LONDON, January 2, 2025 – Teh 2025 Christmas special of Mrs Brown’s Boys has been widely criticized for reaching “fresh, unimaginable depths of unfunniness,” prompting questions about the show’s continued presence on the BBC One schedule.
A Descent into the Absurd
Table of Contents
The enduring popularity of the comedy series,despite consistently negative reviews,continues to baffle observers.
- The Christmas special was deemed especially weak, with critics pointing to excruciatingly contrived humor.
- A recurring joke involving a VR headset and a raw turkey was singled out as an example of failed slapstick.
- the show’s reliance on tired tropes and lazy writing has drawn criticism.
- Despite the negative reception, Mrs Brown’s Boys maintains a sizable audience.
Watching Mrs Brown’s Boys can feel akin to undergoing aversion therapy, according to one critic, referencing the infamous scene in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange where a character is forced to view disturbing imagery. The show, starring Brendan O’Carroll as the titular mammy, has maintained a long run on British television, despite consistently eliciting strong negative reactions.
Vintage Vaginas and St. Bridget’s Purse
The most recent special featured a particularly cringeworthy sequence in which Mammy and her friends, Winnie McGoogan (Eilish O’Carroll) and Birdie Flanagan (June Rogers), discussed euphemisms for female genitalia. Winnie favored “ladygarden,” while Birdie offered “meow meow,” a term more commonly associated with street drugs. The audience responded with “aaaahhhh” of sentimentality, as if celebrating a vulva’s potential stardom.
The conversation culminated in a punchline from Mammy: “I used to call it ‘st Bridget’s Purse’. Then I had Dermot and I changed it to ‘St Patrick’s haversack’.” The joke,even acknowledging the character is a man in a dress,was described as simply “weird.”
A Turkey,a VR Headset,and Failed Slapstick
Another low point was a running gag involving Grandad (Dermot O’Neill) receiving a VR headset for Christmas. The joke predictably ended with him air-humping a raw turkey on the kitchen table before falling over, demonstrating, according to one assessment, that the show’s creators struggle with even basic slapstick comedy.
What makes Mrs Brown’s Boys stand out is its ability to feel dated despite being a relatively recent production. The show evokes a nostalgia for the more crafted, albeit sometimes misguided, smut of The Benny Hill Show or the straightforward efforts of Little and Large, but ultimately feels less polished than its 1970s predecessors.
Despite the criticism,Mrs Brown’s Boys continues to attract a significant audience,securing its place in the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day BBC One lineup. The question remains, though, why the BBC continues to fund the sh
