Steve Coogan avoided a lengthy driving ban after pleading with a judge that it would interfere with his filming for The Trip. The actor and comedian was caught speeding at 97 mph on the M6 near Telford last July.
According to , in a letter to Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, Coogan urged the court not to disqualify him as the ban would impact his filming schedule.
The newspaper said that the ban would mean “the production would likely be unable to proceed.” The Alan Partridge actor requested five penalty points instead of six after he pleaded guilty to the offence on January 30.
Coogan was also ordered to pay a £2,500 penalty fine, £90 costs, and a £1,000 surcharge. Ultimately, he was banned for only two months instead of the usual six, which meant his show could go ahead.
The comedian was banned in 2016 for 28 days after driving twice the 30mph speed limit in Brighton.
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The comedian and actor managed to avoid a lengthy driving ban (Image: Getty)
The letter reported by Evening Standard read: “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.”
He further wrote: “These projects would be severely impacted, not only affecting my own livelihood but also the many individuals dependent on these productions for work.
“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.”
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The pair are due to film their next series of The Trip (Image: Getty)
In 2019, he wrote a similar letter after he was caught speeding and said that being disqualified from driving would impact the new series of Alan Partridge.
The Trip involves Coogan and comedian playing caricatures of themselves travelling around countries such as Spain, Italy, and the UK.