Why is 'Mrs Brown' so popular?

political analyst

Why do so many people watch 'Mrs Brown's Boys'? It is quite clear that the show is unadulterated crap. Brendan O'Carroll in his 'Mrs Brown' persona is not in the least bit funny.

Fairly unchallenging stuff and toilet humour. Audience can look at it and not feel small or underachieving. Non threatening

rob316

I saw a question once

What is the greatest Irish comedy Mrs browns boys or father Ted?

It was at that moment I lost all faith in society.

They've a different sense of humour to you. You don't find it funny, they do.

I think it's mostly crap too (have still got the odd chuckle out of it) but if people find it funny, not something to be annoyed by. Old people get a great kick out of it which is nice.

What I don't get is the unhinged hatred of The Big Bang Theory. It's fairly poor all right but I like Sheldon, and it's like numerous mediocre sitcoms so why is it singled out.

The revisionist Friends hate seems like a bandwagon too.

Apiarist

I cannot understand its popularity either, but what I know is that some shows or films that are extremely funny to one person can be dull or crass to another person. Humour is very subjective.

Xander10

I blame the English. He only managed a 5 min afternoon obscure radio slot here.

It is embarrassingly bad

FintanMcluskey

Could never understand it

The remedial stereotypes are prehistoric, ie the gay son

The fake "bloopers"

The nepotism is the funniest part of the show

Have no idea what changed for him either, he was doing drag for years and nobody was interested. If I remember correctly the Brits were annoyed to find out he was actually a man after about 6 seasons

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178391#Comment_118178391

It's lowbrow stuff though and not very smart. Obviously people like it as it wouldn't be running so long if they didn't but I don't see what they see.

oceanman

its toilet humour at its best but plenty seem to like it....says a lot about us at a society i guess.

My late cousin, a very intelligent person, daughter of two professors etc, suffered from anxiety disorder and used to find total aside of worries simply by watching it. It was as good as anti-anxiety pills, way better than alcohol etc in her case. She always said (died of MND some years ago) that her straight/laced and highly intellectual mother would have had a real chuckle at it and having known the lady I can figure that out well!

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178387#Comment_118178387

I've never watched 'The Big Bang Theory' - I've nothing against it; I just haven't had the inclination to watch it.

Strumms

it has the capability to amuse, be funny, but I dunno you can sort of see the decline....

the UK ratings have been plummeting consistently..

the 2016 Christmas special : 9.1 million viewers

the 2020 Christmas special : 5.24 million viewers

you can see the jokes coming a mile off, it all went a bit hammy, a bit story driven, a bit emotive, a bit inoffensive, a bit panto... but it’s not a hanging offense sure it happens.. should have just kept trying to be hilarious and outrageous.

A few of the cast socialize in our local and have done for a number of years and always come across as very down to earth, friendly and unaffected...which is nice to see... Amanda Woods is absolutely stunning in real life.

Older folk love a bit of nostalgia and some sexual innuendo jokes. It's harmless, and it makes its audience happy.

The majority of the posters on this site are either middle-aged, or fast reaching it, and you can see them not understanding the humour, perspectives, and opinions of young people. It's all part of a process.

pgj2015

I remember one time being on a lads holiday in Spain, I was absolutely dying one morning after 2 or 3 days on the session. We went into a pub to get an orange juice and have a rest. Then what nearly topped me off, they had mr browns boys on the tv, I had to run to the toilets to throw up, I was coming around until I saw that embarrassment of a tv show.

ancapailldorcha

In fairness, it does seem to be targeted at older people and there sees to be a paucity of programming catering to that specific demographic. Personally, I like it but I'm well aware that it's utter muck. O'Carroll himself seems like a decent enough bloke.

Viscount Aggro

Because most people want low-brow filth, thats why.

The Brits love this sort of stuff. Benny Hill was hugely popular.

thefallingman

Toilet humour for the uneducated

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118181274#Comment_118181274

My late mother always watched it even though she generally cared little for comedy. Well I'm not sure how closely she was 'watching' it but she always seemed to be in a room with a tv switched to the relevant channel when it was on...I guess you're right it must have had something that appealed to the older folks...

thefallingman

Robbie Howya Keane loves it

whisky_galore

Some awful things are just popular; Mrs Brown, Country n Irish music, gonorrhea..

