Filming for this year’s Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas and New Year’s specials has been cancelled, as comedian Brendan O’Carroll needs “immediate surgery” on two jaw fractures.
The show’s 70-year-old creator and star shared the news in a post on social media, telling fans: “To say I am heartbroken is an absolute understatement.
“I would like to sincerely apologise to all our fans who were looking forward to seeing the shows and for any disappointment caused.”
O’Carroll said the fractures were discovered during a CT scan and that he “requires immediate surgery and a few months recovery”.
“I am talking with the BBC about getting Mrs Brown’s Boys back on the screen in 2027,” the statement continued.
The Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Panto arena shows scheduled for later this year have also been postponed, though O’Carroll added he is hoping to reschedule them for 2027.
“I now need to focus on getting myself back to full health, and I genuinely cannot wait to see you all again in 2027,” he said. “Our fans mean the world to us, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and support and trust me, Agnes Brown and her family will be back!”
The divisive Mrs Brown’s Boys sees O’Carroll play the bawdy and foul-mouthed Irish “mammy”, with some of his close friends and family in supporting roles. His Agnes character was initially created for radio plays and the stage, before Irish channel RTÉ and the BBC joined forces to commission the first TV series in 2011.
From the very beginning, the sitcom was derided by critics, but in spite of the damning reviews – or perhaps, partially thanks to them – Mrs Brown’s Boys has proven hugely popular with viewers with a whopping 11.5m people watching the 2013 Christmas special.
It’s also enjoyed success at various awards ceremonies, with TV Bafta nominations for best situation comedy and best male in a comedy for O’Carroll in 2011 and 2014, respectively. At the National Television Awards, where winners are decided by a public vote, Mrs Brown’s Boys has won best comedy six times.
In 2024 though, the show found itself at the centre of a controversy when “a racial term was implied” during rehearsals for a Christmas special. O’Carroll apologised for what he called a “clumsy attempt at a joke”, stating: “It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”
Viewing figures have slumped in recent years too, with last year’s Christmas Day episode pulling in an audience of just 1.6m. The best performing sitcom on 25 December 2025 was Amandaland, which was watched by almost twice as many people (3.1m).
O’Carroll previous addressed critics, who have labelled the show “unwatchable” and “the worst comedy ever made”, saying he doesn’t take reviews “too seriously”. “First of all, I’m well aware that comedy is very subjective,” he said. in2023.“What some people like, other people just detest. So I don’t take it too serious.”
