THE MAN BEHIND THE WIG Who is Brendan O’Carroll? Mrs Brown’s Boys star who plays Agnes Brown and stand-up comedian

The comedian may be better known for his alter-ego, but he has many other roles under his belt

MRS Brown’s Boys has won countless numbers of fans across the UK, with viewers keen to watch Agnes Brown and her outrageous comments.

But who is the man under the wig? Here’s all you need to know about Brendan O’Carroll.

Who is Brendan Carroll?

These days Brendan O’Carroll is better known for his alter ego Agnes Brown, but this is by far not the only role he has played.

The 61-year-old is the youngest of 11 children and was born in Dublin to mum Maureen, a Labour TD, and dad Gerald, a carpenter.

Tragedy struck when Brendan was just seven and his dad died, leaving his mum struggling to raise her children on little income.

Brendan has been married to his Mrs Brown’s Boys co-star Jennifer Gibney since 2005

He left school aged 12 and went on to have a number of different jobs before settling into writing, producing, acting and doing stand-up comedy.

Other than Mrs Brown’s Boys, he has frequently appeared on The Late Late Show, co-wrote the screenplay to boxing movie Sparrow’s Trap and has starred in a number of films and TV shows.

He has been married twice – to Doreen O’Carroll from 1977 to 1999 and Mrs Brown’s Boys co-star Jennifer Gibney from 2005.

Brendan’s first son, named after him, died when he was three days old from spina bifida. He has three grown-up children with his first wife and six grandsons.

When did Brendan O’Carroll’s Mrs Brown’s Boys first start?

Mrs Brown’s Boys of today was developed from a short radio play Brendan performed entitled Mrs Browne’s Boys in 1992.

He then went on to write four books: The Granny, The Scrapper, The Chisellers and The Mammy.

In 1999 a film was released based on The Mammy and was called Agnes Browne, for which he co-wrote the screenplay.

Brendan first started working on a character called Agnes Brown in the 90s

He went on to put together his own theatre company and ended up being the one dressing up as Mrs Brown after the original actress failed to dress up.

Brendan wrote and performed in five plays from 199 to 2009 and retoured in 2011. They were subsequently adapted into a TV sitcom over three series.

In 2014 Mrs. Brown’s Boys D’Movie and, while it was a hit with cinema goers, it was panned by critics and received 7 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Who is Brendan Carroll’s character Agnes Brown?

Agnes Brown is the main character in Mrs Brown’s Boys and is a widow who lives with three of her six children.

These include hairdresser son Rory, promoter Dermot and Cathy (played by Brendan’s real-life wife Jennifer).

She often spends her evenings at local pub Foley’s with best friend and neighbour Winnie.

What is All Round to Mrs Brown’s?

All Round to Mrs Brown’s is a British-Irish comedy talk show.

It’s created by and starring Brendan along with his family and other cast members from his original comedy show, Mrs. Brown’s Boys.

The show will be presented by Mrs Brown’s daughter Cathy.

Each guest will also bring their own ‘mammy’ along – and they will be interviewed by Mrs Brown in the kitchen.