Steve Coogan says Irish roots inspired his character who sang rebel song on BBC show

During a recent BBC interview with Dermot O’Leary, British-Irish comedian Steve Coogan reflected on a character from his Alan Partridge series, saying his Mayo roots influenced one of his most popular characters.

Steve, whose mother hails from Mayo, introduced the character Martin Brennan to his repertoire, a fictional farmer from Sligo, to his popular series This Time with Alan Partridge in 2019.

Dermot, who also has Irish heritage, shared how his father was in "fits of laughter" after watching the Martin Brennan skit.

Steve said: "I spent my summers in the west of Ireland and in Mayo. I had lots of uncles who were farmers, so the character [Martin Brennan] was an amalgam of them."

Despite basing the character on his experiences in Mayo, Steve noted that he made Martin Brennan from Sligo as a small concession to his Mayo-born mother.

In a skit, Martin is seen singing the popular Irish rebel song, Come Out Ye Black and Tans, which was aired on BBC.