The annual Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas special returned for another year tonight as Brendan O'Carroll's creation entertained the nation.
In the episode, broadcast on RTE and BBC, new character Mikey caused some trouble in the family as they tried to warn Granddad (Dermot O’Neill) of the new shady relative's bad intentions.
The first episode titled Mammy’s Mechanical Merriment, sawAgnes Brown ( Brendan O’Carroll ) become a new member of the church choir in Finglas.
Elsewhere, Buster (Danny O’Carroll) was forced to get creative due to a Christmas tree shortage while Dermot hosted a Murder Mystery night in aid of alcoholic greyhounds.
Viewers of the show took to social media in their droves to share opinions on the episode, and as ever, it fiercely divided people.
Some people loved it, some people really did not - as is the case with the show most years.
One fan tweeted: "You can’t beat Mrs Brown boys at Christmas."
Another said: "Something needs to be said Mrs Browns Boys is the best thing on telly outside the films we watch. Gets a bad wrap. It’s grand. Cheers."
One reluctant viewer said: "Woah, TV listings just handed it to streaming this year. Spare a thought for those trapped in a hotel rooms across the country watching terrestrial telly with their parents. Yeah, I am watching Mrs Brown’s Boys."
Lisa Lawlor felt similar, tweeting: "Hosting, so I thought it would mean I could avoid Mrs Browns Boys with control of the remote, but parents still rule."
Another Irish viewer said: "I’ll never ever understand why Mrs Browns Boys is shown on TV outside of Ireland. It has such a small target audience that I just can’t ever wrap my head around it being aired anywhere but here."
