Watch Alfie the Odd Job Boy's feature length film on YouTube

Last year, feature length documentary, Alfie The Odd Job Boy, premiered at The Grand in Clitheroe.

The film was a follow-up to a short documentary about Alfie Cookson, a young lad who became a household name after setting up his own business on his tandem bike and trailer, doing odd jobs for the people in his hometown.

Producer, Aaron Dunleavy, first made a short documentary about the Clitheroe native in 2018, which was picked up by BBC Three, reaching a total of nearly 30 million views online, with Aaron keen to make a follow-up.

Alfie the Odd Job Boy

He said: “We finished filming the follow-up in 2020 and after several screenings it’s now free to watch on YouTube.

“The response so far has been overwhelming, and it’s great to know that people share the same love for Alfie as I felt when making it.

“He’s gained hundreds of thousands of followers across social media over the last few months, so it’s clear that his story has widespread appeal.”

Aaron first met Alfie completely 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.”

Alfie left school early with no qualifications, was diagnosed with ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome and dyslexia, and struggled with his speech due to a stutter.

But against all odds and despite finding it hard to hold down a job working for other people, at 17 years of age Alfie set up his own business on his tandem bike and trailer in his hometown of Clitheroe, becoming a bit of a hometown hero.

Alfie the Odd Job Boy (Image: Agency)

The new documentary, Alfie The Odd Job Boy, which is available to watch now on YouTube, follows Alfie over the course of a year after being banned from the local tip.

A petition was set up by local residents in a bid to remove his ban, but despite more than 3,000 signatures the ban remained.

As a result, Alfie was forced to explore new ways of making ends meet.

Aaron continued: “I’m definitely going to carry on filming Alfie’s journey as he continues to find his feet in the world with all of his quirks and challenges, so watch this space for more to come.”