Mrs Brown's Boys viewers left in utter disbelief as controversial show returns to BBC
BBC sitcom Mrs Brown's Boys returned to screens tonight for the start of its fifth full-length series, despite enduring a turbulent few years marked by falling ratings and a high-profile racism controversy involving its creator and star, Brendan O'Carroll.
First aired in 2011, the comedy became a holiday fixture and enjoyed huge popularity in its early years. Its 2013 Christmas Day special drew 11.52 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched festive programmes of the decade.
However, viewership has steadily declined. The show last appeared in the top ten on Christmas Day in 2020, attracting 3.8 million viewers. It comes after Brendan, 69, finally announced the future of Mrs Brown to fans.
The series has long divided audiences and critics, and was recently labelled the 'worst ever BBC show' by some viewers on social media.
Comments on X during tonight's broadcast included: 'Worst programme in human history should've never been commissioned' and 'Just speechless… I honestly don't know one person who thinks this show is remotely funny.'
Another insisted: "This show needs to be axed asap. It's not one bit funny." Someone else fumed: "I actually hate this show with a passion and I'm Irish and from Dublin and I GET that kind of sense of humour."
In 2023, Mrs Brown's Boys faced further scrutiny after O'Carroll made a racial slur during rehearsals for the Christmas special. Crew members were reportedly 'shocked' by the remark and lodged complaints with BBC bosses.
The broadcaster suspended production and launched an investigation. O'Carroll later apologised, expressing 'deep regret' over what he called a 'clumsy attempt at a joke.'
Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time on Irish YouTube programme Conversations With Gerry Kelly, O'Carroll claimed his words had been 'completely taken out of context.'
He also argued that the episode ultimately had a positive impact.
'The one thing that that incident did is give great awareness about racism, and great awareness about the BBC, they don't take any messing… However, I think in the long run it was a good thing, because it got people talking about it.'
O'Carroll, who has won the National Television Award for Best Comedy six times for Mrs Brown's Boys, has made it clear he is unfazed by negative feedback.
'The ones that love me, I love them, and the ones that don't, f*** them,' he told Kelly, adding that those who dislike the show should simply 'pick up the remote and change the station.'
Despite its dwindling audience, the series maintains a loyal fan base and continues to be a fixture in the BBC's comedy line-up.
The new series, which began tonight, marks a fresh chapter for the show as it seeks to recapture some of its former success in the face of ongoing criticism.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
3 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Annika cast: who is in the cast of season 2? Full list
Annika is back and season two is finally arriving on the BBC 📺 Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Annika's second season is finally arriving on BBC. It comes two years after the first season was on terrestrial TV. But who is in the cast for the upcoming episodes? Annika is coming home to the BBC and the second season is finally set to be broadcast on terrestrial TV. Nicola Walker returns as the titular character for the latest episodes. The crime drama is based on the original radio series, Annika Stranded, which could be heard on BBC Radio 4. It swaps the action to Glasgow for the TV version. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But who else is in the cast for Annika season two? Here's all you need to know: When is Annika on TV and start time? Nicola Walker stars in Annika, the crime drama set around The Clyde and Scotland's islands. Pic: BBC/UKTV/Graeme Hunter Just like the first season, the show originally aired on Alibi before coming to the BBC a couple of years later. The second series was broadcast on the channel in August 2023, but terrestrial TV viewers can finally see the newest episodes. Annika season two will start on BBC One today (August 2). It is set to start at 9.10pm and the episode will last for approximately 50 minutes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What to expect from Annika this weekend? The preview for the first episode of season two, via Radio Times, reads: 'When a phone containing a brutal drowning recorded is handed in to MHU headquarters, the pressure is on for Annika and the team to track down the murderer.' It is the first of six episodes, which is the same length as season one. Annika was filmed in and around Glasgow. Who is in the cast of Annika? Nicola Walker as DI Annika Strandhed Jamie Sives as DS Michael McAndrews Katie Leung as DC Blair Ferguson Ukweli Roach as DS Tyrone Clarke Varada Sethu as DS Harper Weston (series 2) Kate Dickie as DCI Diane Oban Silvie Furneaux as Morgan Paul McGann as Jake Strathearn The show also features plenty of guest stars because of its case-of-the-week style format. So keep your eyes peeled for any surprise appearances. Nicola Walker, who you may recognise from the first four seasons of Unforgotten, voiced the character in the original radio version. She has returned to play the character in the TV version as well. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In the BBC Radio 4 version, the action was set in Oslo, but it has been moved to Glasgow. Who is new for series 2? Doctor Who star Varada Sethu is the new face in the main cast of Annika for season two. She plays DS Harper Weston and joins after DS Tyrone Clarke leaves the team. Varada Sethu was most recently on screen as Belinda Chandra in Doctor Who - the companion to Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor. She had previously appeared in the episode Boom in 2024. She also played Detective Sergeant Mishal Ali in Hard Sun. Varada also had a role as Cinta Kaz in Disney+'s Andor.
