Mrs Brown’s Boys is set to return for its fifth series on Friday, once again sparking division among viewers.
The BBC sitcom made its debut 14 years ago, but often faces criticism for its crude and “silly” comedy. Now, writer and star Brendan O’Carroll has issued a two-word message to naysayers.
Despite the frequent negative reviews, the divisive show has won Best Comedy at the National Television Awards six times.
Speaking ahead of the new series, the Irish comic, 69, remarked:” The ones that love me, I love them.”
In a blunt message, he added: “and the ones that don’t, f*** them.”
The two-word dig was made during the actor’s appearance on YouTube show, Conversations with Gerry Kelly.
He went on to urge those who aren’t fans of the series to “pick up the remote and change the station”.
The first series, which aired back in 2011, attracted millions of viewers, with ratings peaking at 11.52 million during the show’s Christmas Special in 2013.
Mrs Brown’s Boys returns on Friday evening on BBC One
However, the programme last appeared in the top 10 Christmas Day ratings in 2020, with 3.8 million viewers tuning in.
Viewership has continued to decline, with the show making headlines last year when filming was briefly suspended after a “racial term was implied” during the Christmas Special 2024 rehearsals.
Opening up on the subject, O’Carroll stated: “Comedy should offend somebody somewhere, otherwise, I’m not doing the job.”
He continued: “In the situation of Mrs. Brown, she doesn’t get a lot of stuff. The idea of that thing was to poke fun at intergenerational racism, how she didn’t get racism.
“And she doesn’t, Mrs. Brown doesn’t get racism. She doesn’t get gay, even though her son is gay, and she now acknowledges that he’s gay and accepts it, but she doesn’t really know what gay is. There’s no idea.”
Last October, O’Carroll issued an apology for making a racist remark during a read-through for the Christmas Special.
The controversy occurred during a rehearsal of the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas special, where O’Carroll made what he later described as a “clumsy attempt at a joke” in character as Agnes Brown
The offensive term used reportedly left cast and crew members shocked, prompting them to flag the issue with the BBC.
O’Carroll apologised for making a “clumsy” racist joke last year
In response, the broadcaster ordered an urgent investigation, which led to the temporary suspension of rehearsals.
A source told The Mirror at the time: “The whole production of the Christmas special was paused while the investigation was carried out.
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Mrs Brown’s Boys frequently sparks criticism from viewers
“The entire cast and crew were stood down in the wake of the comment as the BBC tried to get to the bottom of it.”
Following the investigation, O’Carroll issued an apology for his remarks, telling the publication: “At a read-through of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied.
“It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”