Mrs Brown’s Boys suffers lowest ratings in almost a decade after securing BBC deal until 2026

Sitcom creator recently signed new deal with the BBC for six more years of Christmas specials

Mrs Brown’s Boys has suffered its lowest ratings in almost a decade this Christmas, after the series was signed on for six more years by BBC.

The sitcom, which stars Irish comedian Brendan O’Carroll in drag as the titular Irish matriarch, returned to screens on 25 December with its annual festive episode.

Mrs Brown’s Boys specials have been aired by the network every Christmas since it debuted in 2011.

However, this year’s instalment titled Mammy of the People – which aired on BBC One in the primetime 10pm slot – flopped in comparison to previous episodes, pulling in just 3.8 million viewers.

A festive scene from ratings winner Mrs Brown's Boys (BBC)

The disappointing figure accounts for less than half of what the series used to attract during its heyday seven years ago. In 2013, the Christmas Day episode was watched by 9.4 million people.

Conversely, this year saw 5.4 million viewers tune in to watch the network’s Call the Midwife Christmas special, an increase from the 5.2 million who watched last year’s episode. 

The ratings blow for Mrs Brown’s Boys marks the lowest figures for the sitcom since it first aired nearly a decade ago, and comes only a few weeks after the BBC signed a new contract with O’Carroll guaranteeing the show would air on the network until at least 2026.

The Independent’s Sean O’Grady called this year’s special “a reminder of just how gruesome Brendan O’Carroll’s long-running comedy is” in a one-star review of the episode.

Mrs Brown’s Boys returns for a second festive instalment on New Years Day on BBC One.

See our Christmas streaming guide here, and TV highlights over Christmas and New Year’s here.