Paul Howard: ‘It was science fiction when I wrote it, but now it doesn’t seem that odd’

On this week's Róisín Meets podcast, Róisín Ingle talks to Ross O'Carroll-Kelly creator Paul Howard and actor Rory Nolan about their upcoming production of Breaking Dad. Nolan has played the fictional rugby jock for nine years.

In the futuristic play set in 2022, in the midst of an unexpected economic boom, Bertie Ahern is Taoiseach again at age 71, and Fianna Fáil are back in power.

According to Howard, the political setting was “science fiction” when he wrote it, but “now it doesn’t seem that odd”.

“Ross is 42, staring down the barrel of middle age, and his teenage daughter arrives home from Wesley disco one night with the captain of the Blackrock College rugby team, who is a prototype Ross O’Carroll-Kelly. So what happens to Ross when this kid arrives and he’s just looking at a version of himself dating his daughter – it makes him insane,” Howard said.

Howard also talked about teaming up with Catastrophe creator Sharon Horgan to pitch an ill-fated television series to the big networks in Los Angeles. The E! network commissioned Howard to write the pilot episode of The Cliterati, a show about four Hollywood screenwriters in their 20s, which Horan was set to produce and star in.

Breaking Dad is on from March 14th to 26th at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and from March 29th to April 2nd at the University Concert Hall, Limerick.

Tickets are on sale now from Ticketmaster outlets and The Gaiety Theatre box office.

To listen to the conversation or other episodes of the podcast, go to Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher or irishtimes.com.