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​Rory Brown Character Quits Mrs Brown’s Boys

​Rory Brown Character Quits Mrs Brown’s Boys

Rory Cowan thought it was time to go.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Rory Cowan, one of the stars of Ireland's hit radio and telly show Mrs. Brown's Boys, has left the successful comedy after 26 years, claiming it was 'time to go'.

Cowan first met Brendan O'Carroll, the show's creator, in the early '90s and after being made redundant. He booked the writer and entertainer for a show whilst working as an events manager, which led to him becoming O'Carroll's publicist. BOC, as his friends have likely never called him, later wrote the role of Rory Brown specifically for Cowan. The rest, as they say, is history. Minor history, but still history.

Cowan, from Dublin, played the role for the last time at London's O2 Arena on Sunday.

Rory Cowan
Rory Cowan

Credit: PA Images: Rory (left) with Brendan O'Carroll (second from left)

He said: "I hadn't been happy working for the Mrs Brown's Boys company for the last 18 months to two years. I feel that 26 years is enough so I decided it was time to go. I told Brendan on June 16 about my decision to leave. That's when I handed in my notice. I was supposed to leave at the end of that week, but Brendan said that would be impossible and asked if I'd stay on until the end of the London O2 gigs. So I agreed to that."

It was reported that Cowan celebrated his last show with a private meal with mates in London, but didn't receive a farewell party. However, he did emphasise that he left the show, 'the way I wanted to go', suggesting the whole shebang happened on his terms.

Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail, Cowan said: "I'm not going into details about why I was unhappy. I did the final show, packed my stuff into a small Waitrose plastic bag and just left the venue." Cowan did not confirm what was in the Waitrose bag. Might have been crisps.

Cowan said he had 'no clue' what he was going to do in the future but suggested something like a 'weekend radio show' might be up his alley, after he's had some time off. Hugely popular both for his onscreen character and his off-telly personality, Cowan is likely to see the offers come flooding in soon enough.

Credit: BBC

Mrs. Brown's Boys became a hit in the UK after being aired on the BBC in 2011, but it has been running in various guises since 1992 as a radio show on Ireland's RTÉ 2fm, as a play, and in various books and films penned by O'Carroll, a man pretending to be a lady with great success over the years. Fair play to 'im, and good luck Rory.

Words: Ronan O'Shea

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: UK