Shameless actor to play Tommy Cooper in ITV drama David Threlfall, best known for playing dysfunctional father Frank Gallagher in Shameless, will play Tommy Cooper in a film commissioned by ITV The as-yet-unnamed film has been written by Simon Nye and will focus on Cooper's 17-year relationship with his assistant Mary Kay, while being married to Gwen, whom he nicknamed Dove. The comedian was still involved with both women at the time of his death live on air in 1984. Andy Harries from Left Bank Pictures, who are producing the film, said of Cooper: "The man was a comedy giant who spent his final years juggling his hugely successful public persona with a private passion for two women. Just like that. Amanda Redman (New Tricks) will play Dove, who stayed at home with their children while Cooper toured the country. This commission could be seen as a move by a resurgent ITV drama to try and emulate the success of BBC Four's biopics. Over the past few years, BBC Four has produced a number of critically praised dramas based on the lives of such real-life stars as Kenneth Williams, Fanny Cradock and Tony Hancock.