By Gail Renard

Brendan O’Carroll, famous for writing and starring in BBC TV’s Mrs. Brown’s Boys, is this year’s WGGB Comedy Writer of the Year winner.

It took O’Carroll a long time to become a success. Mrs. Brown’s Boys started as a radio play in Ireland in 1992, grew into novels, and a few years after that O’Carroll formed his own theatre company, using his friends and family to cut down costs. When the actress playing Mrs. Brown failed to show, O’Carroll put on the dress and 12 years later the Mrs. Brown’s Boys TV series became a hit.

O’Carroll was touched to receive the WGGB award, presented at the British Comedy Awards, which he hadn’t expected. “It only took me five novels, two screenplays, seven plays and three series to get here.”

Brendan O’Carroll is a lesson in hard work, perseverance and self-belief. He also makes millions of us laugh. What better reasons to honour a writer?

The British Comedy Awards will be broadcast at 9pm on Channel 4 on Wednesday 17 December 2014.