Mrs. Brown's Boys
Encyclopedia
Mrs Brown's Boys is an Irish sitcom created by and starring Dublin writer-performer Brendan O'Carroll
, who plays (in drag
) the title character Mrs. Brown. The programme is a co-production between BBC Comedy and BocPix in association with RTÉ
.
Mrs Brown's Boys began broadcast in Ireland
on RTÉ One
starting 1 January 2011 and finished on 5 February, 2011. It began in the UK on BBC One
and BBC One HD on 21 February 2011 at 10.35pm.
The BBC
have commisioned a second series for 2012, a christmas special for 2011 and a third series which is yet to have a confirmed time slot.
The character has previously appeared in the film Agnes Browne
, played by Angelica Huston, and, along with the family, a bringing into the 21st century the characters in the book The Mammy and its sequels, also written by O'Carroll.
at the BBC Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow
and is recorded in front of a live audience meaning no laughter track is used in the show. The programme uses a laissez-faire style of production in which the audience, cameras and production crew are often seen; the main character often breaks the fourth wall
by talking straight to camera.
, with 856,000 viewers tuning in to watch.
However, critics disliked the show. "The whole thing is entirely predicated on viewers finding a man dressed as a foul-mouthed elderly woman intrinsically funny," noted Bernice Harrison in the Irish Times. "If you do, you’re away in a hack (and the viewing figures are astronomical), but if you don’t, and you think that died out with Les Dawson
and Dick Emery
, then it’s a long half-hour." The Irish Independent
said that Mrs Brown's Boys was the type of TV programme that "that makes you vaguely embarrassed to be Irish".
Its opening in the UK won 16.4% of the ratings in its Monday night slot and was received well by viewers, but British critics were equally damning.But despite the critic's reviews 2.9 million viewers had tuned in by the third episode.
In 2011 it was nominated for a BAFTA award at the British Academy Television Awards
.
and Blu-ray in the UK
and Ireland
on 3 October 2011.
Brendan O'Carroll
Brendan O'Carroll is an Irish comedian, writer, actor and director. Best known for portraying the foul-mouthed Irish matriarch Mrs. Brown, O'Carroll has been a popular comedian in Ireland since the early 1990s.-Early life:...
, who plays (in drag
Drag
- In science and technology :* Drag , the force which resists motion of an object through a fluid* Drag equation, a mathematical equation used in analyzing the magnitude of drag caused by fluid flow...
) the title character Mrs. Brown. The programme is a co-production between BBC Comedy and BocPix in association with RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
.
Mrs Brown's Boys began broadcast in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
starting 1 January 2011 and finished on 5 February, 2011. It began in the UK on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and BBC One HD on 21 February 2011 at 10.35pm.
The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
have commisioned a second series for 2012, a christmas special for 2011 and a third series which is yet to have a confirmed time slot.
Cast
A large majority of the main cast is played by O'Carroll's family. For example, Cathy Brown is played by his wife, Winnie McGoogan by his sister, Maria Nicholson by his daughter, Buster Brady by his son and Betty Brown by his daughter-in-law.Characters
- Brendan O'CarrollBrendan O'CarrollBrendan O'Carroll is an Irish comedian, writer, actor and director. Best known for portraying the foul-mouthed Irish matriarch Mrs. Brown, O'Carroll has been a popular comedian in Ireland since the early 1990s.-Early life:...
as Mrs. Agnes Brown - A loud foul-mouthed Irish matriarch who is always looking out for her family after the death of her husband. Agnes seems to be a very nosy woman who is very interested in other peoples lives. She takes great pleasure in making a fool of her neighbour and best friend Winnie and her father-in-law. - Jennifer Gibney as Cathy Brown - Cathy is Agnes' daughter. She is a lonely woman who is on the look-out for a man but is always put off by her mother by what she has to say to her.
- Paddy Houlihan as Dermot Brown - Dermot is Agnes' son and is commonly seen in giant costumes, like his penguin costume or cigarette butt costume promoting things like penguin biscuits and to stop smoking. Dermot is always in trouble with the law with his friend Buster Brady
- Fiona O'Carroll as Maria Nicholson - Maria is Agnes' daughter-in-law and is married to Dermot. She is a nurse who is from a wealthy family and always seems to be quiet.
