Steve Speirs to star in Mrs Brown's Boys New Year special
Steve Speirs will play a criminal known as Slasher Sam in the 'Mrs Brown's Boys' New Year special.
Steve Speirs is to star in the 'Mrs Brown's Boys' New Year special.
The Hollywood veteran - who has starred in movies including 'Eragon'', 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' - will portray a dangerous criminal nicknamed Slasher Sam on the 1 January episode of the hit BBC comedy series.
A source told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper: “Steve has had an incredible career, so it’s quite a coup for the show to get him to take on the role. Millions of us have seen him on the big screen in one of his blockbusters.”
The show was recently mired in controversy when it was revealed lead star Brendan O'Carroll had left cast and crew stunned with an "implied racial term" during a read-through of the Christmas and New Year specials.
The 69-year-old actor was in character as Agnes Brown on set when he improvised and almost said the N-word before being stopped by his wife Jennifer Gibney, who plays daughter Cathy in the BBC sitcom.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Virtually everyone in the room on the day that the outburst happened were shocked, but the reading continued for some time without anyone saying or doing anything as they were so stunned.
“One member of the production team in particular was upset by what came out of his mouth and it was quickly reported to the bosses.
"There was no excuses for what he said or any kind of context or mitigation he could provide for making the slur, he just seemed to think it was amusing.”
He later apologised for having "caused offence".
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "At a read-through of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied.
"It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised."
A source told the publication: "The whole production of the Christmas special was paused while the investigation was carried out.
"The entire cast and crew were stood down in the wake of the comment as the BBC tried to get to the bottom of it."
