TV star Baz Ashmawy has made a friend for life with the quirky bachelor farmer who appeared on his new television series on Sunday evening – and they are even going to see Take That together.
The 44-year-old presenter said he was bowled over when he met Jimmy Byrne, from Togher, Co Louth, for his show Wingman.
“I thought he sounded like a nutcase when he first got in touch,” said the broadcaster behind the hugely successful Sky series 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy.
In his new creation he becomes friend and mentor – a wingman – to people chasing an unfulfilled lifelong ambition or lost dream.
Dairy farmer Jimmy had always dreamt of putting on a play about rural loneliness, The Quiet Land by Malachy McKenna, but the local amateur dramatic society turned him down.
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“Jimmy was in the milking parlour when he heard me on his local LMFM radio station looking for people for the series,” says Baz.
“He didn’t know who I was but thought ‘this fella might help me get this play on.
“He sent me a clip and I couldn’t even see his face, all I could hear was his voice and I said, ‘this lad sounds gas altogether’ and I was interested straight away.
“There was something very warm about him, something very real and honest and as I got to know him – I spent a lot of time with him moving down to Togher for three and a half weeks - we spoke about our families a lot and our upbringings and we became very close.”
It was a massive task for Jimmy, who had never acted before, to learn his lines and rehearse on top of a full day’s work on his farm.
“Other people might think it’s a simple thing to do, putting on a play, but it’s all relative to your world and in his world it’s a huge deal,” said Baz.
“To go out there in front of everyone you know and throw caution to the wind is not easy.
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