Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Sandra Mallon

Downton Abbey star Allen Leech would love to see One Direction singer Niall Horan play him as a young man

Downton Abbey star Allen Leech has said Niall Horan could play his character as a “young Branson” – if there was ever a spin-off series of the show.

Downton Abbey: A New Era has opened in cinemas and stars Dubliner Leech as character Tom Branson, chauffeur turned estate manager.

But Leech joked that if there was ever a spin-off series created around Branson’s life, he would love to see One Direction singer and Mullingar native Niall Horan play the role as his younger self.

Read More: Allen Leech asked bosses to change Downton Abbey script to fix details about Ireland that 'didn't ring true'

Speaking about if there was ever a spin-off show set in Ireland about Branson, he said: “A spin-off, or we go back in time, and Niall Horan could play young Branson; everyone keeps saying we look alike.”

In 2013, Leech joked about the pair’s similarities.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, host Andy Cohen brought up the fact that the actor bares a striking resemblance to Horan.

"He's my son," Leech joked at the time.

Allen has previously joked about how the pair look like each other (Getty Images for MTV)

"I had him really young. I had the choice to give him to the circus or a boy band, I chose a boy band. He's done much better there because his backflips are terrible."

Leech also revealed to movie website, movies.ie, about the reasons why Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes chose Branson to be from Bray in Co Wicklow.

He said: “Julian has a connection to Ireland; his brother lives in Kerry. He wanted Tom to be from Bray because he wanted him to be closer to some of the larger estates in Wicklow. Branson talks about how he used to drive for a family in Ireland.”

Leech previously told how he got bosses to change the script in the early days to fix details about Ireland that “didn't ring true”.

“That was true in the early seasons, especially when Tom mentioned Ireland,” he told the RTE Guide.

“There were times that I was like, I don’t think this quite rings true when he is talking about Dublin, so there were a couple of things that I definitely changed.

“I also changed a name or two. I said, if he’s going to talk about people in Ireland, I don’t think that they’d be called that.

“In terms of dialogue thought, I realised early on that if you trust Julian [Fellowes] even if sometimes it doesn’t feel quite right, it will come around.”

Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.