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 Calf | Steve Coogan |
with | |
Fat Bob | John Thomson |
Mum | Sandra Gough |
Grandma | Kathleen Worth |
Julie | Sally Rogers |
Barry Parry | George Costigan |
Dean Parry | Andrew Livingston |
Ian Parry | Adam Fogerty |
Dolphin | Jonathan McGuinness |
Great Bear | Christopher McHallem |
Inspector Lynch | Malcolm Raeburn |
Shop Assistant | Shirley Stellfox |
Post Office Cashier | Angela Catherall |
First Prison Officer | Damian Myerscough |
Second Prison Officer | Roger Morlidge |
Woman on bus | Irene Skillington |
Plain Clothes Officer | David Hounslow |
Drunk on Bus | Ken Kitson |
Reverend Dowd | Derek Howard |
Written by | Steve Coogan |
Henry Normal | |
Directed by | Geoff Posner |
Produced by | David 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 Cheeseman | Steve Coogan |
with | |
Douglas Crown | John Shrapnel |
Alun | Richard Lumsden |
Tony the Receptionist | Bernard Wrigley |
Ruth Cole | Georgia Mitchell |
The Prostitute | Gaynor Faye |
Sgt. Cromwell | Philip Martin Brown |
Bert Reynolds | Richard Cubison |
The Drunk Executive | Roger Morlidge |
The Gay Man | David Royle |
The Maid | Jennifer Luckraft |
Written by | Graham Linehan |
Arthur Mathews | |
with | Steve Coogan |
Henry Normal | |
Directed by | Geoff Posner |
Produced by | David 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 Moss | John Thomson |
Florence Mullinger | Felicity Montagu |
Francis Burgoyne | Jack Klaff |
Valerie Thorne | Louise Delamere |
Councillor Hillary Crabbe | Adrian Scarborough |
PC Ted Cromwell | Philip Martin Brown |
Reverend Dowd | Derek Howard |
Post Office Barbara | Deddie Davies |
Brian the Landlord | Geoffrey Leesley |
Harry Moss | Henry Normal |
Written by | Steve Coogan |
Henry Normal | |
Directed by | Geoff Posner |
Produced by | David 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 Crystal | Steve Coogan |
with | |
Debs | Theresa Banham |
Clement Woods | Graham Fellows |
Curtains | Sean McKenzie |
Gerald | Stephen Marcus |
The Animal Trainer | Louis Hammond |
Oliver Hardy | Peter Corey |
Stan Laurel | Barry Wood |
Mr. Memory | John Phythian |
The Fire Officer | David Nicholls |
as themselves | The Wurzels |
Written by | Graham Linehan |
Arthur Mathews | |
Geoffrey Perkins | |
with | Steve Coogan |
Henry Normal | |
Directed by | Geoff Posner |
Produced by | David 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 Crump | Steve Coogan |
with | |
Stuart Crump | Patrick Marber |
Claire/Cathy Briggs | Rebecca Front |
Fraser | Jim Carter |
Jeremy Monkhead | Duncan Preston |
Inspector Lynch | Malcolm Raeburn |
Dr Phillips | Oliver Ford Davies |
Mrs Fraser | Marian McLoughlin |
Sally Ordish | Rosie Cavaliero |
Joke Shop Owner | Peter Waddington |
Written by | Patrick Marber |
David Tyler | |
with | Steve Coogan |
Henry Normal | |
Directed by | Geoff Posner |
Produced by | David 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 Fleck | Steve Coogan |
with | |
Councillor Len Crabbe | Adrian Scarborough |
Annette | Alison Steadman |
Graham Lambert | John Thomson |
Alf | John Clegg |
Maud | Debra Gillett |
Dr Piper | Tom Mannion |
Mum | Hilary Mason |
Frances | Claire Skinner |
Warren | Richard Claxton |
Written by | Patrick Marber |
Steve Coogan | |
Casting | |
Directed by | Patrick Marber |
Produced by | David 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 ...
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