Brendan O’Carroll wants bickering panto ‘Rottweilers’ Rory Cowan and Twink to stop sniping and rekindle friendship before Christmas
The Mrs Brown's Boys creator says he’s aware of how embittered the warring stars have become — but he sees a way out for them
COMIC Brendan O’Carroll wants “Rottweillers” Rory Cowan and Twink to kiss and make up in time for Christmas.
The Mrs Brown’s Boys creator goes back decades with the warring panto queens and blasted: “What f***ing age are you? Two grown adults should be able to sort this out.”
Brendan O'Carroll as Agnes Brown
The Irish Sun revealed last year how the pair fell out over a stalled TV project for Twink — before the dispute escalated when Twink showed up at the funeral of Rory’s beloved mum Esther.
Brendan said he’s aware of how bitter their row became — but he sees a way out for them.
The Dublin star told the Irish Sun: “There’s a Christmas spirit and I’d hope Rory and Twink would find it in their hearts to forgive, because I know these are two very good people who should be able to sort this out.
“If they asked me, I’d say get on the phone and patch this up.”
Rory Cowan, right, at his mother Esther's funeral in Balally
Lifelong friends and stage legends, Rory and Twink — real name Adele King — fell out over her TV comeback last year.
Their friendship had been so strong at one point, Rory made mortgage payments on Twink’s home in Templeogue, Dublin.
However, he vowed never to speak to her again after she branded him ‘Rory The Rat’ for leaving the telly project, frustrated at its lack of progress.
The 59-year-old revealed how his mother’s funeral last November was the first time he had laid eyes on Twink since then.
Adele King, otherwise known as Twink, at the funeral of Esther Cowan
Rory said: “I spotted her in the church when I went up on the alter to deliver the eulogy about my mother.
“She was sitting down but got out of her seat to stand at the back of the church so she would be in my eyeline as I spoke.”
Twink claims that after the service, Rory rebuffed her in front of other mourners when she approached to commiserate with him on his mum’s passing.
Twink told the Irish Sun: “Rory, at the top of his voice, said, ‘That’s right, you just keep walking. You get out of here — this is for family and friends, you are not welcome here. Go on, get out of here, keep walking.’”
Rory and Twink in happier times
Back home in Dublin yesterday, after watching events unfold from his home in sunny Florida, US, the Mrs Brown star said he was aware of how deep the divisions went between the pair.
Brendan said: “We’re not just talking about personalities here. There were some serious incidents in all of this.
“Twink had hung all her hopes on the TV show she was working on with Rory, and when Twink turned up at Rory’s mother’s funeral, that was a very bad time for him.
“I know Rory was very hurt over the funeral thing, but at the same time, Twink didn’t turn up to deliberately hurt him.”
Brendan and wife Jen
Twink previously told the Irish Sun her reasons for attending the funeral were genuine, and that she was devastated by Rory’s behaviour.
She told us: “I turned up at that funeral to support an old friend who had already kicked my teeth in — but what happened was, he kicked my teeth all the way to the back of my head.
“To deliberately turn up at a funeral to cause somebody grief is not my modus operandi.”
Asked would he personally make calls to help get both sides talking again, Brendan joked: “If you were walking down the road and saw two Rottweilers fighting, would you try setting them apart?
“At the end of the day, you’re never going to get two Rottweilers apart. From all our years working together, Rory is like a son and there is no way he would come to me and ask me to patch it up.
“If he wanted to patch it up with Twink, he would go to her and say, ‘Let’s stop this and have a bit of respect for each other, and for the business.
“I know Rory and Twink are two generous, forgiving people on the whole. You’d hope they could find a way through this.”
Brendan also told us he had a chuckle at rumours that two Rorys could turn up in a wacky Christmas special plot.
Cowan, played the character for 26 years until July 2017, before his replacement, Damien McKiernan, took over last Christmas.
At the end of the day, you’re never going to get two Rottweilers apart. From all our years working together, Rory is like a son and there is no way he would come to me and ask me to patch it up
Brendan O'Connor
Brendan said of the idea: “That was suggested to me and I laughed because I had a hard enough time getting the viewers’ heads around the new Rory, let alone having two Rorys in a Christmas special!”
In fact, comic Bren doubts Rory Cowan will ever be seen in Mrs Brown’s Boys again.
He said: “Once Rory has set his mind on something, that’s it, he’s an immoveable object. We stay in touch mostly by text and I know he’s very happy. I think all the pressure is off for Rory.
“He devoted his time to his mother, who sadly passed away.
“Now he doesn’t have the pressure of going on tour to far-flung places like Australia with Mrs Brown. He can pick his gigs, like the Olympia panto this Christmas, which he loves. He’s happy, I’ve never seen him happier.
“He will also earn royalties from Mrs Brown for the rest of his life. He worked so hard. He deserves every single penny.”
Meanwhile, as a huge supporter of the St Vincent De Paul charity — which will supply nearly 3,000 Christmas dinners for needy families last year — Brendan called for a halt to evictions over Christmas.
He said: “Everything possible should be done to avoid repossession. It also doesn’t reflect well on a bank that does them.
“The fact is we all chipped in with our social payments to give them enough money to bail the banks out, and I think a bit of leeway from the banks would do no harm.”
Brendan said the homeless situation has gotten so bad, the Government should stand down and be replaced by a coalition of all parties.
He said: “Between homelessness and Brexit, we should recognise we have a national emergency on our hands and invoke a war government of all the parties who will prioritise the problems with a unified approach.
Tags
RECENT