Following on from my recent post on Steve Coogan's celebrity persona – I was struck by this comment he made writing in an article for the Guardian:
"I've been fortunate enough to work with the likes of Peter Baynham, Armando Iannucci, Chris Morris, Simon Pegg, Julia Davis, Caroline Aherne, Ruth Jones, and the Mighty Boosh – some of the funniest and most innovative people in British comedy. And Rob Brydon too."The article actually concerned the remarks of the Top Gear presenters regarding Mexicans (completely unrelated to my research). But the reason I chose to quote was because even when writing a critical and opinionated article on a separate matter, Steve Coogan still cannot resist displaying the same humorous, childish, mocking character (one that picks on Rob Brydon) that he so demonstrated in The Trip. What we are seeing here is this same persona eagerly pushing its way out, making itself known as a commonplace attribute of the actor/writer/celebrity that is Steve Coogan. The relevance here then lies in the appearance of this "loose version of himself", and his acknowledging of this played and playful persona as an irrevocable element of his self. And crucially the relationship between the two: the overall professional, down to earth character allowing and indulging the cheeky, self-centred 'sub-character'.
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