't Afraid To Mock Themselves
7. "Coogan Is A C***", Says Dad - The Trip
Steve Coogan's role as himself in all four series of The Trip feels more honest and self-lacerating as anything in his autobiography of a few years ago. The Steve Coogan of The Trip is a pretentious artist who's ashamed of his past in comedy characters and impressions, but is also keenly aware of how good he is at it.
It's how his dining companion Rob Brydon always convinces Coogan to play along with their regular improvised impressions. It's purely based on competitiveness; Coogan can't bear to let Brydon do an inferior impression, so attempts to tutor him. Similarly, he's constantly put out by Rob's relative successes in family life and his career against his own failures.
Coogan, Brydon and director Michael Winterbottom mine a rich seam of self-loathing and regret throughout the series. It's possibly best exemplified by the "Coogan's A C**t" scene from series 1, a dream Coogan has of being asked for an autograph by a fan who then presents him with a scathing newspaper headline from Coogan's own dad. It doesn't get more raw and self-lacerating than that.