When Charlie Cooper was retrieving toasters and camping chairs from the Argos stockroom 15 years ago the idea that he’d become the voice in their adverts was inconceivable.
The rags-to-riches, or catalogue-to-cashing-in arch led to Charlie, 35, being the voice of toy dinosaur Trevor in the iconic British retailer’s marketing campaigns.
There were quite a few steps in between – namely, writing one of the funniest British comedies of all time, This Country, with sister Daisy-May Cooper – but he did it.
The narrative isn’t just unbelievable due to his entry into show business, a notoriously tough industry to break into, especially for the working class. But also because of what happened during his final days on the job.
‘I was actually let go from Argos so it is a bit baffling that I’m in the adverts,’ Charlie admitted to Metro.
Revealing the circumstances of his P45, he explained: ‘I accidentally gave away a computer for free.’ Pre-emptively, he quickly added: ‘It’s not as bad as it sounds.’
Clarifying the situation (kind of), Charlie explains that a guy was returning a computer that either was faulty, or he just didn’t like it. His memory is a little foggy on that.
Somehow, Charlie did the wrong things while processing an exchange, and the lucky customer ended up walking out with the free piece of technology.
‘Anyway, it ended up me getting b*******d in the manager’s office. It meant I didn’t have a plan B if comedy didn’t work out, which I think could have been a good thing as it forced me to really go for it.
‘I wasn’t suited for Argos,’ he summarised.
He may not have been suited for the high street store, but he’s definitely suited for the world of TV. He’s got the Bafta to prove it.
While working in Argos, he was also writing a script for a TV show, based on his Cotswolds upbringing. By 2017, those words were released to the world in the form of This Country on BBC.
As well as creating it, Charlie and Daisy played the main characters, cousins Kurtain and Kerry Mucklowe.
After three series, it came to an end, but the last thing, Charlie wants to do is detach from it. That would be pretty difficult anyway with Charlie admitting to being unsure where Kurtain ends and he begins.
‘I’ve got a bit of an identity crisis going on,’ he admitted.
‘It’s like Steve Coogan and Alan Partridge. Where is that line? Where does Charlie start and Kurtain end? We probably have more in common than what we don’t, even down to that we both eat our pizzas from the inside out.’
Luckily Kurtain is a loveable, sensitive and considerate character, but prone to some angry outbursts at Scarecrow festivals. ‘They do actually get vicious. I read about the sabotage taking place in my local newspaper,’ Charlie told us.
Despite the finale airing four years ago, soundbites still circulate on social media, and in a choice indicative of just how important the series is to its fans, it’s still used prominently in advertisements for BBC iPlayer.
With the continued popularity, Charlie has said it’s ‘inevitable’ that there will be a series four. ‘When me and Daisy meet up, we rarely don’t talk about something This Country-related. It’s such a big part of us.’ That doesn’t mean there aren’t barriers to overcome. This includes busy family lives. Charlie has two children with his wife Leighanne, and Daisy has Pip, five, and three-year-old son Jack with her ex-husband Will Weston. She also welcomed Benji in June with her boyfriend Anthony Huggins.
‘We’ve completely got our hands full, so it’s just finding the right time when we’re both sort of free,’ he explained. However, Charlie quickly admitted that while juggling commitments plays a part in the decision, it is his own reservations that are mainly holding him back: ‘The pressure would be so big. My fear is people saying “They should have left it alone”. Unless we’ve got paid s**t loads, is it worth the pressure?’
When the day does come, he’s already got a pretty firm idea of what Kurtan is up to now. Kurtan would be a ‘brilliant’ dad and house husband who is a regular at local baby classes, while Kerry is a ‘Godfather’ who takes the role too seriously.
That’s what Kurtan is up to in 2024, but what is Charlie doing? Well, he’s just been confirmed as being cast in Am I Being Reasonable?, which means an on-screen reunion with Daisy (finally!), who co-wrote the show.
The supportive siblings have a habit of showing up in each other’s projects. Daisy, 38, also popped up in Charlie Cooper’s Myth Country, for a brief chat about myths.
The BBC travelogue, sees Charlie travel around the UK to learn more about folklore. A giant dog with burning red eyes called Black Shuck and crop circles supposedly created by aliens all get investigated in the lighthearted three-parter. Having always been obsessed with dark, grizzly stories, it was a no-brainer when a producer approached him with the idea.
‘It certainly makes life more interesting to believe there’s something more out there,’ he observed after speaking to many people, who claim to have witnessed unusual happenings.
‘I just f***ing loved every second of making this show. I didn’t have to write a script, and I got to indulge in all my passions. I’m not an expert, but it was like I was learning as I went. It was just really fulfilling as a job.’
Charlie has prior experience of the supernatural but decided to keep it to himself. Not because of what people may think… but simply because he couldn’t be bothered to explain.
‘I saw a weird thing outside of an aeroplane window once. It was someone with a jet pack, but staying really still who went slowly up into the air. It’s so hard to explain that I sort of couldn’t really be bothered to tell anyone,’ he told us.
His openiness meant that he wasn’t sneering at the participants sharing their stories, rather he showed genuine interest in what they had to say. Amongst the humurous moments, viewers will be pleasantly surprised by the scattering of heartwarming scenes.
Daisy’s appearance on Myth Country arose because producers asked Charlie if he could get celebrity friends involved.‘I don’t have any celebrity mates. I wouldn’t call Daisy a mate, but the next best thing. Plus, she’s always around and willing,’ he joked.
Charlie then became more sincere, as he expressed gratitude for his big sister. They are clearly capable of having a laugh (there are 19 episodes of This Country to prove it), but there’s a genuine bond that the industry hasn’t changed.
‘Daisy was the one who always gave me so much encouragement. I will always be thankful for that,’ he recalled.
‘She’s always been doing the drama thing as a kid. I loved football, but I was too crap to be professional. I probably would still be working in Argos without her.’
There were two other important people encouraging them too, their parents – Paul (Martin Mucklowe in This Country) and Gillian Cooper.
‘They were completely insane in the best possible way. They let me and Daisy watch anything really as kids. We were free to explore and be creative, with no restrictions,’ Charlie explained.
‘From day one, they have been our biggest fans. When we were trying to make This Country they didn’t make us pay any rent, so we could spend less time working and more time on the script. They gave us such a solid foundation to be successful and try and achieve our dreams.’
Their biggest fans will no doubt be celebrating that Charlie and Daisy have something else planned in the near future.
‘It’s an unscripted project that will be announced very soon. It’ll be a chance to see us as ourselves, and the real relationship between us. We’ll get to just enjoy each other’s company,’ Charlie teased.
Charlie Cooper’s Myth Country is available to watch on BBC iPlayer
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