Brendan O'Carroll

Brendan O'Carroll

Brendan O’Carroll is a writer, actor and comedian, best known for creating the Irish mammy Agnes Brown, star of the BBC One sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys. The youngest of eleven children, O’Carroll was born and raised in Dublin, and ran his own bar and cabaret lounge before turning to comedy.

He originally thought up the character of Mrs Brown for a two-week radio show in 1992, unintentionally becoming the character after the actress supposed to play her failed to turn up. Agnes Brown became the lead character in The Mammy, O’Carroll’s first book, written in 1994. It became a bestseller and was turned into a 2000 film, starring Angelica Huston as Mrs Brown. O’Carroll followed it up with other books: The Chiselers, The Granny and Sparrow’s Trap.

O’Carroll also wrote five plays based on Mrs Brown between 2001 and 2009, including Mourning Mrs Brown, For The Love Of Mrs Brown, and How Now Mrs Brown Cow? The stage phenomenon began at the Glasgow Pavilion, and in 2010 BBC Scotland in 2010 to turn the various adventures of Mrs Brown into a TV show. The finished product, Mrs Brown’s Boys, was broadcast on BBC One in 2011 to divided critical opinion, but growing audience. The shown returned for a second series in 2012, and won a BAFTA in the same year for best sitcom, as well as O’Carroll being nominated for best male performance in a comedy programme.

Read More

Mrs Brown’s Boys creator plans two new shows

Brendan O’Carroll wants to do a sitcom a reality show

Mrs Brown’s Boys creator Brendan O’Carroll is working on two new shows: a sitcom and a reality series.

The 67-year-old says he is planning to turn his 1990s play The Course into a six-part comedy.

And he wants a broadcaster to follow his family – many of whom co-star in Mrs Brown’s Boys – as they go from town-to-town putting on shows.

More than  decade ago O’Carroll announced that the BBC had commissioned a pilot based on The Course,  which drew on his brief stint as an insurance salesman – but nothing ever came of it.

Now he has told today’s Daily Star Sunday: ‘There are two things I want to do.

‘The first play I ever wrote was about six losers who are taking a positive mental attitude course so they can sell insurance. It was really funny. So I’d love to make that into a six-part series.’

‘And the other project I’d love to do is a show that documents me and my family going to different towns, putting up a tent and performing.

‘It would include footage of the shows and also stuff about the family on the road. I think it would be a nice series.’

The comic is about to go on tour again with Mrs Brown Rides Again, kicking off at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow next month.

The TV series has been on the BBC since 2011 and at its peak attracted 11.4million viewers, despite being largely hated by viewers. Last year’s two-part Christmas special attracted an average audience of 3.8million. 

Six more episodes are coming this year, a four-part mini-series and the festive specials.

Read More

Published: 9 Jul 2023

Skip to page

Agent

We do not currently hold contact details for Brendan O'Carroll's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.

We see you are using AdBlocker software. Chortle relies on advertisers to fund this website so it’s free for you, so we would ask that you disable it for this site. Our ads are non-intrusive and relevant. Help keep Chortle viable.