AllForIt

I really hate the hair-rollers thing and wearing them in public too, like in the pub. Uggh.

And another think, what's the point of it being so dated in style, as in it looks like it's set in the early 1980's.

Mad_maxx

ìf anything its more popular abroad than here

buried

O'Carroll is no fool, he's a master of giving his audience what that particular audience wants, and not what they need. And what they want is a grim mish mash of the British TV comedy formats of the past, the dysfunctional family with the half dead granny in the corner, the mammy falling off the wobbly chair trying to fix the half dead kitchen light, the wink wink sexual innuendo, the grotty tobacco/fry stained sitting rooms and its front doorway immediately hitting the piss soaked streets etc.

Hyperbollix

It's funny. My late father broke his ass laughing at Mrs. Brown but he also loved Fr. Ted. He could never understand why I loved one and hated the other. That tells me he was really only seeing Fr Ted on one level, the slapstick and toilet humour but the satire and very well observed swipes at old catholic parochial Ireland kind of flew over his head. He was of a generation that lived through that Ireland of course...

Similarly I know people in the UK who thought Fr Ted was desperately distasteful muck and would stick it in the same bin as Fr Ted for the same reason.

The real headbender is when you realize Billy Connolly made a career out of humour not a million miles away from Mrs Browns boys and yet he's a global treasure not many would say a bad word about.

Tomaldo

I absolutely love it, makes me laugh if it didn't I wouldn't watch it or the repeats. How is Last of the Summer Wine so popular? I just don't get that, but each to their own, I suppose.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

It isn't my favourite show, but I can see why people enjoy it, it's an easy laugh. Also, it seems to have the canny ability to make some older people I know who would be quite reserved piss themselves laughing with filthy innuendos.

I was surprised to see it occupy a prime time slot on TV here in New Zealand, popular in Australia too, apparently.

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118182786#Comment_118182786

ive always found Billy Connolly extremely over rated , now hes a very good chat show guest but his onstage material i could take or leave

hes no richard pryor or even dave allen

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118182892#Comment_118182892

not that surprising , Kiwis have a pretty unsophisticated sense of humour to put it mildly , as do aussies

Hangdogroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178392#Comment_118178392

Actually blame the Scots. They were the first to take to it in a big way when it toured there as a stage show. The wider popularity of the tv show with UK viewers is pretty baffling, but when you consider stuff like On The Busses was hugely popular it makes more sense.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178504#Comment_118178504

older people probably like it because they have heard all of the jokes before. All of them. It is like a badly done 1970s sitcom minus the charm.

AllForIt

https://twitter.com/Independent/status/1475018755507990530

Nothing but criticism of MBB's all over Twitter today after it's xmas special, including this one. Oh someone please put it out of it's misery!

Fitz II

It is literally when the whistle blows from "Extras"...its is, and the people who enjoy it are, either as stupid as I think, or is a savage bit of social commentary and meta satire. Embarrassingly bad, but all the words are easy to understand and get the jokes are not over taxing.

alchemist33

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178387#Comment_118178387

Of all media snobberies (films, music), comedy snobbery is the worst. Some people can't hold back being dicks to others because of what makes them laugh.

freshpopcorn

I think last night's episode was better than last years one. I wouldn't be the biggest fan tough.

However they are plenty of stuff for us to watch and the one thing I'd say about Mrs Brown is it brings a lot of happiness to people's lives.

SuperBowserWorld

It's like someone took all the shite Irish and UK attempts at comedy and mixed them up in a bottle and left it on a shelf in 1984. It's a vicious circle if shite. Sad thing is that real comedy is censored these days and this shite is what rte spends your license fee on.

I really hate when Ireland and the UK public broadcasting agree on this as some kind of shared cultural event.

It's demeaning to Irish people. It's like some kind of Punch cartoon. It's like we've rolled over and died as a nation and are some kind of paddy wackery version of Coronation Street.

AllForIt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118374969#Comment_118374969

However they are plenty of stuff for us to watch and the one thing I'd say about Mrs Brown is it brings a lot of happiness to people's lives.

