The Trip’s Steve Coogan stands up for commuters

STEVE COOGAN has taken his fair share of interesting trips with TV buddy Rob Brydon, but yesterday he was filmed in a rather less exotic location — standing up for fellow commuters on an early-morning train from Sussex.

The Alan Partridge star, 52, has filmed three series of The Trip — one in northern England, the others in Italy and Spain — but on Wednesday he was on a packed Southern Rail train, arguing with a ticket inspector that passengers standing in the aisles should be allowed to travel with him in first class.

One commuter said: ‘He was saying that it was outrageous that they should face any penalty, and that they should have somewhere to sit.

‘He was being very chivalrous, defending the other passengers. There was one woman who was being told to leave even though she had a lot of luggage and wanted to stay with her bags.

‘The train was ridiculously overcrowded, with people packed into the aisles and a few passengers had wandered into the first-class carriage simply to find a seat or somewhere a little bit more comfortable to stand.’

But it seemed the ticket inspector was unimpressed by Steve’s fame and made the passengers on the crowded 8.46am train from Lewes, Sussex, to London Victoria move out of the first-class carriage.

The passenger added: ‘The outcome was that the passengers were forced to leave anyway.

‘There was a ticket inspector and a guard in the carriage. The guard said to the other passengers: “I don’t think the ticket inspector realises who he is.’’’

Sadly, it’s hard to hear what Coogan is saying in the clip, but he can be heard telling the guard he is ‘not being pragmatic’.

Author: Anna Thomson