‘Catastrophe’ stars and writers Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan have revealed that their late co-star Carrie Fisher will have a “bigger, chunkier part” in the forthcoming series 3, filmed last year before her death on 27 December last year.
Carrie played Rob’s “awful mother” in the hit Channel 4 comedy after Rob and Sharon spotted her at an awards dinner, being her usual witty, sardonic self, and asked her to be in the show.
“Luckily she was in the market for playing Rob’s awful mother,” said Sharon at a press screening this week. “We didn’t have her for very long in the first series and the second series. She flew in and did her bit over a day or two and, of course, we wanted to get to know her better.
“We idolised her but just didn’t really have a chance to, and then in series three we wrote this bigger, chunkier part for her in episode six and got to spend time with her,” she added.
“She was part of the gang and we really feel very privileged and honoured. She was funny all the time and incredibly witty company and loved saying arseholey things to everyone but also was just a kind, lovely, supportive person.”
Sharon and Rob, whose hit show has been commissioned for a fourth series after this one, shared that they have to consider how to write out Carrie’s character. “We’re going to let some time pass,” said Sharon, still clearly upset by Carrie’s loss.
The pair return for a third series of the travails of a couple who settled down together following a one night stand which leaves them pregnant. The new episodes will see them overcoming Sharon’s slight wobble into another man’s arms in the last series, but facing something more profound when Rob falls off the wagon following the loss of his job.
Catastrophe series 3 will start on Channel 4 on Tuesday 28 February at 10pm