TED LASSO STAR RETURNS TO RICHMOND TO RECALL HIS CAMEO ROLE
He makes fleeting but memorable appearances in Ted Lasso wearing his distinctive overcoat and blue and red AFC Richmond scarf as the abusive fan, known as ‘Mr Mann.’
The actor Tom Cotcher features prominently in the trailer for the recently-launched Series Four of the Emmy award-winning series with a brief but cutting remark. “Welcome back Coach – too bad you’re coaching a bunch of girls – w*****r!”
And with that he is gone……
His revived fame was dramatically reinforced when one Saturday morning in the Sussex village where he enjoys a quiet life was rudely interrupted by the local butcher who shouted ‘w****r!’ at him from across the road.
He said: “I had to tell him to shut up because not everyone has seen Ted Lasso and would have no idea what he was talking about!”
Tom, aged 76, has appeared in a total of eight episodes of the show, usually in short scenes outside of the Crown & Anchor pub on Richmond Green (The Prince’s Head in real life) and the two landmark bright red telephone boxes. He is hoping there may be more…..
He may be recognisable to many TV viewers from his time playing DC Alan Woods in 173 episodes of the long-running ITV police drama The Bill from 1992 to 1996 and has since appeared in Lovejoy, London’s Burning, Taggart, Monarch of the Glen, and Night and Day, EastEnders, Holby City, theatre productions, lots of voice overs, audio books as well as video games.
His casting for the Apple TV+ series came out of the blue nearly six years ago and, as with any new project, he auditioned, read the necessary lines and then threw the script in the bin.
“I have always found that it’s the best way to handle auditions because you can never be sure how it’s gone, even if you think you’ve nailed the part and you really love the part, someone else has a different view and then if you are lucky enough to land the role, it’s a great surprise.
“Lots of actors would have turned down the role but I saw the quality of the writing and knew immediately it was going somewhere.”
Recently Tom returned to Richmond to meet up with his family for lunch and visited some of the familiar Lasso haunts like The Prince’s Head pub on Richmond Green which appears in the show as The Crown & Anchor and he was immediately mobbed with requests for photos. He also visited the Ted Lasso merchandise shop.
When he knew he got the job he also knew he was part of ‘something special,’ he recalls.
“They seem to go one step beyond in everything they did. When the cast was assembled Jason, Brett and Brendan went around and shook hands with all the cast. There must have been forty of us. It was very much a family atmosphere.
“You could tell immediately you were part of something good and even though my role was so small, I would much rather do something of quality where you know you are working with very special people.
“Jason is at the top of his game, top of the class. I am full of admiration for him. His focus on the work is 100% and he will not be satisfied until he has got the best out of a scene or performance. It’s a privilege to be involved despite such a small way.
“I consider myself to have been very lucky. I have worked all over the world, Denmark, India, Poland, New York and I have built up a lovely CV and now to have this recognition in the twilight years of my career, it’s fair to say I am thrilled to bits!
Tom left school with four ‘O’ levels and enlisted as an apprentice ship’s draughtsman at Charles Connell and Co at the their Scotstoun, Glasgow shipyard but even then he harboured ambitions to be an actor and eventually trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( (RSAMD)
As well as juggling his various acting roles over the years he has added a new string to his bow – painting.
He says: “Some years ago I was invited to paint a picture to be auctioned for charity , so I purchased a box of acrylic paints, a couple of brushes and a small canvas then for the first time since my schooldays I began to paint and I was hooked.”
His work includes seascapes, landscapes and interior images. “My pictures tell stories but it is up to audiences to decide the narrative of each painting.”
Series Four of Ted Lasso is currently streaming on Apple TV+ and you can see more of Tom’s art at tomcotcherart.com