Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas special: Everything you need to know about the new episodes of the hit BBC comedy

Brendan O’Carroll’s divisive sitcom is out to give the pandemic a piece of its mind

Feck the halls with boughs of holly… Mrs Brown’s Boys is back yet again!

The irreverent sitcom returns for another pair of seasonal specials, with Irish comedian Brendan O’Carroll reprising his popular Agnes Brown persona.

Mrs Brown’s Boys specials have been aired by the BBC every Christmas since the series’ debut in 2011; this year’s, entitled “Orange is the New Mammy”, see the crude-mouthed matriarch contend with the perils of life during the coronavirus pandemic.

Not returning to the fold, however, is actor Gary Hollywood, who had played the role of hairdresser Dino Doyle on the series since it began.

Read more: Why the feck is Mrs Brown’s Boys so popular?

Mrs Brown’s Boys started out as a radio play in the early Nineties, before later being adapted into a series of books, a theatrical production, and, eventually, a BBC sitcom.

Like previous instalments of the series, this year’s Mrs Brown special was filmed in Scotland, abiding by social distancing restrictions.

Liable to irritate: Agnes Brown (Brendan O’Carroll) is fitted with a protective cone in the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas special (BBC Studios / Alan Peebles)

The plot of the new episodes revolve around the ongoing pandemic. The first, “Mammy of the People”, follows Agnes as she adjusts to “the new normal” as Christmas approaches. 

Episode two, “Mammy’s Memories”, sees Winnie’s house fall prey to a burglary, prompting a visit from the Gardaí. 

Though Mrs Brown’s Boys has earned consistently high viewership ratings throughout its time on the air, it has faced condemnation from some viewers and critics for its broad comic sensibilities. 

Crimes against comedy? Brendan O’Carroll’s series has divided viewers throughout its run (BBC Studios / Alan Peebles)

Both the 2018 and 2019 Christmas special were given one-star reviews in The Independent, with Sean O’Grady writing that the show was “so awful that it is physically painful to sit through”.

Ed Cumming, meanwhile, wrote of last year’s specials: “This is Brexit TV, a programme that puts two fingers up to the snooty metropolitan elite and appeals to viewers with fond memories of the early 1970s, who feel left behind by fancy high-falutin comedy out of that London.”

Mrs Brown’s Boys returns at 10pm on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, on BBC One.