"Coogan's Run: A Handyman For All Seasons" - Steve Coogan as Ernest Moss fixing the Ottle clock

"Coogan's Run: A Handyman For All Seasons" - Ernest Moss (Steve Coogan) and Robin (John Thomson) and van

"Coogan's Run: Get Calf!" - Great Bear (Christopher McHallem) and Paul Calf (Steve Coogan)

"Coogan's Run: Get Calf!" - Dolphin (Jonathan McGuinness) & Paul Calf (Steve Coogan)

"Coogan's Run: Get Calf!" - from l to r Ian Parry (Adam Fogerty), Barry Parry (George Costigan), Dean Parry (Andrew Livingston), Paul Calf (Steve Coogan)

"Coogan's Run: Natural Born Quizzers" - Steve Coogan as Guy Crump

"Coogan's Run: Natural Born Quizzers" - Steve Coogan as a younger Guy Crump

"Coogan's Run: The Curator" - Tim Fleck (Steve Coogan) contemplates the Turp Inn

"Coogan's Run: The Curator" - Tim Fleck as Martin Phone (Steve Coogan) and Maud (Debra Gillett)

"Coogan's Run: Thursday Night Fever" - Mike Crystal (Steve Coogan) and The Wurzels

"Coogan's Run: Thursday Night Fever" - Steve Coogan as Mike Crystal as Clint Stallone

"Coogan's Run: Thursday Night Fever" - Steve Coogan as Mike Crystal launching The Wurzles new single "I've Got A Brand New Brand New Combine Harvester"

"Coogan's Run: A Handyman For All Seasons" - l to r Florence Mullinger (Felicity Montagu), Ernest Moss (Steve Coogan), Robin (John Thomson)

"Coogan's Run: Get Calf!" - from l to r Dean Parry (Andrew Livingston), Ian Parry (Adam Fogerty), Barry Parry (George Costigan)

"Coogan's Run: Natural Born Quizzers" - Patrick Marber as Stuart Crump

"Coogan's Run: The Curator" - John Thomson as Graham Lambert

"Coogan's Run: Thursday Night Fever" - Clint Stallone (Steve Coogan) and Gerald the Sumo Magician (Stephen Marcus)

"Coogan's Run: A Handyman For All Seasons" - Steve Coogan as Ernest Moss

"Coogan's Run: A Handyman For All Seasons" - John Thomson as Robin

"Coogan's Run" - Filming the opening scene in "A Handyman For All Seasons", Ottle High Street

"Coogan's Run: Natural Born Quizzers" - Patrick Marber & Steve Coogan as Stuart & Guy

"Coogan's Run: The Curator" - Councillor Len Crabbe (Adrian Scarborough) at the opening of the "Tim Fleck Museum Of Murder" in Ottle

Coogan's Run - Dearth Of A Salesman

Stills
Clips
Share On:
Info
Cast & Crew
Extras

Coogan's Run

“Coogan’s Run” was a six part series designed to capitalize on Steve Coogan’s growing range of characters over and above Alan Partridge and Paul & Pauline Calf... Steve and Henry Normal also wanted to create a series set in the Greater Manchester area with characters from one show intersecting with other characters’ storylines which was achieved in part, although it took some ingenuity, not only in the plotting but in the filming schedule also...


Originally entitled “The Bed & Breakfast Club” and then later on, ironically “Six Sides Of Coogan” (we envisioned a hideous retro title sequence where Steve’s face is electronically put into six sides of a tumbling dice on a white screen, like some ghastly early Seventies ITV show...). Geoff eventually suggested Coogan’s Run after the film “Logan’s Run” and we all pounced on it. The series was set in the fictional town of Ottle.

Steve and Henry  knew there would be a Paul & Pauline Calf episode, and Steve had been doing a Gareth Cheeseman-style salesman character for a while now, based on his experience of doing stand-up at corporate entertainment bashes. Stuart & Guy arose as two characters Steve and Patrick Marber created one week for an episode of Jonathan Ross’s “Saturday Zoo” and Ernest Moss (and Robin) had been a character Steve had occasionally done in shows such as BSB’s “Up Yer News” where he was a sort of self-propelled Health & Safety Officer called “Ernest Ickler”. The Curator, Tim Fleck was a sort of development of The Day Today’s Swimming Pool attendant and Mike Crystal (and his alter ego Clint Stallone) arose out of the original storyline proposed by Graham Linehan & Arthur Mathews.

