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Mrs. Brown’s boys star Brendan O’Carroll has confirmed another season of the long-running BBC series despite recent calls for the show to be scrapped after discussing racism.
In October, it was announced that it was being filmed for the show’s 2024 holiday special was stopped after O’Carroll made an “awkward” joke that “implied a racial slur” during rehearsals. The actor apologized after the joke “backfired and caused offence”.
The show has had a controversial place on festive TV for many years, with the Christmas 2024 special seeing a sharp drop in ratings, with just 2.2 million viewers. When the show first aired in 2013, it attracted 11.52 million viewers nationwide. However, that was his peak and the ratings began to slowly decline. It last appeared in the top 10 shows on Christmas Day 2020, when it attracted 3.8 million viewers.
By comparison, other Christmas specials received impressive ratings, with Gavin and Stacey Finale attracted 12.3 million viewersdoc Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl attracted 9.5 million.
O’Carroll, who plays Mrs. Brown’s boys‘ lead, infamous matriarch Agnes Brown, has confirmed that the sitcom will soon be filming a new series despite negative feedback.
The actor said Daily Star: “We will shoot another series in April and May [2025]. It’s nice to be asked to do another one.”
The news comes after the show’s Christmas special was panned. U The Independent‘s program rating with one starSean O’Grady concluded that it was a “crime against comedy”.
“So here we are again with the same old formula, the same old characters and the familiar complete and utter absence of wit,” O’Grady writes. “Routine, comedic elements are set in motion, albeit clumsily, and then just left to spin around on the set for a bit, unresolved and meaningless.”
O’Carroll admitted he made a “clumsy joke” that “backfired and caused offence” while filming the Christmas special.
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The 69-year-old Irish writer and actor told the PA: “At a book reading 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 offense which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”
The BBC investigated the incident and temporarily suspended rehearsals at the time.
Performing arts and entertainment union Equity said in a statement: “No working person should be exposed to racism when doing their job. Employers must understand the responsibilities they have and create safe, anti-racist workplaces.”
A BBC spokesman said: “While we do not comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism and we have robust processes in place if issues ever arise.”
It comes after newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald condemned the incident. The 85-year-old said Daily Mail: “I find it gross and insulting and insulting in every way. One could not say that without wanting to be really hurt and offended. It’s not even funny.”
Asked what action the BBC should take, MacDonald said: “I would probably have a very hard time with the person who said that. And he said that society and the community in which we live consider such things unnecessarily rude and offensive.”