Stars: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, David Walliams, James Corden, Helen Coker, Philip Jackson

Director: Declan Lowney

Summary: Andy Van Allen is a failed TV star who is now working as a hotel porter. When he is offered, out of the blue, a job as principal celebrity on an organised 'celebrity cruise' plus serious money as well things seem to be on the up. Soon after sailing things start to go wrong and matters become worse when he meets his former colleague who has gone on to the bigtime.

CRUISE OF THE GODS is an excellent one-off comedy from the BBC which stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as former stars of a 1980s science fiction series "The Children of Castor." Twenty years on, and whereas Nick Lee (Coogan) is a successful actor in his own series (the surreal "Sherlock Holmes in Miami"), Andy Van Allen (Brydon) is down on his luck and virtually forgotten. When the offer to attend the "The Children of Castor" fan cruise arises, he reluctantly accepts. Once on board he runs into Nick, struggles with the demands of obsessive fans and an alcoholic former scriptwriter. But the cruise ultimately turns out to be more meaningful than Van Allen had anticipated when he meets the son he never knew he had and discovers the true meaning of being a star.

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Both warmly funny and surprisingly touching, the one-off 90-minute BBC comedy Cruise of the Gods(2002) unites the twin comic talents of Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan for the first time. Brydon, whose Marion &Geoffbrought him instant cult status and critical acclaim, plays Andy Van Allen, a washed-up actor who once enjoyed celebrity as the star of a TV science-fiction series but who is now down on his luck as a hotel porter. Desperate to rescue his self-esteem, but equally desperate to conceal his failure, he reluctantly embarks on a Mediterranean cruise for die-hard fans of the old show organised by uber-nerd Jeff Monks (David Walliams). To compound his humiliation, Van Allan's one-time costar, Nick Lee (Coogan), now a Hollywood big shot thanks to his starring role in Sherlock Holmes in Miami, gatecrashes the trip.

Elements of both Marion &Geoff's agonising pathos and the squirm-inducing embarrassment of I'm Alan Partridgefeature prominently here as the merciless portrayal of geeky fandom slowly gives way to a more gentle, affectionate portrait of people whose lives were inexplicably touched by the fantastically awful Children of Castor(imagine a camp cross between Blake's 7and The Tomorrow People). Unlike the sympathetically pathetic ex-husband of Marion, here Brydon plays a cruelly cynical and embittered character, whose self-loathing contrasts painfully with the annoying ebullience of Coogan's superstar. The supporting cast are all a delight, too: witness lugubrious Philip Jackson, as alcoholic writer Hugh Bispham, clashing hilariously with Walliams' deadly earnest super-fan over the interpretation of names in the show, which turn out to be nothing more cryptic than anagrams of Bispham's favourite curries. James Corden and Helen Coker are emotionally fragile followers whose lives intertwine unexpectedly with their heroes, while Brian Conley and Jack Jones gamely provide cameos. --Mark Walker

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Commentary With Tim Firth Declan Lowney And Alison MacPhail, Coogans Runner Behind The Scenes Documentary, Outtakes, Deleted Scenes, Alternate Ending, Children Of Castor Sequence, Children Of Castor Script, Photo Gallery, Scene Selection
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2002
Release Date:	June 2, 2003
Runtime:	88 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B B C D V D 1216
Label:	Baby Cow Productions
Keywords:	Gods, Comedy, General, Cruise, Tv
Genre:	Comedy