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Welcome to a web site dedicated to providing original quality Desktop Themes for you to download and enjoy. With over 30 TV comedy themes to choose from be sure you visit the rest of the website before leaving - click on Frames or No Frames to access the main menu. This web page is my tribute to one of the funniest comedians to have graced the small screen - you either loved or loathed him. His humour was delightfully simple, a funny man in every sense of the word - this then is my small tribute to a big man of comedy, Tommy Cooper

Tommy Cooper is dead. He collapsed on stage, at Her Majesty's Theatre, on 15th April 1984. This act went almost unnoticed by the audience. But why? Why had they not noticed? To understand this you need to know a little of Tommy Cooper. Part of Tommy Cooper's act was his apparent incompetence - he kidded his audience that he really hadn't a clue what was coming next! In keeping with this reputation, nothing surprised them, not least the sight of Tommy falling back gracefully into the curtain and disappearing from view. He died 10 minutes later on the way to hospital. Almost poetic in its finality - what a way to end the distinguished life of one of Britain's best loved comic's. Tommy Cooper was a fully paid up member of the Magic Circle despite this apparent ineptitude and worked log hours to perfect the tricks and gags that were a feature of his shows. His entertaining mixed magic skills helped him to migrate to television. You could always rely on Tommy to get it wrong which was of course half the fun and the thing that endeared him to so many.

Tommy Cooper was born on 9 March 1922 in CAE Philly, South Wales. Though technically Welsh, it was Devon that gave him his identity and his faint West Country burr - his parents had moved there shortly after his birth. Tommy Cooper's trade-mark was instituted whilst entertaining the troops in the NAFFI in Egypt during the second world war. Short of a pith helmet prop for his act, he whipped off a nearby waiters Fez and used that instead. The laugh he got for putting on a Fez was noted and the Fez became a permanent trade mark of Tommy Cooper's act. After leaving the Army in 1947, Tommy went on to a full time profession as a Music Hall stand-up comic. His television debut was on 24 December 1947 in the Leslie Henson Christmas Show. Despite a promising start, his career dried up and Tommy returned to live Variety Theatre to eek out a living. By the mid-50's he was doing one off television specials such as Saturday Showtime and Sunday Night at the London Palladium. These appearances were followed in 1957 by his first Television series for Associated-Rediffussion called Life with Cooper. It went out live on Monday night for 12 weeks and was such a success that even before the run was finished the studio had offered him another series. In 1958 the series was called Coopers Capers, again for ATV. A variety of TV shows and appearances followed (e.g. The Billy Cotton Band Show) and Tommy's career went from strength to strength. By the mid 60's he had firmly established himself as one of Britain's best loved comedians and was distinctive in his bright red Fez. Other TV shows followed (Life with Cooper, Cooper's Half Hour etc.,) but he will be remembered for his stage presence and Music Hall style act which he spent a lifetime perfecting - the comedians comedian - Tommy Cooper lives on in our hearts and his one liners are immortal - not like that, like that!

Some Tommy Cooper one liners.....

I'm on a whiskey diet. I've lost three days already!

I was cleaning out the attic the other day with the wife. Filthy, dirty and covered with cobwebs.... but she's good with the kids....

I slept like a log last night. I woke up in a fireplace.....

I was in Margate last year for the summer season. A friend of mine said, "You want to go to Margate, it's good for rheumatism." So I did, and I got it....

A true story ....

Tommy Cooper was introduced to the Queen after a Royal Command Performance.

'Do you think I was funny?' said Tommy.
'Yes Tommy,' said the Queen.
'You really thought I was funny?', said Tommy.
'Yes of course I thought you were funny' said the Queen.
'Did your Mother think I was funny?' said Tommy.
'Yes, Tommy...' said the Queen, '...we both thought you were funny.'
'Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?' said Tommy.
'No, ..." said the Queen, '....but I might not be able to give you a full answer.'
'Do you like football?' said Tommy.
'Well not really ' said the Queen.'
'In that case, ...' said Tommy, '....do you mind if I have your Cup Final Tickets?'

Links to other Tommy Cooper shrines!

When I searched the net for Tommy Cooper related sites I was surprised to see how few there were! If you know of more or come across any please drop me a line so that I can add them to the list for subsequent visitors to explore.

Paul Wilkinson's Pencil Sketch of Tommy Cooper.

Visit the Britcom Digest Tommy Cooper web page.

Visit the Tommy Cooper Classic Jokes web page.

Visit badguys Tommy Cooper Jokes web page.

Tommy Cooper Books, Tapes and Videos

The Tommy Cooper Desktop Theme is based on the classic TV comedian of the 60's, 70's and 80's. The Theme features themed start-up and shutdown screens, a choice of two desktop wallpaper (Hi-Colour and Active Desktop), animated cursor set and new desktop icons. Also included are new windows sounds taken from Tommy Cooper shows. As if that was not enough, we have included an active desktop alternative wallpaper for Window 98 users and a full feature screensaver made using Screen Saver Deluxe. Instructions are provided in a Readme file and the whole theme is available in a convenient zip file to download.

If you don't have a copy of Microsoft Plus! help is at hand in the form of Desktop Themes, a shareware desktop theme manager published by Jonathan Potter at Left Side Software. Click on to get your copy.

The following thumbnails will give you an idea of the screens used in this theme.

Click here to download the Tommy Cooper Desktop Theme Version 1.0 (1.32Mb)

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You can now use GetRight.Com's downloading Utility GetRight for Java to download this desktop theme. Click on the GetRight Download button that follows to download the Tommy Cooper Desktop Theme using GetRight for Java instead of your browsers usual download tool. Check out my Download Problems page to find out how to use this facility and for more great tips on how you can improve your downloads using Net Vampire.

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