The Shawshank Redemption: 'Strictly' winner Joe McFadden on taking on the iconic prisoner role 

Joe McFadden is familiar from Strictly Come Dancing and Heartbreak, but he's in Ireland to play Andy Dufresne in a stage adaptation of Steven King's classic tale 

Joe McFadden in The Shawshank Redemption.

Star of stage and screen Joe McFadden is stepping into one of modern storytelling’s most iconic roles, bringing Andy Dufresne to life at Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Amid an ambitious 10-month tour of Stephen King’s The Shawshank Redemption, McFadden is embracing the weight of expectation that comes with such a beloved character and relishing every moment of the challenge.

“People ask, was it terrifying, but being the hopeless, relentless optimist I am, I just thought how exciting it is to get to play this brilliant character, and dissect what it is about him and the story that people respond to so well, and have my own take on the story.”