Blackburn filmmaker making series about 'Odd Job Boy'

Aaron Dunleavy will be filming the trials and tribulations of Alfie Cookson’s job search, as he spends a day working in a variety of occupations ranging from ice cream man to sewage worker.

This is a follow on from the BBC Three short film, released in 2018, which showcased Alfie doing odd jobs, aged 18, around his Clitheroe hometown on his tandem pushbike.

He has since become a bit of a local legend and a face that many people recognise.

A follow-up documentary about his life, called Alfie The Odd Job Boy, premiered at The Grand in Clitheroe last year.

Alfie, 23, is now on a quest to find his dream job and it will be documented in the new series, filmed in Lancashire and other parts of the UK, which will air in the coming months.

Alfie Cookson (Image: NQ)

He said: “The aim is to find a [dream] job. I am at that point in life where I don’t know what I want to do with my career.

“I am bumbling along and making ends meet. I want to find myself and what I want to do in life.

“I am still on my bike but I am doing a lot of other jobs now.”

Alfie has already been getting stuck into the series working as an ice cream man, butcher and bus driver.

He said: “It has been a laugh so far and fun to try so many different things.

“I loved working on the ice cream van. I got some free ice creams, slushies as the van was in my hands for a day and I was in charge.

“Becoming an ice cream man is every kids’ dream, isn’t it?

“The same with being a butcher. I cut a pig up and never thought I’d be able to do that.

“I don’t know if I did a good job – but the butcher had a smile on his face.”

Alfie has more jobs lined up, including work on a demolition site and in the sewers.

He said: “I am looking forward to working on a demolition. I am good at breaking things but I don’t know who is going to trust me with a sledgehammer.

“I am also going to do some sewage work too. I don’t mind getting my hands mucky.”

Alfie is looking forward to the series being released and has urged anyone with a quirky or unusual career to get in touch so he can spend a day with them.

He said: “I am looking forward to it being released. [Filming] is part of my life now and I have done [been in front of the camera] for so long.

“I don’t have any control over what is filmed or when it airs – I just act like a fool and then I leave it to Aaron to sort out.”

Aaron, who is producing the series, said it has been interesting to watch Alfie grow older.

He said: “As he is getting older he is still figuring out what he wants to do in his life for a career. I thought it would be a good idea to film him travelling up and down the country, trying all sorts of jobs and meeting people from all different walks of life.

“We have had a great time filming this so far. I have been filming him since 2018, when he was on his tandem.

“A lot has changed in that time.”

He has told future viewers to expect a lot of laughs.

The 29-year-old said: “It will definitely be funny. Whatever you film with Alfie will be funny and entertaining.  

“There is also something interesting in the fact that he is discovering who he is and what he wants to do in his life.

“It is an important part in his life as he transitions from boy to man, which is great to get on film.

“We are still looking for potential jobs and interesting people he can interact with – the wackier and more unusual the better.”

Aaron first met Alfie randomly at a local music festival he was filming at.

He was volunteering there and Aaron instantly knew that there was something about him.

He went on: “I stayed in touch and after finding out that he’d started his own business I had to capture it.

“Lots of people ask if Alfie is real and think that it must be scripted, but what you see is what you get and Alfie is genuinely the same person that you see on screen.

“He doesn’t take life too seriously and we always have a laugh.

“There’s no other crew involved, it’s literally just me following Alfie around with my camera and documenting it.

“There was never a dull moment filming Alfie, and whilst he has a heart-warming story full of ups and downs, his sense of humour and unique outlook on life is what really makes it special.”