The Mrs Brown's Boys festive special episode has left a number of BBC viewers fuming as they claimed the show ‘ruined’ their Christmas Day television watching.
The 2022 Christmas episode – titled 'Shining Mammy' – aired on Sunday night on BBC One, continuing a long tradition of the sitcom returning for festive specials, after the show last aired in 2013.
Yet as the highly divisive Dublin matriarch Agnes Brown returned once again, played by Brendan O’Carroll, some tuning in claimed the episode to be ‘unwatchable’.
In the Christmas special, Mrs Brown’s unlucky-in-love daughter Cathy (Jennifer Gibney) began dating a strange Englishman, who Agnes’s friend believed might be a vampire.
But the episode was slated, with many taking to Twitter to voice their anger and upset at the show, which only 2.4 million tuned in to watch.
“Mrs Brown’s Boys should be removed from existence,” wrote one person as another concluded the show was "unwatchable."
One user wrote: “Mrs Brown's Boys has gone beyond being stupid, it's now unwatchable not funny in the slightest, turned off after 13 minutes.”
Another penned: “Mrs Brown's Boys has arrived to ruin Christmas again.”
A fellow viewer added: “Christmas has just been ruined as I caught a bit of Mrs Brown's Boys because the batteries in my TV remote died.”
“Mrs Brown's Boys or whatever it's called is an instant skip on Christmas,” one wrote.
Mrs Brown's Boys will be returning for four episodes in 2023 after the Christmas Day special episode.
Creator Brendan O'Carroll, 67, explained how filming was delayed due to a Covid backlog – meaning that fans wouldn't be able to get their fix of the feel-good show.
According to Brendan, the BBC was "adamant" that they would get four episodes and started to book out studios for 2023 so they could kick start filming again.
After the pandemic, there was a rush to book venues for shows to film - which meant some programmes had to put things on hold.
Speaking about how the show has become a tradition for many families at Christmas time, he said he gets "goosebumps" just thinking about it.
Speaking to The Sun 's TV magazine, he said that the mini-series to celebrate 100 years of the BBC.
The Irish actor said: "I absolutely love it - I get goosebumps that Mrs Brown has become part of Christmas."
The Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas special is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, with another special – titled 'In Mammy’s Hair Loom' – set to air on New Year’s Day on BBC One.
