Brendan O’Carroll hits back at woke critics after being accused of ‘transphobia’ for playing a woman

‘Shouldn’t we get the best person for the job?’ Brendan O’Carroll hits back at woke critics after being accused of ‘transphobia’ for playing a woman – as Mrs. Brown’s Boys star credits show for saving his life

• O’Carroll’s long-running show about a short-tempered Irish matriarch and her extended family has pulled in 11million viewers for the BBC
• But a politically correct minority has accused O’Carroll of ‘transphobia’ and cultural appropriation for his decision to dress as a woman 
• Starting life as a radio show in 1992, the concept was eventually turned into a four- book series, leading to seven low-budget films 
• O’Carroll would later take Mrs. Brown’s Boys on the road after turning it into a stage play – a decision he claims helped save his life

By Jason Chester for MailOnline

Published: 08:44 BST, 6 October 2022 | Updated: 09:04 BST, 6 October 2022

Brendan O’Carroll has dismissed woke critics of his hugely popular sitcom Mrs. Brown’s Boys after crediting the show for pulling him back from the brink of despair. 

Love it or loathe it, O’Carroll’s long-running show about a short-tempered Irish matriarch and her extended family has pulled in an astonishing 11million viewers for the BBC since its launch in 2011. 

But a politically correct minority has accused O’Carroll, 67, of ‘transphobia’ and cultural appropriation for his decision to dress as a woman and play the show’s central character himself, instead of offering it to a female actor. 

Speaking out: Brendan O’Carroll has dismissed woke critics of his hugely popular sitcom Mrs. Brown’s Boys after crediting the show for pulling him back from the brink of despair

Laughing off the criticism, he told The Sun: ‘I don’t think about them, I write the show I write. I don’t ever think of myself as being a man playing a woman, when Mrs. Brown goes out on that stage she is a woman.’

He added: ‘Where do you draw the line? Is it okay for Leonardo DiCaprio to play a carpenter or do we get a carpenter? Shouldn’t we get the best person for the job?’ 

O’Carroll is now a household name thanks to his role as Mrs. Brown, but the show was far from an overnight success. 

Popular: O’Carroll’s long-running show about a short-tempered Irish matriarch and her extended family has pulled in 11million viewers for the BBC since its launch in 2011

Starting life as a radio show in 1992, the concept was eventually turned into a four- book series by O’Carroll, leading to seven low-budget, straight to video film adaptations. 

He would later take Mrs. Brown’s Boys on the road after turning it into a stage play, where its growing popularity eventually caught the  eye of BBC producers – a decision he claims helped save his life. 

He said: ‘I was on the edge of a breakdown, a clinician would have said I was depressed, definitely.

Criticism: But a politically correct minority has accused O’Carroll of ‘transphobia’ for his decision to dress as a woman and play the show’s central character himself

‘I have never been as low before or since. I was numb, it was like I walked down a dark alley and I couldn’t remember the way out. I didn’t turn on the lights, I didn’t open the curtains for three days, just picked at food, didn’t eat.’ 

The actor says it was a suggestion from Irish businessman Dermot Desmond that ultimately prompted him to develop the stage show after being enticed with the offer of a three week residency at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre

He recalled: ‘Dermot said, “Why don’t you write a stage play based on that radio thing you used to do?” and Mrs. Brown’s Boys was reborn.’ 

The show has since become a BBC staple following its TV launch in 2011, winning millions of fans across its 11-year. 43-episode run. 

Mrs. Brown’s Boys Christmas special, its 24th stand-alone episode, will air in December. 

Long journey: O’Carroll is now a household name thanks to his role as Mrs. Brown, but the show was far from an overnight success

:

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk