Comedian Bernard O’Shea reckons that the ’80s was an idyllic time for Irish men.

“It was fantastic being a father in the 1970s and 1980s in Ireland. You did nothing with the kids. Dads back then were a bit like the financial controller of the nation. They were there, but didn’t have any influence as to what’s happening,” he says.

This observation makes Irish Country Living wonder if the Laois comedian, and father-of-one, is similar to his on-screen character on Bridget and Eamon, which recently debuted on RTÉ Two.

“Yes, maybe, sometimes. Things are very different now, of course. I wouldn’t be allowed get away with it,” he deadpans.

“There’s a little bit of my father [in Eamon] and a bit of an Irish man that I remember in the ’80s.”

Bernard and Jennifer Zamparelli – née Maguire – star in the series together, which took six weeks to film, and present Breakfast Republic on 2FM with Keith Walsh from 6am to 10am. Given the amount of time they spend together, they are almost like a married couple.

“We’re like a real-life married couple without all the sex,” quips Bernard. “When you spend that amount of time with someone, it gets kind of strange. We nearly killed each other but we got through it. And I hate Keith and Jen, I just hate them. On air it sounds like we’re friendly.”

Bridget and Eamon originally began as sketches on Republic of Telly, which Bernard and Jennifer worked on for seven years. Due to the popularity of the videos, the pair decided to explore the idea of making a series and creating a world around the couple.

Set in the ’80s, storylines revolve around condom bans, divorce referendums, six to eight children and finding time to get that all-important choppy changey hairdo.

“It was a long road from the sketches to us thinking about doing it, to writing it and shooting it, for myself, Bernard and Jason Butler [writer],” says Jennifer.

“We just wanted it to be on air now and for people to see it. It’s exciting and a dream to work on.

“It’s a really fun era to shoot because it was bonkers. How did we even survive? The food alone. Plus, there were no seatbelts in cars. And remember being left in the car while your parents went to the shop quickly? All these mental things. It was a weird time.”

If Bernard’s dad inspired Eamon, did Jennifer’s mam provide some material for Bridget?

“I’d hate to say she’s very like my mam, because my mam isn’t a kleptomaniac who smokes 40 a day and is obsessed with fashion. However, there are elements and things she said, or things my older sister would have said,” she says.

“It’s funnier when you draw on your own experiences. I think Bridget is every Irish mammy and the hair definitely would have been my mam’s.

“Actually,” she recalls. “I remember being lost in a shop and I couldn’t find my mam because they all had Bridget’s hair.”

Jennifer recently became a mother herself with the birth of Florence in March last year, and Bernard’s daughter Olivia was born early in 2014.

“When we first said we were doing this, we said: ‘Oh, we’ll bring the kids and Bernard will bring Olivia and they’ll play,’” says Jennifer. “The house was so small and there was no way you could have a kid on set. It wouldn’t have benefited Florence… and she doesn’t have equity.”

It was suggested by Bernard that Jennifer’s husband Lau could play a hairdresser in the series, until she realised they would be bereft of a childminder during filming (“I was like, no, I don’t like that idea.”) However, the stuntman did step in to help coordinate a particularly terrifying fight scene.

“There’s a big fight between me and Mary McEvoy, which was just the scariest day I’ve ever had. Lau was there to stop me getting killed or a concussion. She has no fear and will give it her all. Bernard wrote a whole fight scene for me and her – so thanks for that. We spent the day pulling the hair off one another,” she says.

Other guest stars lined up for the series include Linda Martin, Karl Spain, and their co-host, the long-suffering Keith. There’s already talk of a second season, but it all depends on what the public think, says Bernard.

“You don’t know until you throw it up to Johnny Public and see how they react. It’s the colosseum moment. There’s definitely scope for a second season and a different decade.”

Though there are no plans to sell the show abroad yet, the pair are certainly inspired by the popularity of Mrs Brown’s Boys in the UK.

“I’d take the hand off you for that kind of success,” says Bernard. “If it does well in the UK, that’s a massive bonus. It was a well-worn track for Brendan O’Carroll, though. I don’t think we have one-sixteenth of his experience.

“We would love to do live shows, all of that. But we’ll have to see how the public react first.”

The pair left Republic of Telly to work on Bridget and Eamon – are there any plans to return?

“Never say never,” says Jennifer. “We had such a great time on it. We were there for seven years, which is a really long time, but it was always a platform for new talent. There’s only so many times I can tell people to f**k off, and they weren’t letting me on the red carpet any more.”

For now, though, Bernard and Jennifer are happy playing Ireland’s unhappiest couple.

“And the ’80s are totally in right now,” adds Jennifer.?