The Trip to Italy, BBC 2 and Sundance London

This year, British filmmakers have proved their salt in this cinematic cattle market with an array of interesting, inspiring and sometimes witty works.

The Trip to Italy, the sequel to Michael Winterbottom’s hilarious The Trip (2010), is the most ‘British’ of all of these. It debuted at Sundance in January and now it's rolling into the Big Smoke for Sundance London - and straight into your living room as a six-part series for BBC 2. 

Operating under the maxim 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon once again play inflated versions of themselves, who bicker and munch their way through Italy in the footsteps of Shelley and Byron, apparently reviewing Italian cuisine for the Observer. Working around Winterbottom’s scripted narrative, but with almost entirely improvised dialogue, this film is an extraordinary showcase for the wit and humour of its two stars.

Real friends, this is the fifth time the pair have worked together, and, in typical, tongue-in-cheek fashion, Coogan (now with two Academy Award nominations for his latest screenplay Philomena) says he has come to see Brydon as a “much older brother”. You will come away feeling real affection for these two men, who allow art to imitate life, as they open up about their careers, their dreams and their insecurities. 

Winterbottom is a film festival veteran, having three times been nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (for Welcome to Sarajevo, Wonderland and 24 Hour Party People). We can assure you that you are in safe hands with this one. 

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The Trip to Italy will be shown in six instalments, on BBC 2, beginning April 4. The film will be screened at the Sundance London Festival on 25 April. Click here for details.