The BBC are facing calls for longtime comedy staple Mrs Brown's Boys to be axed following the show's "painful" special on New Year's Day. The 30-minute episode triggered fans to threaten to never watch the sitcom again as it has "lost its way."
The show stars show creator Brendan O'Carroll as Agnes Brown, a mother of six children in Dublin. The special episode, titled Mammy's Hair Loom, was one of four scheduled to be shown in 2023, with the character navigating life in Finglas for the second time in as many days.
In the special the titular character was waiting for the valuation of an antique vase which had been in the family for years, while other characters Buster and Dermot were convinced that Cathy's boyfriend Boris was a vampire.
“Suspicion surrounds Cathy’s creepy boyfriend, Boris. Buster and Dermot are convinced he is a vampire and hatch a plan to save Cathy, which leaves her mortified,” the synopsis of the 30-minute programme read.
While the show has had commercial success across continents, fans appear to have ran out of patience with the format. And one angry viewer said its "painful stereotyping" was a "disservice to the Irish people."
Aprilfly tweeted that only acclaimed The Banshees of Inisherin film director Martin McDonagh's "representation of the Irish character does more of a disservice to the Irish people".
Another viewer, Martyn Notman, tweeted: "Just how many times is BBC going to keep flogging this dead donkey? #MrsBrownsBoys.”
Anita Sillick said: “Don’t understand why people like #mrsbrownsboys it’s not funny. There is nothing funny about a bloke in a dress unless it’s Rupals Drag Race Please someone explain why our licence fee is spent on rubbish like Mrs BB [sic]”.
And Chris D blasted: “Not even 24 hours in to 2023 & already Mrs Brown’s Boys is on TV!!! That’s this year ruined! Thanks a lot BBC [sic],’ this user despaired at the show being one of the first things they watched in 2023.”
@adesdaily tweeted: "I cannot understand why Mrs Brown's Boys is continually pumped out to the masses. It is not remotely funny. It never has been. Does anyone think it is? I know that everyone is different, but there cannot be that many people out there, with the SOH [sense of humour] of a primary school child."
Even long term fans of the show were dissapointed. @0emma_louise0 tweeted: "Such a shame to see so much hate against Mrs Brown's Boys , it's sad but I remember loving this programme when it first came out at Xmas, now it's unfunny and smutty."
The New Years episode was not alone in receiving criticism, as its Christmas counterpart, titled Shining Mammy, received only 2.4 million viewers on BBC One, with many dubbing it "unwatchable".
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
Find recommendations for eating out, attractions and events near you here on our sister website 2Chill
Find recommendations for dog owners and more doggy stories on our sister site Teamdogs
