Irish comedy series, ‘Mrs Brown's Boys’, which is a BBC Vision Production, has been re-commissioned for a second series by BBC and RTÉ. The first series of the show broadcast to Irish audiences of 800,000 and UK audiences of over 3.5 million. The sitcom has also been nominated in the Best TV Comedy category in this year's Monte Carlo Television Festival
The first instalment of the RTÉ/BBC co-production is currently still airing on BBC One and the second series has been re-commissioned by Danny Cohen, Controller of BBC One, Controller of BBC’s Comedy Commissioning, Cheryl Taylor and RTÉ’s Entertainment Commissioning Editor, Eddie Doyle. The comedy series is written by and stars comedian Brendan O'Carroll (The Mammy) and is based on the sell-out theatre show which stars Brendan as Agnes Brown, a Dublin matriarch who just can't resist interfering in the lives of her family and friends.
The cast of the show includes Brendan's real-life wife, Jennifer Gibney as Cathy, his daughter Fiona O'Carroll as Maria, his son Danny O'Carroll as Buster, and his sister Eilish O'Carroll as Winnie McGoogan. Star of the show, Brendan O'Carroll called the re-commissioning move:"Unbelievable!” and spoke about his delight with the production of the TV show, saying: ”Producer Stephen McCrum promised me that he would be faithful to the stage show and he has gone beyond this in making the show the success it is. I am living the dream."
The six-part series, produced by the BBC's in-house comedy department out of Pacific Quay in Scotland, has become a phenomenal success, growing week on week it is up 28% on the slot average in the UK.
Commissioning Editor for Entertainment, RTÉ Television, Eddie Doyle, commented on the decision to re-commission the show, saying: "To re-commission Mrs Brown's Boys was not a hard decision: The audience loves it! It's obvious that Irish audiences respond to original Irish content and talent."
Cheryl Taylor, Controller, Comedy Commissioning, also voiced her delight at the upcoming second series, saying: "Brendan O'Carroll and his irrepressible alter ego Agnes Brown have lit up Monday nights for the past few weeks and, despite the rarefied language, the warmth of this series and the laugh-out-loud comedy antics have proved a huge hit with BBC One viewers. We're delighted that Agnes and her wonderful family will be returning later in the year."
The show has also just been nominated for the Best TV Comedy category in this year's Monte Carlo Television Festival. Also nominated is Grand Pictures’ comedy/drama 'Trivia' which tells the tale of a man obsessed with winning his local pub quiz every week for a year. The shows will compete with major US series like '30 Rock', 'Glee' and 'Modern Family' and the winner will be announced in early June.
The new series of ‘Mrs Brown's Boys’ will shoot later this spring and will return to both RTÉ and BBC One later this year. The second series will be produced by Stephen McCrum (Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps), executive produced by Mark Freeland (Come Fly With Me) and directed by Ben Kellett (The Armstrong and Miller Show). The executive producer for RTÉ is Justin Healy (The Mammy). The series is a BBC Vision Production, co-produced with BOCPIX and RTE.
