‘He was the most adorable man’: Mrs Brown’s Boys star Brendan O’Carroll pays tribute to crew member Dennis Knotts who died from Covid-19
Brendan O’Carroll has paid tribute to a Mrs Brown’s Boys crew member who recently died from Covid-19.
Dennis Knotts was a props master who worked on BBC Scotland where the sitcom is filmed, with his death devastating the cast and crew.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Brendan, 66, said the show’s upcoming Christmas episode will be dedicated in his memory.
Heartbreaking: Brendan O’Carroll has paid tribute to a Mrs Brown’s Boys crew member who recently died from Covid-19
Brendan said: ‘He was the most adorable man and actually, we dedicated the Christmas episode to him, we loved him very much.’
‘He’s been on every show that we have done with the BBC and that’s ten years now. He was the props master on every one of them; he was lovely.
‘We lost one of the family. There were people who had worked with Dennis for 40 years and they are just devastated; they can’t believe it.’
Brendan’s wife Jennifer Gibney, who plays Mrs Brown’s daughter on the series, said the cast were in the middle of filming the Christmas special when they heard of Dennis’ passing.
Passing: Dennis Knotts was a props master who worked on BBC Scotland where the sitcom is filmed, with his death devastating the cast and crew
The actress added that Dennis’ death serves as a reminder that Covid-19 is still a serious threat.
Along with his work on Mrs Brown’s Boys, Dennis also worked on shows including The Lakes and Sea of Souls and Jonathan Creek.
The Irish-British sitcom was first broadcast on BBC One in 2011 and aired live for the first time in 2016.
The show has received a number of awards including the 2012 BAFTA Television Award for Best Situation Comedy and Best Comedy at the TV Choice Awards the same year.
Brendan said: ‘He was the most adorable man and actually, we dedicated the Christmas episode to him, we loved him very much’
Brendan was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme in 2012 but lost out to Darren Boyd for his role in the Sky comedy series Spy.
It was announced last year that Brendan had signed a deal to make a Christmas special of the show annually until 2026.
The star told The Irish Sun at the time: ‘It’s incredible that the BBC have nailed down such a special slot for Mrs Brown.
Award winner: The show has received a number of awards including the 2012 BAFTA Television Award for Best Situation Comedy and Best Comedy at the TV Choice Awards the same year
‘We’ve been doing it for nine years already — which is six more than the Royle Family had and more than Morecambe and Wise.
‘This new deal we signed last week goes all the way to 2026, which means I will be able to grow into the part, and we’ve a clause in which guarantees Mrs Brown is aired at 10pm on Christmas night, or else we don’t have to make it.
‘I wanted that because if it’s not good enough for Christmas Day, then we shouldn’t be making it.’
Strike a deal: It was announced last year that Brendan had signed a deal to make a Christmas special of the show annually until 2026