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MNHQ

Webchat with Catastrophe's Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney - Tuesday 1 December, 9-10pm

210 replies

RachelMumsnet · 30/11/2015 14:34

Calling all Catastrophe fans: We’re very excited to announce that co-authors and stars Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney will be joining us for a webchat tomorrow eve (9-10pm), directly before transmission of the final episode of the season.

Sharon Horgan is an irish actress, writer and director. She won a British Comedy Award for her BBC show Pulling which was also nominated for a BAFTA for Best Sitcom. Rob famously rose to fame on twitter where his hilarious tweets soon caught the eye of comedy promoters. He now has 1.2 million followers and it was on twitter where he first met Sharon and they conceived the idea for the series.

Join us on this thread on Tuesday evening to chat with Sharon and Rob and if you’re unable to join us then, post your questions in advance on this thread.

Webchat with Catastrophe's Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney - Tuesday 1 December, 9-10pm
OP posts:
SharonHorgan · 01/12/2015 21:34

@Badders123

God, I bloody LOVE this show. I haven't got a question but can I just say....Sharon...in last weeks episode where you are talking to the headteacher about your son and his difficult start....it was just.... EXACTLY how I felt when my ds1 was little. He was prem, lots of health problems and the look in your eyes when talking about that time really resonated with me. The constant low level stress and worry about them...you got it. Perfectly.

Keep up the good work!

Badders123 that’s lovely to hear. Glad you got through it and he’s a strapper x

SaigonSaigon · 01/12/2015 21:34

Sharon - your clothes are bloody amazing. I'm inspired.

But the highlight for me this series has been Mark Bonner in the buff. But you're a close 2nd, Rob...

fufulina · 01/12/2015 21:34

Thanks Rob - I am mostly very specific. Particularly with timeframes.

A nightmare to live with, so my husband tells me.

Why no London dates??

RobDelaney · 01/12/2015 21:35

@MrsBertMacklin

Just a quick thanks to Rob for posting about your depression - you wrote a Tumblr post a few years ago about getting help which was a catalyst for me stopping thinking about depression as part of me that I had to live with forever, rather than an illness. So thanks for that.

My sincere pleasure. Here it is in case anyone else deals with depression: robdelaney.tumblr.com/post/414007899/on-depression-getting-help xx

RomComPhooey · 01/12/2015 21:35

Thank you Rob. There's already been some earnest discussion about whether we can palm the off for a sleepover and make your Oxford tour date.

SharonHorgan · 01/12/2015 21:35

@RomComPhooey

OK, a question - is the running joke about Muiren's name (a guess on spelling, although I could have cheated by looking on IMDB and been all smug) based on real life experience? If so, I'm guessing Sharon's.

It is. I wanted to call my daughter Muireann but my husband couldn’t pronounce. In fact, he started crying at the thought of me forcing a name on our child he couldn’t say. So we named her Sadhbh. Hard to spell. Easy to pronounce (Sive. Like Five. with an S.)

ggirl · 01/12/2015 21:36

Think you should have Lady C on your show

RobDelaney · 01/12/2015 21:36

@RomComPhooey

So, Rob still hasn't answered my husband's question about Carrie Fisher. He assumes you asked her about Star Wars, so I am going to ask if you even mentioned Star Wars to her or does she have a rider in her contract saying it must not be mentioned?

haaa! SHARON asked her about Star Wars. I played it cool even though I'm not cool at all. I think I was too in awe and just had to hide from her. But in series 2 we talked a lot more and she's a very, very sweet woman who has quite literally SEEN IT ALL. Can't believe she's on our show. x

RobDelaney · 01/12/2015 21:37

@RomComPhooey

Thank you Rob. There's already been some earnest discussion about whether we can palm the off for a sleepover and make your Oxford tour date.

oh gosh don't go that far! I'll film it anyway and make a dvd of the tour so don't do anything silly to see me. xx

RomComPhooey · 01/12/2015 21:38

Thank you - DH is laughing about Sharon asking first.

SharonHorgan · 01/12/2015 21:38

@FannyTheChampionOfTheWorld

I felt like the first series was pure comedy and the second one is kind of focusing more on the drama. Is that intentional and do they think it will continue in that vein in the third series, if there is one?

Hi FannyTheChampionOfTheWorld - I think we wanted to aim for comedy and drama in both series equally. It felt like there were a lot of dramatic or more serious moments in Series One that people appreciated, so we wanted to stick with that. But we are desperate whores for laughs, so joke content is equally important to us

redlou · 01/12/2015 21:38

Thanks for replying to my earlier message Sharon. :)

What's been your favourite episode to write so far - and why?