- Eilish O'Carroll as Winnie McGoogan - Winnie is Agnes' next door neighbour and best friend. She is always seen either in Foley's Bar or at the kitchen table with Agnes. She is a quiet, harmless soul and is always made a fool of by Agnes. She is married to Jacko McGoogan who is an unseen character who is illness or accident prone
- Danny O'Carroll as Buster Brady - Buster is Dermot's best friend and is not well liked by Agnes, who he is feared by. He was the best man at Dermot and Maria's wedding.
- Pat Shields as Mark Brown - Mark is another of Agnes' sons. Mark is known to have a nice house with his wife Betty and his son. We find out that Mark never learned to read and write at the school, for which Agnes took the blame, but when Cathy pointed out that it was the teacher's fault she exclaimed "The Bastards!".
- Amanda Woods as Betty Brown - Betty is Agnes' daughter-in-law and is married to Mark. She and Mark have a son.
- Rory Cowan as Rory Brown - Rory is Agnes' homosexual son but fears announcing his sexuality to his mother because she will be ashamed. When she finally finds out she confronts Rory and says "I know about your illness."
- Gary Hollywood as Dino Doyle Dino is Rory's friend and is also gay. He is a chef and cooked for when Maria's mother and Agnes had dinner together.
- Dermot O'Neill as Grandad - Grandad is Agnes' father-in-law and is always made a fool of. He seems to be quite a senile man and is always complaining, which makes Agnes mad.
The character has previously appeared in the film Agnes Browne
Agnes Browne
Agnes Browne is a 1999 American/Irish romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by, and starring Anjelica Huston, based on the book The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll.-Plot:...
, played by Angelica Huston, and, along with the family, a bringing into the 21st century the characters in the book The Mammy and its sequels, also written by O'Carroll.
Filming
The show is filmed in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
at the BBC Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and is recorded in front of a live audience meaning no laughter track is used in the show. The programme uses a laissez-faire style of production in which the audience, cameras and production crew are often seen; the main character often breaks the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
by talking straight to camera.
Reception
Mrs Brown's Boys was a ratings success upon its initial broadcast in Ireland. Every episode aired won its timeslot for RTÉ, with an average viewership of 753,500 in January 2011. One episode's rating beat that of RTÉ's own ratings giant The Late Late ShowThe Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
, with 856,000 viewers tuning in to watch.
However, critics disliked the show. "The whole thing is entirely predicated on viewers finding a man dressed as a foul-mouthed elderly woman intrinsically funny," noted Bernice Harrison in the Irish Times. "If you do, you’re away in a hack (and the viewing figures are astronomical), but if you don’t, and you think that died out with Les Dawson
Les Dawson
Leslie "Les" Dawson was a popular English comedian remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.-Life and career:...
and Dick Emery
Dick Emery
Richard Gilbert "Dick" Emery was an English comedian and actor. Beginning on radio in the 1950s, an eponymous television series ran from 1963 to 1981. He was the brother of Ann Emery.-Life and career:...
, then it’s a long half-hour." The Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
said that Mrs Brown's Boys was the type of TV programme that "that makes you vaguely embarrassed to be Irish".
Its opening in the UK won 16.4% of the ratings in its Monday night slot and was received well by viewers, but British critics were equally damning.But despite the critic's reviews 2.9 million viewers had tuned in by the third episode.
In 2011 it was nominated for a BAFTA award at the British Academy Television Awards
British Academy Television Awards 2011
The 2011 British Academy Television Awards were held on 22 May 2011. The nominations were announced on 26 April.Graham Norton hosted the ceremony.-Nominations:*Actor**Jim Broadbent — Any Human Heart...
.
Future
A BBC One continuity announcer stated during the end credits of the final episode that the show would be returning later in the year. This was later confirmed by the show's producer, Stephen McCrum and through the show's Facebook page. Series 2 is officially confirmed to be filming, and the whole series has had all of the seats booked.DVD release
Series One of Mrs Brown's Boys was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
on 3 October 2011.