BBC comedy, David Dimbleby, Daily Mail

Mrs Brown’s Boys has defied the critics to become a fan favourite Photograph: Alan Peebles/BBC

The big story

There are few shows that show the disparity between what critics like and what viewers watch than Mrs Brown’s Boys. It is regularly and savagely panned by critics, yet is one of the BBC’s most consistent ratings winners.

And like most references to popularity on the BBC at the moment, it raises the question of whether or not this is the kind of programming the corporation should be making.

The problem is that many popular shows are disliked by the BBC’s critics because they are a) not the sort of shows they personally want to watch, and b) are so popular they have an impact on the number of people tuning into commercial TV. But if you asked the many millions of people who regularly tune into Mrs Brown’s Boys, it’s unlikely they would say the BBC should be making something that keeps the critics happy instead.

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While many appear to have lauded the BBC for its Rio Olympics coverage, a big sporting event wouldn’t be complete without someone (in this case the Guardian’s Stuart Heritage) pointing out all the things that went wrong. Including the delightful moment when a hen party interrupted Dan Walker on the beach.