Actor Steve Coogan has narrowly avoided a driving ban for speeding at almost 100mph after he told a court it could impact on the new series of hit TV show The Trip. The 59-year-old star of Alan Partridge was behind the wheel of a Range Rover which was caught at 97mph on the M6 on July 29 last year. Coogan already had six penalty points on his licence and wrote to a court to plead for a punishment which did not end in a ban, highlighting that he is expected to drive on the upcoming TV show.

“I have a series of important film commitments scheduled for 2025, many of which involve driving as a central component of the work”, he set out, in a letter to Birmingham magistrates court. “I am due to appear in a well-established TV series called The Trip (with Rob Brydon) which as the title suggests requires me to drive. “This starts filming towards the end of June 2025 and if I were unable to drive, the production would likely be unable to proceed.”.

Coogan argued for the magistrate to impose five penalty points instead of six, leaving him just below the level where an automatic six-month disqualification is considered. “These projects would be severely impacted, not only affecting my own livelihood but also the many individuals dependent on these productions for work”, he continued. “These include camera, sound, and lighting technicians, riggers, and others on modest wages who would face cancellations and financial hardship, as rescheduling such projects is often highly complicated.”.

Coogan said the past penalty points on his licence are due to expire in August 2025, he said he has stuck to the speed limits since the incident, and he expressed frustration that it has taken almost six months for the prosecution to be brought. “The delay…has significantly affected not only my ability to plan for the coming year but also discussions with colleagues and collaborators regarding potential upcoming projects.”.

The offence happened just before midnight on the northbound side of the M6 just before Junction 12 for Telford. Coogan entered a guilty plea and was handed five penalty points, leaving him one point short of facing a ban. He was ordered to pay a £2,500 fine, plus £90 costs and a £1,000 victim surcharge. It is not the first time Coogan has deployed his TV career in court when facing a driving ban. In 2019, the actor told magistrates in Crawley that a lengthy disqualification would force the cancellation of a new Alan Partridge series he was created for the BBC.

“I’m producing a travelogue follow-on TV series where I’m basically driving around Britain,” he told the court. “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. You couldn’t put him on a train because that not who he is – it’s part of his character that he drives.”. The comedian said camera shots of him driving could not be faked, and pleaded that up to 20 members of the production crew were relying financial on the show being made.

The court ultimately decided to ban Coogan from driving for two months, instead of the usual six, which meant the TV show could be made as planned. He and Rob Brydon have already made four series of The Trip, playing exaggerated versions of themselves as they travel by car together to review restaurants. The show’s series, directed by Michael Winterbottom, have been set in the UK, Italy, Spain, and Greece.

Coogan and Brydon have both previously expressed a desire to film a fifth series, with Ireland, Wales, and the US suggested as locations. But in February last year Winterbottom publicly ruled out a possibility of another series. However, Coogan’s court case reveals a change of heart, with plans already well underway. Coogan was banned from driving for 28 days and fined £670 in 2016 after he was caught driving at almost twice the speed limit on a 30mph road in Brighton.