Mrs Brown’s Boys is returning to the BBC this August for its fifth series, and the news has left some licence fee payers furious.
The Irish sitcom led by Brendan O’Carroll, 69, is a live audience show that follows foul-mouthed matriarch Agnes Brown and her close-knit, and often chaotic , family.
The slapstick sitcom has been running intermittently since its launch in 2011. However, news of the series’ recommission has led fans to flock to social media, branding it “utter garbage” and “abysmal”.
“Literally no one asked for this, the BBC becoming even more irrelevant and out of touch,” one user wrote on X, before another added: “Actually, I’m starting to think this is an elaborate prank on behalf of the BBC.”
The BBC teased an announcement on its website stating: “Agnes Brown and the gang from Finglas are back!
“Everyone’s favourite Irish Mammy returns for a brand new fifth series featuring all your favourite characters, so get ready for more slapstick shenanigans this spring!”
As well as five series, Mrs Brown’s Boys has bagged a primetime Christmas Day slot since 2011, until it was pushed back to 11:05pm last year to make way for Gavin & Stacey.
The Ruth Jones and James Corden comedy pulled in a record 19.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched scripted TV show of the century.
BBC
|
Brendan O’Carroll as Agnes Brown in Mrs Brown’s Boys
Meanwhile, the slapstick staple only managed to scrape 2.2 million views in its 2024 episode, a sharp contrast from their 2013 installment, which bagged an impressive 13.1 million.
The complaints kept on coming regarding the Beeb’s decision to green-light another series. On X, one user wrote: “Why oh why is this still commissioned ?? #MrsBrownsBoys not been funny in years!!!!!
“Dropping ratings and such bad reviews and bad comments from audience, and keeps coming back like a rotten smell!
“Give the investment to more new comedy, not keep old ones past best limping on @BBC.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
X
|
Posts on ‘X’ showing frustration from fans at the show’s recommission
Another user piled onto the discourse, saying: “I will remember to switch telly off when that rubbish comes on. Can’t believe the BBC continues to commission this slop!”
Mrs Brown’s Boys was shrouded in controversy in 2024 when O’Carroll apologised for making a “clumsy” joke, where a “racial slur was implied” during rehearsals for the 2024 Christmas special.
The Mirror reported that audience members were said to have been “left shocked by the slur”, adding they “flagged it with the BBC afterwards”.
O’Carroll told the publication: “It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”
The BBC temporarily suspended production of the series and launched an investigation, before allowing it to continue.
News of Mrs Brown’s Boys’ recommission comes amid a tumultuous time for the BBC over its handling of renewing and cancelling series.