With The Young Offenders issuing a casting call for its upcoming fourth series, a Fermoy actor has told The Echo how he became PJ Gallagher’s sidekick in the hit comedy’s third season.

Spinning out of the 2016 box office smash of the same name, the RTÉ and BBC co-production The Young Offenders enjoyed three wildly successful series between 2018 and 2020, with a Christmas special airing in 2018.

Now, the show is set to return for a fourth series and the producers have issued a casting call for Cork actors - and for those less fortunate – to take their place alongside Conor, Jock, Mairead, and their extended family.

In 2019, one local actor responded to a similar casting call and ended up getting a speaking role as a teacher at the school from which Conor and Jock were expelled following an unfortunate micturition mishap.

“There was a call-out for extras and I did a piece to camera, and I was given a small speaking role,” Tim Roche, a 55-year-old entrepreneur from Fermoy told The Echo.

“I played a sycophantic schoolteacher in the episode set on the night of the Debs. 

"PJ Gallagher’s character, Principal Walsh, has been warned by the manager of the hotel that, based on reputation, they had better watch out, that there’s to be no trouble or they’ll never get the use of the hotel again.” 

When Conor and Jock show up escorting Siobhan and Linda to their Debs, Tim’s character delivers the line “What are they doing here?” and then accidentally identifies them as the two notorious former students previously expelled for urinating on the principal.

"PJ turns to me and says 'Traitor' because I've blown the story."

He said his time on set as a wonderful experience, and he praised the writing, cast and crew, describing PJ Gallagher as “an absolute gem”.

“Everything about the show is just fantastic, and the bonus of it all was The Frank and Walters were the house band for the Debs.”

Tim's own acting background is in community theatre, beginning with the Glanworth Players in 2011, and his experience with The Young Offenders has whetted his appetite for more film and TV work.

“I’m currently with Bloom Artist Management on St Patrick’s Quay, Darren Kelleher is my agent, and this time last year we did The Crucible in The Everyman,” he said.

For your own chance to appear alongside Conor and Jock, see the casting section on theyoungoffenders.com.