The list of appearances from characters within other episodes includes -

“Get Calf” - the Parry Brothers steal Gareth Cheeseman’s Hugo Boss suit from him in a car park. Also, Fat Bob, in his work guise of working for Mr Clutch is attempting to “repair” a suitably elderly van belonging to a suitably elderly Ernest Moss. Later on, he borrows the van for his rescue attempt.

“Dearth Of A Salesman” - in the Hotel reception, we see Pauline Calf going off for a drink with the prostitute who’s robbed Cheeseman

“A Handyman For All Seasons” - sees the appearance of Paul & Pauline Calf’s father, the DA’d Pete Calf. He’s pushing an infant Paul in a perambulator.

“Thursday Night Fever” - Paul Calf wanders in to the bar where Mike is singing and asks Clement where The Swan is, as they’ve got a karaoke night.

“Natural Born Quizzers” - we see Debs & Mike in bed watching the climactic moments of the “Top Of The Class” hijack. Paul Calf is also watching it on a pub TV. (That was the last scene shot in the entire series).

“The Curator” - when Tim Fleck is having his De Niro moment in the restaurant’s toilets, Paul Calf is trying have a peaceful fag in the cubicles. Later on, a pissed Paul watches the series of highwaymen running across the graveyard.

Ernest Moss and Robin, suitably aged, are changing the signs at the Ottle Museum.

Coogan's Run

Show 1

"Get Calf"

First Tx 17/11/1995 BBC Two

The return of the BAFTA-award-winning Calf family. Paul witnesses a robbery, and the instruction goes out to Get Calf. Paul's on the run, Pauline's on the bus, Fat Bob's in trouble and Grandma Calf is kidnapped.

Starring
Paul & Pauline CalfSteve Coogan
 
with
Fat BobJohn Thomson
MumSandra Gough
GrandmaKathleen Worth
JulieSally Rogers
Barry ParryGeorge Costigan
Dean ParryAndrew Livingston
Ian ParryAdam Fogerty
DolphinJonathan McGuinness
Great BearChristopher McHallem
Inspector LynchMalcolm Raeburn
Shop AssistantShirley Stellfox
Post Office CashierAngela Catherall
First Prison OfficerDamian Myerscough
Second Prison OfficerRoger Morlidge
Woman on busIrene Skillington
Plain Clothes OfficerDavid Hounslow
Drunk on BusKen Kitson
Reverend DowdDerek Howard
 
Written bySteve Coogan
Henry Normal
 
Directed byGeoff Posner
 
Produced byDavid Tyler
Geoff Posner

Show 2

"Dearth Of A Salesman"

First Tx 24/11/1995 BBC Two

Super salesman and arrogant plonker Gareth Cheeseman is at a weekend computer conference and on the lookout for sex, sales and software. But has he made a pitch too far ...?

Starring
Gareth CheesemanSteve Coogan
 
with
Douglas CrownJohn Shrapnel
AlunRichard Lumsden
Tony the ReceptionistBernard Wrigley
Ruth ColeGeorgia Mitchell
The ProstituteGaynor Faye
Sgt. CromwellPhilip Martin Brown
Bert ReynoldsRichard Cubison
The Drunk ExecutiveRoger Morlidge
The Gay ManDavid Royle
The MaidJennifer Luckraft
 
Written byGraham Linehan
Arthur Mathews
withSteve Coogan
Henry Normal
 
Directed byGeoff Posner
 
Produced byDavid Tyler
Geoff Posner

Show 3

"A Handyman For All Seasons"

First Tx 1/12/1995 BBC Two

It's 1960, and when a gang of shifty cowboy developers up from London ride into town, local handyman (and general maintenance engineer) Ernest Moss finds he must walk tall and stand alone...

Starring
Ernest Moss (& Pete Calf)Steve Coogan
 
with
Robin MossJohn Thomson
Florence MullingerFelicity Montagu
Francis BurgoyneJack Klaff
Valerie ThorneLouise Delamere
Councillor Hillary CrabbeAdrian Scarborough
PC Ted CromwellPhilip Martin Brown
Reverend DowdDerek Howard
Post Office BarbaraDeddie Davies
Brian the LandlordGeoffrey Leesley
Harry MossHenry Normal
 
Written bySteve Coogan
Henry Normal
 
Directed byGeoff Posner
 
Produced byDavid Tyler
Geoff Posner

Show 4

"Thursday Night Fever"

First Tx 8/12/1995 BBC Two

Mike Crystal is an all-round entertainer, a man of many talents and a financial incompetent with no future. But desperate diseases require desperate remedies ...

