Mrs Brown’s Boys has been on the BBC since 2011 (Image: BBC)
Since 2011, Mrs Brown’s Boys has been on the BBC entertaining viewers at home. The TV series follows the foul-mouthed Agnes Brown, played by Brendan O’Carroll, who relishes interfering in the lives of her family and friends, as well as digging out their secrets. The sitcom has won numerous awards, including the National Television Award for Best Comedy in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2024. However, over the years, the comedy has experienced controversy, and many viewers have called for the BBC to axe the show.
Ratings for the 2024 Christmas Day special of the show – created by the 69-year-old star – only raked in 2.2 million viewers, compared to the 11.5 million people who tuned into the sitcom’s first festive special in 2013.
The BBC sitcom has won numerous awards (Image: BBC)
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Last year, some people at home shared their views on Mrs. Brown’s Boys on X, formally known as Twitter. One person said it is “the most idiotic show on TV throughout the past decade”.
However, the programme is reportedly still proving popular, as the BBC’s Director of Comedy, Jon Petrie, said this summer that it is one of the corporation’s “most-watched comedies ever”.
He added: “Brendan has created an iconic comedy character in Agnes Brown. Mrs. Brown’s Boys is a BAFTA-winning comedy show and one of the BBC’s most-watched comedies ever … I’m proud to have it in the BBC Comedy stable.”
In 2024, the show experienced controversy when Brendan offered an apology after a “racist remark” he made triggered a BBC investigation.
During a script run-through for the 2024 Christmas special with cast and crew, O’Carroll allegedly made a comment that “implied” using the N-word.
At the time, according to the Daily Mail, they claim that the actor started to use the N-word before he was stopped by his co-star Jennifer Gibney, who plays Cathy.
In a statement shared with the publication, O’Carroll’s representative said at the time: “We would also like to clarify that the ‘n’ word was absolutely not spoken, it was implied. Agnes (Mrs Brown) began the word but was stopped from finishing it by her daughter Cathy, as she knew she would be.”
Team members who heard the comment were reportedly taken aback and reported it, prompting the BBC to take swift action. The incident resulted in a delay to the beginning of rehearsals at BBC Scotland’s Pacific Quay studios. Following the conclusion of the investigative process and the issuance of an apology from O’Carroll, normal rehearsal schedules then resumed.
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