That's news to me. I don't know anyone that watches it, even my getting-on parent's don't particularly watch it but they would watch Last of The Summer Wine and similar sitcoms for the older generations. Apparently the xmas special didn't make Top 10 viewing for xmas day. For BBC One that's bad.

whisky_galore

Dempo1

It's popularity really is perplexing, I don't and never will get it. Even aside from this appalling muck, Brendan O Connell is not in the slightest bit funny.

I get, to a certain extent British audiences liking this rubbish, they enjoy Toilet Humour, after all they brought us Benny Hill, Dick Emery etc but how Irish Audiences like this utterTripe is beyond me.

This show is essentially bad pantomime a form of entertainment I personally despise but there is bizzarely an interest in this type of shyte entertainment, perhaps this explains its bizzare success.

Mad_maxx

remember that movie " Idiocracy " ?

remember the scene where so many people find the repeated sketch of a guy on TV getting kicked in the balls endlessly funny ?

thats Mrs Browns Boys , its for people who can get endless entertainment out of man dressed as an old woman who has a foul mouth

some people only need one note

Sheep Shagger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118374878#Comment_118374878

Like twitter is real life anyway.....its a cess pit of a place.

Like anything, some people like it and some don't- who cares anyway? Its certainly made him a lot of cash, emits his family and he does give back to charity.

walshb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178386#Comment_118178386

Never got Fr. Ted…but it’s premier league vs Sunday kick around next to Brown’s Boys.

words can’t properly described be how putrid a show it is

PropJoe10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178386#Comment_118178386

If I remember rightly, someone did a poll here on Boards a few years ago, Mrs Brown's Boys vs Father Ted. Ted won by 97% to 3% or something. It restored my faith in Boards.ie at the time.

DeanAustin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118375941#Comment_118375941

Loved Ted when it came out and still do. I can watch it again and again. But it’s completely overrated (here come the “say that to me again and I’ll put your head through a wall” posts) and hasn’t dated that well. It’s not the pinnacle of comedy and, IMO, can’t hold a candle to Fawlty Towers, Seinfeld or The Larry Sanders Show as just 3 examples.

As for the parallel that’s been drawn between MBB and Billy Connolly, behave. Connolly’s humour is nothing like MBB. I’ve nothing really against O’Carroll and if people enjoy MBB, fair play to him and then.

walshb

Billy Connolly is muck!!!

AllForIt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118375920#Comment_118375920

I agree with your latter point.

I don't agree with your former one though. I think, like here, 'having it out' online is invaluable. It's educational if nothing else.

EmmetSpiceland

Don’t mind ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’, myself, but I don’t watch it. I’ve seen bits and pieces but it seems like harmless stuff.

Like the way country folk all love that dreadful ‘Killinaskully’.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118376006#Comment_118376006

No we dont.

riclad

It's the last of the old fashioned sitcoms. It's not woke, or politically correct. There's not many original Irish based sitcoms made anymore. I presume it's viewers are mostly over 40 . There's very few sitcoms being made in the UK now, Gavin and Stacey was the last good one I can remember I never watched it so I can't comment on is it funny but at least it employs Irish actors

Most tv shows made now are reality TV , drama, s or police thrillers. Writing even an average comedy is very hard compared with writing drama or cop shows American TV comedys have teams of writers I still like to watch the office or friends as well as new comedys. Probably alot of people like to watch

an Irish sitcom versus yet another American sitcom

Strumms

Yeah the British used to be so adept at producing sitcoms, hilarious sitcoms…. Now nothing really, it’s all gone very ‘safe’… almost as if they are written with the primary goal of not offending anybody, making people laugh is really secondary… they go out of their way to be ‘inclusive’ with characters from every ‘ walk of life ‘.. demographic of race, sexuality, age… etc… JUST MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH ! ffs.

in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s if they put the likes of Miranda, The Green Green Grass on TV people would be demanding a refund of their license fee…

Mrs Browns Boys just looks to be running out of ideas.

walshb

Running out of ideas?

It’s as muck today as it ever was!!!

StevenToast

To answer the OPs question....its just one of those great mysteries of life...

Like how the ancient egyptians built the pyramids...

Or how Ryan Tubridy can command a salary of 500k per annum while being terrible at his job....

Centuries from now scholars studying the early 21st century will be unable to understand the popularity of mrs brown boys, they will perhaps theorize and come to the conclusion that covid 19 had an adverse effect on the human brain that caused it to somehow enjoy brendan o'carrolls "comedy"........