Agnes Brown (Photo: Elaine Livingstone)
It’s been a short run – just four episodes – but a lot of viewers have been glad to have Mrs Brown’s Boys back for its first ‘proper’ series in a decade. (The festive specials may have become an annual tradition, but the previous full season aired way back in 2013.)
Although it’s never really been a hit with the critics, the comedy has plenty of loyal fans – and they came out in droves when it was announced the show was returning.
Brendan O’Carroll, who created the show and plays the titular Mrs Agnes Brown, says: “It always feels like a compliment to me that we had four episodes to do, we had 400 seats in the studio so it gave (the BBC) 1600 tickets to give out, and we had 96,000 requests for tickets.
“It’s just incredible that people want the experience of just being at a Mrs Brown (recording) and it is an experience because we don’t stop, even when we’re not on camera, we don’t stop.”
It seems bringing the show back has also caused him to reflect on the character’s roots and come to a new conclusion about his inspiration.
Brendan says: “People would always ask, ‘Is Mrs Brown based on your mum?’ And I used to say, no, no, she’s not. Because my mum was quite extraordinary.”
He’s not exaggerating – his mother Maureen O’Carroll was a former novice nun, who decided the religious life was not for her. She subsequently became a politician, serving as the Irish Labour Party’s chief whip in the 1950s, and was also a mother to 11 children.
However, it seems lately he’s been releasing that Agnes and Maureen may have more in common than he previously thought.
He says: “The longer it goes on, I start to realise, Agnes is my mum, but without the education my mum had. My mum had a great education. Agnes didn’t, but she has the wisdom.”
Brendan adds: “I learned a lot from my mum. I’m the youngest of the 11 kids – she was 46 when I was born. By the time I got to formative years, the other family had either emigrated or got married. So, I had the uninterrupted attention of this genius of a woman. I soaked everything up from her.”
Agnes will need all of her natural wisdom in tonight’s series finale as Dermot and Maria decide to renew their wedding vows.
Normally, we’d expect Agnes to throw herself into organising it with gusto, but sadly she’s going to have a fellow planner to work with – her archnemesis Hillary, who seems to be expecting a high-society ceremony. Can they come up with something that brings the family together rather than driving it apart?
The mothers’ differences in opinion aren’t the only potential problem as Fathers Damien and Trevor go on a mountain pilgrimage that veers off course. Not only is it looking increasingly unlike that they’ll be home in time to officiate the ceremony, but there are fears they won’t make it back at all…
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