Coogan's Run

Coogan’s Run is a popular TV series in the UK, which was released on the 17th of November 1995. The series stars Steve Coogan, a British comedian, actor, writer and producer, who was born on the 14th of October 1965. His best known character in the UK is Alan Partridge. He’s an odd and politically incorrect man and features in various TV series. Outside England, Coogan is better known for his roles in films.

Coogan’s Run was written by several people, namely Steve Coogan himself, Patrick Marber, David Tyler and four others. The series is made up of six different episodes, all of which feature Steve Coogan as the performer of several odd characters. Each episode involves stereotype characters living in the fictional town of Ottle and lasts about 30 minutes:

• ‘Get Calf': the two main characters are Paul and Pauline Calf, both played by Steve Coogan. Paul was the witness of a bank robbery and then had to identify the three criminals in court. He joined a cult after that, but when he went to the cult's residence, he was involved into a porn film.

• ‘Dearth of a Salesman’: in this episode, Coogan plays Gareth Cheeseman. This salesman works in computer software. This character is really insensitive and egocentric, but he is also obsessed with his car. The episode basically relates how he tries to socialize in order to land a big contract.



• ‘A Handyman for All Seasons’: Ernest Moss, played by Steve Coogan, is a general repairman. The episode is set in the sixties and is shot in black and white. While repairing things in his neighbour’s houses, he tries to stop a new property development in the village.

• ‘Thursday Night Fever’: The role of Coogan in this episode is that of Mike Crystal, an indifferent club entertainer. Feeling that his career needed a boost, he invented himself an alter-ego: Clint Stalone.

• ‘Natural Born Quizzers’: This episode is about the lunatic Crump brothers. After Stewart and Guy lost a children’s quiz show, burning the studio, killing their parents and one of the sister of the opposing team on their way, they became even more obsessed with quizzes. They decide the quiz needs to be re-enacted. They thus kidnap their therapist and the surviving sister of the children’s quiz. The quiz takes place in a car park with a transsexual quiz host. The Crump brothers win and then make a bomb explode.

• ‘The Curator’: This episode features Coogan as the character Tim Fleck, curator of a museum. Tim learns that his museum is about to be turned into a steak house. He’s disgusted. On the night of the opening, things are going wrong because a masked man enters the steak house and begins to massacre people.

So if you want to entertain yourself by watching a really insane programme, just watch Coogan’s Run!

Marie Defraigne & Audrey Deumer