Mrs Brown’s Boys return to the screen for two more Christmas specials has sparked horror from many BBC watchers.
The divisive sitcom, which has been both loved and maligned since its inception in 2011, and is set to air two more episodes over the festive period, despite being plagued with claims of backstage tension and the departure of two cast members.
Numerous viewers took to social media to share their response to the BBC’s announcement of their Christmas lineup, with the network hopeful it will entice watchers away from streaming services such as Netflix.
Mrs Brown’s Boys is at the helm of BBC’s Christmas lineup, with another pair of specials featuring the Irish mammy’s hijinks, but news of its return has split viewers.
One wrote: ‘FFS @BBC come on – you cannot be serious! You surely aren’t pinning your hopes for Xmas viewing on #mrsbrownsboys. The #bbc has really lost the plot! Pathetic.’
Another wrote: ‘DOOMED. We are all doomed. If the BBC is relying on Mrs Brown’s Boys they are toast.’
A third also penned: ‘Christ no! Two Mrs Browns Boys specials again! Last years script rehashed no doubt. Absolute rubbish.’
One tweeted: ‘@BBCOne must be desperately short of quality programs over the festive period, not one but TWO specials of @MrsBrownsBoys, what sort of fresh hell is this?’
‘By putting Mrs Browns Boys on you’ve already turned away many of the viewers they’re trying to tempt back.’
‘Think I would rather watch this at Christmas than Mrs Browns Boys,’ a fan tweeted while another said: ‘Mrs Browns Boys is one of the unfunniest TV programmes ever made. Absolutely dire nonsense which the BBC seems to think is funny.’
However, some viewers did rush to defend the programme, with one writing that they loved Mrs Brown’s Boys, but hoped these ones were better than the Halloween special.
Another added: ‘Genuinely love Mrs Browns Boys.’
In the past, Mrs Brown’s Boys has been plagued with debate, slammed for its backstage politics as two of its actors reportedly left the show amid a pay gap row.
The actors in question, Damien McKiernan and Gary Hollywood, who play couple Dino and Rory, were said to have discovered they get less money than the rest of the cast, which is mainly made up of the actor Brendan O’Carroll’s family.
And an insider exclusively told a newspaper outlet last year that the way the show is run behind the scenes makes for an unhappy work environment.
Mrs Brown’s Boys is hilariously entertaining, but I think it’s been going for far too long now that it’s not really funny anymore.
It’s definitely a bit past its sell-by date now. It was pretty funny for a short while, but now it’s a little boring.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 