The cast of Mrs Brown’s Boys has a whale of a time on stage, but it’s a different story behind the scenes.
The much-loved BBC comedy has been rocked by scandal over the years, and just a few months ago, a probe was launched following a racism row. Sitcom star and creator Brendan O’Carroll was forced to apologise after a racist slur ‘backfired’.
Despite the drama, the show has entertained viewers for 13 years, with fans always looking forward to its Christmas specials. The Irish actor, who plays foul-mouthed matriarch Agnes Brown, roped in his own family and close friends to star in the show; however, hiring loved ones seems to have led to some difficult controversies.
The original line-up has been rejigged on several occasions, and one of the show’s leading characters walked out after growing tired of it, and even cut ties with his co-stars. Looking back over five seasons of Mrs Brown’s Boys, which first aired in 2011, we take a look at the antics that have stormed the show…
Racism row
In October of this year, O’Carroll apologised for making a racist remark, which sparked a BBC probe. The Irish comedian, 69, used the offensive term during a read-through of the Christmas special with cast and crew. The BBC ordered an urgent investigation meaning that rehearsals for the episode were temporarily suspended.
Those present were said to have been left shocked by the slur and flagged it with the BBC afterwards who acted immediately. On Monday, October 14, Brendan told the Mirror: “At a read-through of the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied.
“It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.” The BBC commented: “Whilst we don’t comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism and we have robust processes in place should issues ever arise.”
O’Carroll is intrinsically linked to the show as its main star and creator. A source said: “The whole production of the Christmas special was paused while the investigation was carried out. The entire cast and crew were stood down in the wake of the comment as the BBC tried to get to the bottom of it.”
Live action mess-ups
While Mrs Brown’s Boys is filmed before a live studio audience, it has only once been aired live so far. Despite the show having the chance to do re-takes and edits under normal circumstances, occasionally slip-ups have been left in the final version of the episodes that air.
On a number of occasions, camera operators have glided into view or have been caught running across sets while the actors are performing. Show creator and Mrs Brown herself, Brendan O’Carroll, has managed to work the slip-ups into dialogue, at one point quipping: “The mans here to see about filming the wedding” to the delight of the live audience. However, some fans have accused the incidents of being faked or staged for drama.
Swearing scandal
Mrs Brown might be a loveable grandmother, but she certainly has a filthy mouth. Show creator Brendan refused to tone down the language on the show despite BBC bosses begging the actor to do so to allow the series to air in a pre-watershed time slot.
Explaining he was dragged into a meeting about the use of swear words, Brendan said to BBC boss Danny Cohen in 2018: “You want me to stop saying ‘f***’ so you can put the show on at eight o’clock.’ And he said: ‘Exactly.’ I said: ‘The show is the show. Put it at eight o’clock, or put it on at half 10, put it on at half 12, the people who want to see it will find it. But the show is the show. I don’t care when you put it on, we are not changing the show’.”
Rory quits – and shuns the cast
Rory Cowan played Rory Brown for 26 years both on Mrs Brown’s TV show and stage productions – but quit the series in July 2017. The actor told the Mirror at the time: “I got tired of it, I haven’t been happy for the last two years working there.
“There was no row with Brendan, there was no dispute over money or anything, in fact, quite the opposite, I got so well paid that it enabled me to be able to leave, I didn’t need to stay.” Despite there being no hard feelings over his decision to quit, Rory revealed in 2019 that he no longer speaks to the cast, explaining: “I don’t keep in touch with the people I worked with on Mrs Brown’s Boys. Not because I left on bad terms. It’s like anybody who changes jobs. You leave and you just don’t see the old workmates you used to work with.”
Dino quits ‘over pay’
While the cast might look like one big happy family on the show, things are quite different behind the scenes. Gary Hollywood sensationally quit in 2022 after playing hairdresser Dino Doyle for over twenty years – both on the TV show and the stage version.
While initial headlines claimed the then 42-year-old quit over personal issues, rumours swiftly emerged that he quit due to an argument over money. But Brendan calmed the speculation, telling Dublin Live last year: “Some people claimed Gary left because of a row over money but it wasn’t true. They didn’t know the full story and it was amicable.”
Tax dodging scandal
While cast quitting over alleged pay issues might be one problem for the show, it’s not the only money-related scandal to hit the series. Back in 2017, three cast members were exposed by Panorama’s Paradise Papers leak and accused of ‘diverting more than £2 million’ into an offshore tax avoidance scheme.
Soon-to-divorce couple Martin Delany and Fiona O’Carroll were named in the report – as was Patrick Houlihan, who plays Dermot Brown. The trio allegedly had their fees from the show transferred to companies in Mauritius, before receiving it back in the form of a “loan”. Nothing they did was illegal, with cash then sent to a trust set up by offshore law firm Appleby, with the trust taking 12.5 per cent.
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