DickDewy · 01/12/2015 21:38

Love Carrie Fisher in this. I think I read that she travels with her dog, Gary Fisher!

SharonHorgan · 01/12/2015 21:40

@WeShouldOpenABar

Oh my jebus I'm so excited we love Catastrophe I text my sister after each episode to watch it , with babies the exact same age I think she'd relate, but with babies the exact same age she has no time to watch!

Question for Sharon : Who came up with your character name in Moonboy and then Catastrophe were you just sick of being called by names other than Sharon and from now on you're just sticking to your own?

Chris O’ Dowd came up with that name. With Catastrophe, we just used our names as placeholders and then when it came time to choose names it felt to weird to switch to Maureen and Harold or whatever. Also Channel 4 liked us using our own names...

miaowmix · 01/12/2015 21:40

If I can squeeze in one more question...

What are your favourite sitcoms/comedies? Any preference for Brit/US?

JustRosieHere · 01/12/2015 21:41

Catastrophe seems very British, Rob as an American how do you find writing for a British audience? Also do you tailor your stand up to different audiences or is funny stuff funny on both sides of the Atlantic?

SharonHorgan · 01/12/2015 21:41

@hocuspocusbark

Hello Rob & Sharon! My husband wants to know do you relate to your characters and if so what aspects? I really love the characters and think the way they are written is just so refreshing, particularly about the struggles of marriage, parenthood & friendships. I also have house envy for your house.

We fully relate to them. They are 50% us. I envy my house too. But Rob had to sell his soul to a pharmaceutical company to afford it. Plus it’s in Walthamstow. So we shouldn’t envy it too much ( I love Walthamstow)

RomComPhooey · 01/12/2015 21:42

Are the Chris/Fran couple based on people you know in real life? We find Chris' complete disregard for usual social niceties hilarious - like when he said he'd drawn the short straw and had to come to the party in the first episode of this season.

SharonHorgan · 01/12/2015 21:43

@McButtonwillow

Best and worst bits of working with each other please!

Best bits are the laughs. Worst bit is the smell.

RobDelaney · 01/12/2015 21:43

@sugargrace

Hi Sharon and Rob,

I found the writing consistently brilliant up until the point where Rob's colleague lies about sexual harassment which in my opinion was a lazy, misogynistic trope and not particularly funny. Who's idea was that then?

Wonderful show otherwise.

Now you're of course free to think that story is lazy and misogynist. I hope that with many of the other storylines being rather actively feminist and celebratory of mums and the issues they face that what might emerge over the 2 series taken in full is a world that semi-accurately reflects the world at large, which includes terrible people, both women and men.

hangingoutattheendofmywick · 01/12/2015 21:43

There was a joke in an episode this series that you didn't want to check on the baby and how bad it would be if they woke up.... Compared to them being dead. My partner and I howled and shouted yes... But as a writer id never ever have the courage to put that joke out there. So my Q is - how do you know where the line is with jokes and how do you get the courage to use them! (People get so offended nowadays when it's obviously not a SERIOUS deliberation).

Lurleene · 01/12/2015 21:43

I have another question if I may?

What do you think the series would be like if Rob took Sharon and the children to the USA? Is that something you would consider?

RobDelaney · 01/12/2015 21:43

@RomComPhooey

Are the Chris/Fran couple based on people you know in real life? We find Chris' complete disregard for usual social niceties hilarious - like when he said he'd drawn the short straw and had to come to the party in the first episode of this season.

I cannot think of anyone I really know like Chris. Fran, maybe, but no one comes to mind. I think the real answer is that Chris reflects aspects of Sharon and me. x

SharonHorgan · 01/12/2015 21:43

@WeepingInTheBushes

Sharon - where do you get your clothes? I love the wardrobe you have for the show, do you choose yourself or do you have someone advising on that?

Love the show its hilarious. Keep them coming!

Hi WeepingInTheBushes - It’s a mixture. There’s a bunch supplied by costume; vintage, high street and a tiny bit of designer and the rest is my clothes and some of my friend’s clothes and then stuff I buy in the lead up to filming for the character.

SharonHorgan · 01/12/2015 21:44

@Lurleene

I have another question if I may?

What do you think the series would be like if Rob took Sharon and the children to the USA? Is that something you would consider?

I think we'd love to do that at some point. Has to be somewhere warm though. With relaxed gambling laws.