Brendan O’Carroll has revealed the future of Mrs Brown’s Boys amid falling ratings and calls for the BBC show to be axed.
The 2024 festive special saw its ratings drop to their lowest level ever, with viewers claiming it “ruined” their Christmas.
And Brendan, 69, who plays Agnes Brown in the BBC comedy, has confirmed the show will return despite the negative comments.
Brendan told the daily star: ‘We are going to film another series in April and May (2025). It’s wonderful to be asked to do another one.”
The series, which first aired in 2011, attracted a measly 2.2 million viewers on Christmas Day, which was a big drop from the 11.5 million that turned into the 25 December 2013.
While the comedy struggled in the ratings, elsewhere on BBC1, Gavin and Stacey: The Finale was the most watched show of the festive season with 12.5 million, while Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl attracted 9, 5 million.
Brendan O’Carroll, 69, has revealed the future of Mrs Brown’s Boys amid falling ratings and calls for the BBC show to be axed.
The 2024 festive special saw its ratings drop to their lowest level ever, with viewers claiming it “ruined” their Christmas.
In the latest episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys, which had previously been described as “marmite television”, the Irish matriarch tried to convince her family that she wasn’t grumpy like Scrooge, but those at home described it as “spectacularly unfunny” .
Running up to
How horrible were Mrs. Brown’s children? My deepest condolences if I had to put up with this,’
‘Christmas was going well until Mrs Brown’s Boys’, ‘I just remembered that Mrs Brown’s Boys is on tonight. Christmas ruined’.
‘But Mrs Brown’s Boys isn’t spectacularly funny’, ‘Being home for Christmas is great until Mrs Brown’s Boys is on TV’,
‘Mrs Brown’s Boys is so done that it makes me hate the people who participated in its creation’, ‘Why is the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas special still on in 2013?’
During rehearsals for the special, the show became embroiled in a racism dispute after actor and writer Brendan alluded to the N-Word in front of his shocked co-stars and production staff.
During a script reading while playing Agnes Brown, she is reported to have said, “I don’t call a spade a spade, I call a spade a spade…”
And Brendan, who plays Agnes Brown in the BBC comedy, has confirmed the show will return despite the negative comments.
Brendan said: ‘We are going to film another series in April and May (2025). It’s wonderful that they ask you to do another one’
The series, which first aired in 2011, attracted a measly 2.2 million viewers on Christmas Day, which was a big drop from the 11.5 million that turned into the 25 December 2013.
Brendan then began to say the N-word before he was stopped by a co-star, whose intervention was allegedly made while she was acting as Agnes’ daughter.
The Dublin-born comedian later apologized before claiming his racist joke “was a good thing” for the BBC because it “raised awareness about racism”.
talking to the sun Brendan said: “The only thing that incident did was raise a huge awareness about racism and a huge awareness about the BBC, they don’t take any trouble.”
‘The context… was completely taken out of context. “I think it was a good thing in the long run, though, because it got people talking about it.”
When the scandal was revealed last month, Brendan’s rep told the Mail: ‘We would also like to clarify that the n-word was not uttered at all, but implied.
“Agnes (Mrs Brown) started the word, but her daughter Cathy stopped her from finishing it, as she knew she would.”
In initial statements about the incident, neither the BBC nor Brendan acknowledged the seriousness of the offensive slur.
The cast and crew were reportedly stood down while the corporation “tried to get to the bottom” of what happened.
In the latest episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys, which had previously been described as “marmite television”, the Irish matriarch was trying to convince her family that she wasn’t grumpy like Scrooge.
While the comedy struggled in the ratings, elsewhere on BBC1, Gavin and Stacey: The Finale (pictured) was the most watched show of the festive season with 12.5 million.
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (pictured) attracted 9.5 million
Those at home described it as “spectacularly boring.”
Rehearsals then resumed in Glasgow, at the station’s Pacific Quay studios in Scotland, and the shows will go ahead as planned.
The BBC said: “While we do not comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism and we have robust processes in place should issues arise.”
Brendan later apologized for making a “clumsy attempt at a joke” on Mrs. Brown’s character, where a “racial term” was implied.
Her full statement read: “In a read-through of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in-character Agnes, where a racial term was implied. It backfired and caused offense which I regret. deeply and for which I apologize.
Those who witnessed the comment were reportedly “shocked” by the insult which was “later reported by the BBC.”
Mrs Brown’s Boys has been a regular fixture on the BBC’s Christmas programming for over a decade.
The show has also had several miniseries, including a four-part series last year, which was its first since 2013.
In the show the character Brendan, who is affectionately known as ‘mammy’ in the series, is a foul-mouthed Irish mother.
During rehearsals for the special, the show became embroiled in a row over racism after actor and writer Brendan, 69, alluded to the N-Word in front of his shocked co-stars and production staff.
The Dublin-born comedian later apologized before claiming his racist joke “was a good thing” for the BBC because it “raised awareness about racism”.
He is also set to star in new BBC sitcom Shedites, tackling the topic of ‘men’s mental health’ and hitting screens in ‘the fall’.
The new BBC show will star iconic comedian Tommy Cannon, 86, who previously starred in The Cannon and Ball Show, as the title character.
The episodes are being filmed in Glasgow at the BBC’s Pacific Quay studios.