Daily Mirror
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Adrenaline junkie's desperate bid to ride EVERY rollercoaster in UK in just 16 days
Dean Stokes, from Brighton, is set to hop on 120 rides at more than 30 UK theme parks. The YouTuber has already began to collect a loyal following, with people 'excited' about his challenge An adrenaline junkie has set himself a mission to ride every rollercoaster in the UK within just 16 days. Dean Stokes, from Brighton, in East Sussex, will embark on the challenge which involves getting on 120 rides across 32 theme parks in just over two weeks. He believes he is the "only person mad enough" to try and complete the task and said he will start his journey in Brighton and finish it at Thorpe Park. The 36-year-old, who used to be the UK head of Google for Education, says he wanted to try something completely different. After working at the company for five years, he left the corporate world behind and decided to start his own business delivering technology training. Now, he has launched his own YouTube channel which has already seen his latest plans viewed hundreds of thousands of times. It comes after news that an abandoned UK Butlin's site is now seaside town's 'hell hole' hotel. Mr Stokes told his former Google colleague Simon Fasolo, 44, about his plan to travel the UK in pursuit of the aim. And Mr Fasolo, from Perth, Australia, decided it would be a great way to explore the country - despite hating rollercoasters himself and refusing to join his friend on the rides. The two will begin at Brighton Palace Pier, home to the Crazy Mouse and Turbo rollercoasters, and, according to the route map on the Riding Every Roller Coaster in the UK website, hope to have conquered four parks and eight rides in total by the end of the first day. Mr Stokes said: "I've ridden over 100 rollercoasters in around 25 different theme parks across 10 different countries. But I still haven't actually ridden loads of rollercoasters in the UK, so I just thought, why not? One of the reasons I left the corporate world was to have a bit more variety in the work that I do and so starting the YouTube channel on the tech side was part of that. "And I just thought, if I was going to make a channel that was completely different to that, what would it be? And it would probably be rollercoasters and theme parks because I'm a big fan. I've included every rollercoaster that's classed as a thrill or extreme rollercoaster, to avoid family and children's rides. But we plan to do all of them consecutively. As far as I know, I think I'll be the first person to do it - the only person mad enough to do it." Mr Stokes said he is open to ideas or suggestions from his followers on social media of tasks within the challenge. The duo have booked around half of the hotels, and plan to travel in a hire car, but delays and unforeseen issues could lead to a stressful journey. He said: "I think it's going to be quite a lot of stress at points, but I'm looking forward to it overall. On social media, I realised it was really resonating with people. I think people want to go out and have fun and I think that often we are too scared to get out and just do the things that we love, especially as adults. "There's this whole community out there that loves theme parks, whether they're proper enthusiasts or just people that like going in the summer with their family, and they are now really excited to follow my progress." He added: "Someone commented and said it is the UK theme park enthusiast's dream. It might be difficult, so I'll have to decide whether it feels like a dream at the end of it or not. There are theme parks the two plan to visit across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and they are planning on driving to Dublin for an extra set of rides in the Republic of Ireland. Mr Stokes is excited to support many of the amusement parks which are run as independent businesses, as well as visiting historic seaside resorts, such as Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, which is over a hundred years old. He has asked for permission to film for his YouTube, TikTok and Facebook, and a number of the theme parks have even offered him free tickets. Mr Stokes said: "A lot of the parks have come back to me and are really on board with the whole idea. I need the good summer weather to continue, as I've only packed shorts and T-shirts, and one jacket. But if it all goes to plan, it should be a great trip."
Belfast Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
‘I couldn't risk coming clean and telling her': IRA bomber shares how he told partner the truth of his guilty in new book
Psychologists say the BBC reality show Traitors is compelling to audiences worldwide because it taps into universal themes of trust, deception and the human psyche. But during the Troubles, these themes were a reality for many couples, family members and friends turned against each other in a backdrop that had none of the opulence of a luxurious Scottish castle, nor the promise of a sizeable cash prize if the deception paid off.
