A few years ago, I tried watching Mrs Brown’s Boys, eager to figure out exactly what the appeal was for the millions of people who watch the show every Christmas and New Year.
I lasted 10 minutes. There were pratfalls. A criminally overused laugh track. Endless streams of expletives masquerading as jokes.
It was… rough.
To me, its broad comedy lands far more irritating than endearing, and I was left straight-faced watching the titular character doing three spittakes in a row during a visit to the pub. I’m not alone – it’s long been a critical disaster and has been panned as the ‘worst comedy ever made’.
How its live studio audience, and its viewers at home, stay entertained is beyond me.
But this year, my confusion stepped up a few notches.
I might not have enjoyed seeing Mrs Brown’s Boys on TV every Christmas, but its inclusion in this year’s primetime schedule is insulting – as the actions of its central star earlier this year should have been the death knell for ‘Mammy’ and her sons.
The show, created by and starring comic Brendan O’Carroll, centres around a sweary Dublin matriarch (O’Carroll in drag) whose family and neighbours are constantly popping into her kitchen or living room for slapstick ‘hilarity’.
But in October, news emerged that O’Carroll, 69, made a quip alluding to a ‘racial term’, while improvising as Mrs Brown during rehearsals – with Daily Mail reporting he had said: ‘I don’t call a spade a spade, I call a spade a-’, before starting to say the N-word and being cut off by another character.
The incident led to a Black member of staff reportedly quitting the show, while the BBC ordered an investigation.
In a statement, the comic referred to himself making a ‘clumsy attempt at a joke’ in character as Mrs Brown, which he ‘deeply regrets’.
O’Carroll added: ‘It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.’
Hearing this story, I thought this was the nail in the show’s coffin – how could a comment be made so openly in 2024? Surely, by now, jokes like these were red lines in the entertainment industry?
As this story gained traction, there were calls to axe the show across social media, but it wasn’t long before things were back up and running, and rehearsals resumed.
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘Whilst we don’t comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism, and we have robust processes in place should issues ever arise.’
Not only does Mrs Brown’s Boys’ continued inclusion show a lack of innovation to the Christmas schedules, but it’s a disappointing example of the BBC not taking racism seriously.
Of course, Mrs Brown’s Boys was never going to be a part of my Christmas Day plans – but seeing it on the TV schedule this year seems unjustifiable.
This would have been the perfect opportunity for the BBC to shake off the negative connotations of the cringeworthy show, which has now caused enough offence to prompt an investigation and the exit of a staff member.
The employee who left after O’Carroll’s remark was said to be a junior member of the team.
Due to one man’s behaviour, someone’s career journey has been impacted right from the beginning, while the show star and creator comes out of the situation largely unscathed.
It’s an example of a corporation protecting big names at the expense of others – and not punishing bad behaviour.
This was not the first time O’Carroll has surprised people with his takes on race. In 2022, he made a cameo appearance in Tyler Perry’s A Madea Homecoming, with Perry playing busy-bodying matriarch Madea.
In that film, O’Carroll also tried his hand at the kind of ‘humour’ that landed him in trouble, during a sequence in which the Black characters think that Mrs Brown is saying the N-word rather than ‘knickers’.
When asked in an interview whether Perry would make an appearance on Mrs Brown’s Boys, however, O’Carroll responded: ‘He’s very expensive and so far we haven’t had anybody his colour in there,’ motioning at Perry’s face on the word ‘colour’.
I remember being shocked seeing just how casually O’Carroll threw out the remark – as if it was completely acceptable, and unworthy of attracting any pushback.
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By O’Carroll’s own admission, there’d been no Black person ever on Mrs Brown’s Boys as recently as two years ago – with this lack of diversity in the cast, it makes his more recent attempt at a joke even more disturbing.
Decisions like these reflect poorly on the BBC – as the national broadcaster, they should be inspiring a feeling of trust. By aligning themselves with work that causes harm and offence, it throws questions on who the corporation is really for – how can they be representative of modern Britain while allowing this kind of incident to go unpunished?
Regardless of its questionable content and the scandal, Mrs Brown’s Boys will be on the TV screens of some this Christmas.
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But no matter how unfunny we may find O’Carroll and co, the worst joke of all is that the BBC still allows this show to air.
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