The life of Caerphilly-born comic magician Tommy Cooper, who died 30 years ago today from a heart attack, is to be featured in a new ITV drama.
Starring Shameless actor David Threlfall, Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This is a single drama based on the life of the legendary comedian.
Written by Simon Nye, the drama focuses on the dilemma the much-loved comedian faced when he fell in love with assistant Mary Kay and embarked upon a relationship that would last 17 years.
Tommy was married to Gwen, whom he adored and affectionately nicknamed Dove. Tommy was unable to choose between Dove and Mary, and his untimely death live on air meant that he never did.
The drama also reveals Tommy’s working relationship with his agent, Miff Ferrie, who managed his career until Tommy’s shocking death, at the age of 63, in front of millions of television viewers during Live From Her Majesty’s on April 15 1984. A dour Scot, Miff had an acrimonious working relationship with Tommy often trading insults in bitter but hilarious exchanges.
Actor David Threlfall said he was nervous about taking on the role of Cooper.
He said: “My first thought was, ‘Can I do it and how am I going to do it?’ But then I had to park all that insecurity about trying to embody such a man and just get on with it.
“I watched and watched and watched old footage of Tommy. It was very full on – it was four weeks of preparation followed by four weeks’ shooting. But it was extremely rewarding. It’s probably the most fulfilling job I’ve had since Nicholas Nickleby.
“I needed to find the delicate balance between impersonating and embodying this human being. I had to assimilate his build, his height and his shoe size, as well as trying to find his voice. At a practical level, I needed padding to fill me out. Everything was tailor-made, from the suit to the padding. It was about trying to get inside that and make that feel a part of me. So it was a way of literally being able to put him on and take him off again. The more I did that, the more he got a grip on me.”
Also included in the drama is Tommy’s death live on stage – a scene which Threlfall felt was important to include.
He said: “People ask, ‘Does it have to be there?’ Well, that’s what happened. It was not pleasant to do. But we wanted to honour it and portray it in the best way possible.”
Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This is on ITV on Monday April 21 at 9pm.
The Tommy Cooper Society is marking the 30th anniversary of the entertainer’s death by donating two defibrillators to Caerphilly town library and the Visit Caerphilly Centre.
The campaign, called Tommy’s Ticker, was launched last year.
At the time, Tudor Jones, Secretary of the Tommy Cooper Society, said: “Despite the efforts of Jimmy Tarbuck’s manager who was a qualified St Johns Ambulance paramedic and other first aiders, he was pronounced dead on arrival at accident and emergency. Things might have been different if a defibrillator (AED) had been available in the theatre.
“This thought has motivated the Tommy Cooper Society to launch the ‘Tommy’s Ticker Fund’ with the aim of providing defibrillators and training in their use.”