The Fact Wire

The people have spoken. Viewers have just voted Mrs Brown’s Boys the sitcom of the century so far and its creator could not be more pleased, despite getting a kicking from the critics. ‘I’ve done what I set out to do,’ says Brendan O’Carroll defiantly. ‘How can the bad reviews hurt me? I know what Mrs Brown’s Boys is – and it’s hilarious!’ The 61-year-old Irish comedian is unrecognisable when he’s not dressed up in a wig as his creation Mrs Brown. She’s a warm but salty Irish mammy in a floral skirt and cardigan, scattering confusion, innuendo and homespun wisdom all around. In total contrast, he’s a tanned, balding man in a hot pink polo shirt, smoking a cheroot and reflecting on his phenomenal success. His big, airy home in Florida, where he lives half the year, could not be further from the council house in a run-down part of Dublin where the show is set. For those who haven’t seen it yet, Mrs Brown’s Boys is like a pantomime version of a sit...

Brendan's not the only one who’s been approached for reality TV, with I’m A Celebrity bosses trying to ‘sign up Buster’ BRENDAN O’Carroll has revealed he turned down £150,000 to appear on Celebrity Big Brother. The next series of the show starts on January 2. The actor, who found fame as the lead character in Mrs Brown’s Boys, told The Daily Star: “I had a tentative chat about Celebrity Big Brother but I just decided it’s not for me. “I’d be homesick.” They also report how 62-year-old Brendan’s son Danny, who plays Buster in the BBC sitcom, was approached by I’m A Celebrity bosses. Brendan explained: “He was asked to do the Jungle but turned it down. He hates spiders.” His wife Jennifer Gibney, who plays Cathy in the show, took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2014. Brendan joked her experience on a competitive show put him off for life after saying Jennifer was “exhausted” by the end. If Brendan had signed up, he would be joining Rach...

The actor, who plays Agnes Brown, was chuffed with his replacement Damien McKiernan MRS Brown's Boys creator Brendan O'Carroll has admitted it was a huge task to replace actor Rory Cowan in the hilarious sitcom, insisting his follow-up had "big shoes to fill." The bawdy BBC comedy was the most-watched show on Christmas Day yet fans were left less than impressed as Damien McKiernan made his debut in the role as Irish mammy Agnes Brown's son, Rory Brown. In the eyes of those at home, the newbie fell short of the mark replacing Dubliner Rory, who quit the role in the summer after 26 years. Rory then told how he wouldn't be tuning in to the first of two festive episodes, instead choosing to watch period drama Victoria on ITV. Yet Brendan, who plays crude yet comical Agnes, was eager to focus on the positives. He exclusively told the Irish Sun: “I’m more pleased that it didn’t matter. I’m really delighted for Damien...

One in three Christmas couch potatoes tuned in to the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas special, ratings figures show, making the BBC One programme the top-rated broadcast on a single channel on Christmas Day. The public broadcaster dominated the Christmas ratings, with eight of the 10 most popular broadcasts, also including the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, Call the Midwife and EastEnders. The six most popular programmes of the day were all broadcast on BBC One – a second day of dominance for the channel, which also broadcast the top four programmes on Christmas Eve. About 6.8 million viewers – 32.6% of the television-watching public – tuned in to Mrs Brown’s Boys to be introduced to a new Rory following the departure of the actor Rory Cowan from the cast. The actor and creator Brendan O’Carroll had accounted for the character’s sudden change of appearance with a storyline involving cosmetic surgery. Only a few hundred thousand fe...

Mammy and her family are back on screens this Christmas for two more festive specials – but what about a full run of episodes? Mrs Brown’s Boys returns this Christmas for what is now an annual tradition of festive specials. Two episodes air this December – one on Christmas Day at 10pm on BBC1 and the second on New Year’s Day at the same time. Every year it is one of the most watched programmes on television with fans crying out for a full series. So, will there be any more of Brendan O’Carroll’s Irish mammy on screens in the near future? There’s good news and bad news. Mrs Brown’s Boys has been commissioned for Christmas specials stretching all the way until 2020. BUT there are no plans for a full series – although it’s unlikely that’s a decision made by the BBC. The last run of episodes, which aired back in 2013, pulled in an average of nine million viewers – staggering numbers which were matched by last year’s Christmas special. With three series i...

Mrs Brown hosted West End star, Michael Ball, on the last episode of the first season of ‘All Round To Mrs Brown’s’ and while having a chat in Mammy’s kitchen, he had some good words of advice. The advice was of a sexual nature and how better to hear that kind of advice than through song! This clip is brilliant and we hope it puts a smile on your face.

Mrs Brown’s Boys is one of the best comedy shows to hit our screens for many years and we love every minute of every episode. In this clip we see Mammy enjoying some winter air outside while she watches children playing in the snow and having a snowball fight but she ends up wishing that she’d stayed indoors. Watch the clip and try not to laugh…..we dare you!