Starring
Mike CrystalSteve Coogan
 
with
DebsTheresa Banham
Clement WoodsGraham Fellows
CurtainsSean McKenzie
GeraldStephen Marcus
The Animal TrainerLouis Hammond
Oliver HardyPeter Corey
Stan LaurelBarry Wood
Mr. MemoryJohn Phythian
The Fire OfficerDavid Nicholls
as themselvesThe Wurzels
 
Written byGraham Linehan
Arthur Mathews
Geoffrey Perkins
withSteve Coogan
Henry Normal
 
Directed byGeoff Posner
 
Produced byDavid Tyler
Geoff Posner

Show 5

"Natural Born Quizzers"

First Tx 15/12/1995 BBC Two

Guy Crump, and his half-brother Stuart are trivia buffs with a difference. Their's is a tale of kidnapping, arson and light-hearted quiz questions, where you have twenty years to answer correctly ...

Starring
Guy CrumpSteve Coogan
 
with
Stuart CrumpPatrick Marber
Claire/Cathy BriggsRebecca Front
FraserJim Carter
Jeremy MonkheadDuncan Preston
Inspector LynchMalcolm Raeburn
Dr PhillipsOliver Ford Davies
Mrs FraserMarian McLoughlin
Sally OrdishRosie Cavaliero
Joke Shop OwnerPeter Waddington
 
Written byPatrick Marber
David Tyler
withSteve Coogan
Henry Normal
 
Directed byGeoff Posner
 
Produced byDavid Tyler
Geoff Posner

Show 6

"The Curator"

First Tx 22/12/1995 BBC Two

Tim Fleck runs the Little Ottle Museum in Little Ottle. It is the most tedious museum in the world. His rival, Graham Lambert runs the flashy Ottle Museum. And Tim's world of curating is about to be blown apart ...

Starring
Tim FleckSteve Coogan
 
with
Councillor Len CrabbeAdrian Scarborough
AnnetteAlison Steadman
Graham LambertJohn Thomson
AlfJohn Clegg
MaudDebra Gillett
Dr PiperTom Mannion
MumHilary Mason
FrancesClaire Skinner
WarrenRichard Claxton
 
Written byPatrick Marber
Steve Coogan

Casting
Michelle Guish

Music By
David Mindel
Don Gould

Visual Effects
Steve Tomkow (“Get Calf”)
Andy McVean (“The Curator”)

Graphics
Andy Carroll

Titles
Triffic Films

Properties
Chris Eytle

Production Buyer
Rachel Robertson

Art Director
Adam Marshall

Costume Designer
Marcia Stanton

Make Up Designer
Lisa Cavalli-Green

Production Coordinator
Melanie Parker

Production Team
James Foreman
Julie Williams

Stage Manager
Annette Roche

Location Manager
Mick Graham
Josh Dynevor (“Thursday Night Fever”, “Natural Born Quizzers”)
Charlie Woodhosue (“The Curator”)

2nd Assistant Director
Jane Denholm

1st Assistant Director
Nick Rae

Continuity
Pam Wylde (“Handyman For All Seasons”)
Carol Thompson
Francine Brown (“The Curator”)

Gaffer
Terry Lewis

Editor
Mark Lawrence (“Get Calf”, “Handyman For All Seasons”, “Natural Born Quizzers”)
Mykola Pawluk

Sound Supervisor
Keith Mayes

Lighting Cameraman
John Rosenberg

Associate Producer
Andrew Zein

Production Manager
Lesley Davies

Designer
Les Stephenson

 
Directed byPatrick Marber
 
Produced byDavid Tyler
Geoff Posner

Coogan's Run

There are nice photogalleries of each of the six episodes you can look at:

"Get Calf" (Paul & Pauline Calf)
"Dearth Of A Salesman" (Gareth Cheeseman)
"A Handyman For All Seasons" (Ernest Moss)
"Natural Born Quizzers" ( Stuart & Guy Crump)
"Thursday Night Fever" (Mike Crystal aka "Clint Stallone")
The Curator (Tim Fleck aka "Martin Phone")

Plus there's a set of behind-the-scenes shots of Coogan's Run taken by Make-Up Designer Lisa Cavalli-Green

If you'd like to buy Coogan's Run please click here

And now the BBC have released the entire Coogan oeuvre in one glorious brick of a thing called "Steve Coogan - The Complete Collection", and it includes all six episodes of Coogan's Run along with both the Paul & Pauline Calf Video Diaries, both Tony Ferrino shows and many other goodies. To buy that, take a deep breath and click here

If you'd like to read more about the show please click here


Take it further ...

Stills gallery
Clips playlist

Other shows in TELEVISION ...