Mrs Brown's Boys actor Damien McKiernan becomes SECOND star to sue

Mrs Brown’s Boys actor Damien McKiernan becomes SECOND star to sue show’s creator Brendan O’Carroll for unfair dismissal after he was axed from hit series in October

• Damien McKiernan, 54, who played Rory Brown, suing boss Brendan O’Carroll 
• He is second actor from show in a week to announce a lawsuit against its creator 
• Gary Hollywood, 41, who played Dino Doyle, is also suing for ‘unfair treatment’

A second star from the BBC’s Mrs Brown’s Boys is suing for unfair ­dismissal, bullying and discrimination after being sacked from the sitcom. 

Damien McKiernan, 54, who played Rory Brown from December 2017, is taking legal action against the show’s creator and lead actor Brendan O’Carroll, 65.

He is the second actor from the show in just a week to announce a lawsuit against Mr O’carroll, who plays the show’s star Agnes Brown, The Sun reports. 

A source from the show told The Daily Star: ‘Damien has decided to take legal action. He doesn’t feel like he has been fairly treated and wants justice.’

Damien McKiernan who played Rory Brown from December 2017, is taking legal action against the show’s creator and actor Brendan O’Carroll, 65, (who is pictured as Mrs Brown)

Mr McKiernan made an official complaint to the BBC after being sacked from the show in October, but decided to pursue legal action after matters were left unresolved, the publication reports. 

Gary Hollywood, 41, who played Dino Doyle in the BAFTA winning show and quit the show in the Autumn, has also launched legal action, claiming he was ‘unfairly treated’.

He is suing Mr O’Carroll for constructive dismissal and workplace discrimination.  

 Mr Hollywood told the Daily Star that he had been ‘disregarded’ after trying to resolve the issue and ‘wasn’t being paid equally’. 

The actor claims he was paid less than his co-stars for spin-off show All Round To Mrs Brown’s and says he was dumped from a festive special after raising the issue. 

Damien McKiernan (pictured centre) made an official complaint to the BBC after being sacked from the show in October, but decided to pursue legal action after matters were not resolved

Damien McKiernan, 54, as Rory Brown (right) and Gary Hollywood, 41, as Dino Doyle in BBC’s Mrs Brown’s Boys

The show’s boss Mr O’Carroll claims he and Mr Hollywood were on good terms when he decided to leave the show, The Sun reports.

Mr Hollywood is also taking legal action against the BBC. 

Last month Mr O’Carroll confirmed that he’s signed a new deal to ensure the popular BBC sitcom will continue to make its Christmas specials until at least 2026.

He added that the new contract guarantees that every festive edition he creates will be given a coveted slot of 10pm every Christmas Day.   

The news comes as the show, usually a Christmas Day classic, received it’s worst viewing figures for almost a decade.

Cast: The source went on to claim the rest of the cast are ‘too scared to stand up to Brendan’

The show, which aired on Christmas Day at 10pm, was watched by 3.8million viewers, a significant drop from the 11million who watched in 2013 and the 4.6million who tuned in last year.

Although the show has long been a TV favourite, it was beaten this year by the likes of Call The Midwife (5.4million) and the Strictly Christmas special (4.9million).    

A source told MailOnline earlier this month: ‘Brendan is lying through his dentures to save face and save the show.

‘To say Gary left the show to move to Lanzarote was so stupid and really insulting to Gary’s and the Mrs Brown’s fans.

‘They all know Gary has been living in Lanzarote since 2014 and regularly takes to social media to share snaps. He even hosts a weekly radio show on their main radio station, Monster Radio.

‘He’s LYING through his dentures!’ A source close to former-Mrs Brown’s Boys actor Gary Hollywood accused the show’s star Brendan of ‘lying’ about Gary’s shock exit from the series

A source told MailOnline: ‘To say Gary left the show to move to Lanzarote was so stupid and really insulting to Gary’s and the Mrs Brown’s fans’

‘Brendan knows this but said it in the hope nobody will really notice, as he’s trying to be complimentary about Gary, by saying it was amicable. It was far from amicable.’

The source went on to claim the rest of the cast are ‘too scared to stand up to Brendan’ and that the show is in turmoil behind-the-scenes.

‘The future of the show is at stake here. While it does divide opinion, it’s extremely popular with a lot of people.

‘One of the reasons for it is because they appear to be a family not just on camera but off too. They’re all meant to be paid equally and they’re all meant to be one big happy family.

Mr Hollywood (pictured this Christmas) told the Daily Star that he had been ‘disregarded’ after trying to resolve the issue and ‘wasn’t being paid equally’

Behind the scenes it’s far from it. This has been brewing for a very long time and everyone saw it coming.

‘Of course brushing it under the carpet and trying to rewrite history isn’t going to help matters – but everyone’s too scared to stand up to Brendan for fear they’ll get the chop, just like Gary did.

‘Gary was much loved by the cast, crew and the fans alike. His character Dino was one of the show’s most popular and the fans are very upset to see him go.’ 

The MailOnline has contacted Brendan O’Carroll for comment, the BBC declined to comment.

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