Eat my goal! Actor Steve Coogan has just escaped a lengthy driving ban thanks to his comedy character Alan Partridge.
Appearing at a magistrates court in Crawley after he was clocked driving his Porsche at 36mph in a 30mph zone close to his East Sussex home, Coogan faced a six-month ban. However, he successfully argued that an upcoming series of Alan Partridge couldn’t be filmed on public transport – and let slip a little info about the new show, set to start filming in October.
Facing an automatic six-month driving ban after receiving another three penalty points on his license in addition to his current nine, Coogan told the court (Via The Guardian): “I’m producing a travelogue follow-on TV series where I’m basically driving around Britain. The whole nature of the series is that it is a travelogue and it’s an artistic thing that he drives and that defines his character.”
He added: “You couldn’t put him on a train because that not who he is. It’s part of his character that he drives.”
Coogan also argued that the driving shots couldn’t be faked in front of a green screen. “You have cameras mounted on the bonnet then you have other shots where you have a camera mounted on a separate car filming the person in the car driving,” he said.
After considering how the cancellation of the TV series would lead to 15-20 people losing their jobs at short notice, the magistrates only disqualified him from driving for two months. Coogan was still handed three penalty points and was fined £750, with £85 court costs and a £75 victim surcharge.
His upcoming motor travelogue series will be the first Partridge series since the six-part This Time with Alan Partridge aired in February.
