Red Rock drama beckons for Karl
after Mr World tilt

HE started out in a boyband before going on to become our current Mr Ireland.

Now Dubliner Karl Bowe is tipped for a leading role in a new soap opera.

The Diary can reveal that the 25-year-old Crumlin native is in talks with bosses at Ballymount-based station TV3 to join the cast of their forthcoming week-night drama Red Rock.

"Things are looking very busy for him at the ­moment; he's just come back from competing in the Mr World 2014 in the UK and although he didn't win he made some great contacts," an insider revealed.

"Also he's doing a lot of corporate stuff and various other gigs, but acting is his passion and he's in discussions with the producers of Red Rock," the source added.

Karl (inset) first got a taste of fame when his band Element made it through the initial rounds of The X Factor several years ago.

The rising star is not just a pretty face - Karl has been carving out a career on the big and small screen over the past couple of years in between jobbing as a nightclub bouncer and performing in Christmas pantos.

Praise

Lately he's been focusing more of his time on television and landed parts in Jennifer Maguire's RTE comedy The Clinic, as well as a minor role in Penny Dreadful.

The Sky series stars Josh Hartnett in the lead and for Karl it was a lifetime achievement to work with the American heartthrob - one of his acting idols.

"I play a brothel ­owner which was interesting," he told the Diary.

"I briefly got to talk to Josh too - he was so nice and very appreciative of any praise from fans. A real gentleman," he added.