‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ star Rory Cowan has quit, after 26 years of working with the production both on stage and screen.
The actor, who played Mrs Brown’s son Rory in the sitcom, claimed he had been “unhappy” for some time before his departure.
He has now made his last appearance as the character, after completing a recent stage production with the rest of the cast.
Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail, Rory 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.”
He informed lead creator and lead cast member Brendan O’Carroll last month, but was persuaded to stay on until the end of the London O2 shows - the last of which took place on Sunday.
Refusing to be drawn on his reason to quit, Rory continued: “I’m not going into details about why I was unhappy,
“I did the final show [in London], packed my stuff into a small Waitrose plastic bag and just left the venue.”
‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ started life as a stage show, before being picked up by the BBC in 2011.
Despite drawing critical reviews, it has gone on to become a ratings smash, regularly topping the most watched show on Christmas Day for its festive specials.
Last year, it also topped a poll to find the best sitcom of the 21st century, much to the annoyance of some Twitter users.
Its success also led to a spin-off chat show, ‘All Round To Mrs Brown’s’, which aired on Saturday nights earlier this year, following a big-screen outing for the gang in 2014.