A new show celebrating comedy giant Tommy Cooper visits Nottingham this November. Director, actor and producer, Dan Lewis, sits down with Left Lion to share the importance of being Tommy. Just like that...
Dan, you’ve got a new show coming to Nottingham called Tommy Cooper – Have I Got Time For More? Could you tell us more about the show?
Since our last classic comedy production of Steptoe & Son, it was so well received that we wanted to produce another show within the same genre and we decided to do another tribute – this time to one of the UK’s comedy giants. The show features essentially all of the famous jokes, songs, magic tricks (successful and unsuccessful!), routines, stories, acted TV scenes, that fans of Tommy will undoubtedly remember. We’ve also included a few nods to some other stars that worked alongside him, as well as a guest star performing a very memorable comedy song! The show is jam-packed and relentlessly Tommy!
Why Tommy Cooper, a star who sadly passed away in 1984?
It’s imperative to keep alive the memories of these comedy icons. He made millions of people laugh for decades, and as his comedy is timeless, it’s important that he doesn’t fade away, and can remain around for many future generations to enjoy. The world needs laughter and Tommy Cooper definitely provides it! Even today, if somebody sees the iconic fez, who can resist putting it on their head, outstretching their hands and uttering the immortal words “just like that” – just this one simple gesture shows the impact that Tommy had on peoples’ lives, and how memorable he was.
Older theatregoers will enjoy the trip down memory lane but is there anything in the show for the younger audience?
The show is simple funny. And who doesn’t enjoy laughter? It’s so silly, one-liner jokes, daft stories etc. and you don’t have to be of a particular age to find things like that funny. Tommy was family-friendly too and so the material he performed was for everybody – there were young people watching him when he was performing back in the day, which is no different to young people watching clips, videos, or indeed a tribute performance now.
What is like working with Phil Hoyles, who plays Tommy?
Phil is dedicated to being the best Tommy Cooper tribute act in the country. He has an amazing memory – completely memorising around 15,000 words plus the tricks for the entire show. His only interest is to bring joy and laughter to audiences up and down the country, and his work ethic is impeccable. We’ve just finished our first weekend with two shows and they went splendidly, leaving two audiences laughing throughout! He doesn’t get stressed and he keeps a check on his nerves, and as long as I furnish him with a bag of sweets from time to time then he’s a happy chappy!
It’s utter chaos, the hats go missing, sound cues get missed, lines get forgotten, but eventually in truly hilarious form he does get through it!
How did he go about building his impersonation of Tommy?
He’s been performing as Tommy for the past 20 years, he’s honed the voice, the laugh and routines throughout this time. He was also the understudy to Jerome Flynn for the West End tour of ‘Just Like That’, and so has plenty of experience. He’s genuinely the best Tommy Cooper impersonator in the country! There’s no other act that I’ve personally seen that comes close – he’s the real deal and was even reviewed by professional theatre magazine ‘The Stage’, as being a ‘carbon copy’ and ‘as close to the genuine article as you can get’.
Do you have a favourite Tommy Cooper routine you can share with us?
It’s hard not to mention his hat routine here, where he recites a poem while changing hats for each character that is speaking. It’s utter chaos, the hats go missing, sound cues get missed, lines get forgotten, but eventually in truly hilarious form he does get through it! But my favourite trick has to be the hippety-hop rabbits….and I’m saying nothing else on that one – you’ll have to come and see the show!
It’s a charity show, supporting a local good cause?
Ever since I’ve started producing theatre shows in 2011, I made a pledge to support local charities. Some people can come and see our shows and enjoy the laughter, but there are many others that can’t for a variety of reasons. So with every show I put on, I select a local charity and make a donation to them from the proceeds. For Nottingham it’s the Nottinghamshire Blood Bikes, which is an essential life-saving service covering the entire county, and the bikers themselves are all volunteers! A very worthy cause indeed.
How do you rate today’s comedy scene compared to the 60s to 80s?
Unfortunately, it’s drastically gone downhill. There is no comparison with today’s comedy scene with that of times gone by. The golden era has ended and I’m afraid we will never see their like again. Who these days can beat Ken Dodd, Morecambe & Wise, Les Dawson, Norman Wisdom etc.? And that’s just to name a small few, there are many many more! And equally as important, the writing isn’t as good these days either, if you think of the brilliant sitcoms that were penned such as Dad’s Army, Hi-de-Hi, ‘Allo ‘Allo’ etc. then they won’t ever be beaten! I’m not sure what the answer is but if we can’t produce the high quality works that used to be created, then it makes it even more important to keep the old ones alive!
What advice would you give anyone wanting to get into theatre?
Go for it. If you have a dream you should work towards it no matter what. It’s hard, long hours, stressful, but when you get to the performance and hear the applause, it’s addictive and it’s rewarding. And for us it’s even more rewarding with the charity element. But also, don’t let anybody tell you it’s not worth it because it’s too competitive, or that you’re not good enough. The only person you have to prove things to is yourself, so believe in yourself and make it happen!
What's next for Cattle Productions?
We are organising three tours at the moment. Obviously, the first one is Tommy Cooper which is a 30-date tour and is now underway. We have 19 performances of an adult pantomime of Beauty & The Beast (also coming to Nottingham Arts Theatre in 2027), and then we have a
second showing of Steptoe & Son – the same actors but with four completely different episodes for you to enjoy! And I’m pleased to say this is also returning to Nottingham Arts Theatre in 2028!
Fantastic. Was there anything you wanted to add?
Just a massive thank you to all of the people that continue to support our shows – we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without you and it means the world! Whatever genre of show we put on, we guarantee you a great time, and special thanks go to the people who come to see our productions even as much as up to 5 times!
Tommy Cooper – Have I Got Time For More? plays at the Nottingham Arts Theatre on Friday 20 November 2026, 7:30pm. Find out about tickets and times here.
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