It’s brutally been labelled a ‘stain on the Christmas TV calendar’ and now even fans of Mrs Brown’s Boys have said they are switching it off.
The divisive series, which first hit screens in 2011, follows the loud-mouthed Irish matriarch Agnes Brown, whose favourite pastime is meddling in the lives of her six children.
Created by and starring Irish comedian Brendan O’Carroll, Mrs Brown’s Boys has regularly drawn in millions of viewers and has been a mainstay on the BBC – including each Christmas.
However, the latest festive special was so poorly received, even once passionate fans have now expressed their displeasure.
The synopsis for the latest episode of the long-running series teased: ‘Mrs Brown rediscovers the meaning of family as she gathers those closest to her together for a Christmas photo.
‘Buster unveils another of his signature Christmas trees with maximum impact and Cathy frets about what presents to buy everyone.’
However, in its review, The Independent gave it just one star and said the ‘excruciating sitcom had plummeted to unimaginable new depths’.
‘It’s always painful viewing, but the 2025 Christmas special plummets some way beneath the usual low standard to reach fresh, unimaginable depths of unfunniness. So, it’s badder than bad, worse than ever in fact, weaker than the childish riddles that fall out of a cracker.
‘I do wonder why the BBC is still buying it with our money, and why O’Carroll and his collaborators’ scripts are still so lazy, this time with scarcely an attempt at a storyline, and the actors so poor,’ it added.
Meanwhile The Irish Times said it was one of O’Carroll’s ‘flattest festive forays yet’.
‘There are barely any gags…and the plot is mushier than Brussels sprouts that one of your dinner guests has stomped into the carpet. Mrs Brown’s Boys is clearly past its sell-by date.’
Viewers also didn’t hold back when sharing their thoughts on social media.
‘Do the BBC share how much they pay for this crap??? No wonder people are refusing to pay their licence fee. Mrs Brown’s Boys just isn’t funny anymore,’ Steve posted on X.
However, John responded: ‘What do you mean “anymore”? That implies it was once funny. I’d take exception to that…’
Meanwhile David added: ‘It has never been remotely funny in the first place.’
Others posted ruthless quips about why they weren’t even bothering to tune in.
‘I’d rather watch reruns of Nicola Sturgeon’s daily Covid briefings, that’s what I think about Mrs Browns Boys,’ Duncan declared.
‘I’d imagine it was like having a root canal without any anaesthetic,’ Paz49 shared.
‘I’d rather run a barefoot marathon over Lego,’ another added.
However, in an opinion piece written for Metro this year, Thomas Horn said Mrs Brown’s Boys ‘didn’t deserve the hate’.
‘I don’t understand why so many people get so vexed by a sitcom,’ he wrote, adding many people took aim at the series due to ‘snobbery’.
‘It can’t just have been my family – the viewing figures speak for themselves – which is why the snobbery around the sitcom is so jarring.
‘The show’s premise might be silly, and the jokes cheap, but O’Carroll’s humour doesn’t punch down in the nasty way that I believe shows like Little Britain have previously done.’
He concluded: ‘You can find Mrs Brown’s Boys unfunny, but it’s hard to deny that it has bucketloads of heart. If you don’t like it, it’s probably not for you, and that’s fine. As Mrs Brown would say, you’re welcome to feck off and watch something else.’
In recent years Mrs Brown’s Boys has gone from attracting up to 8.5 million viewers for its Christmas specials to drawing just 1.5 million last year.
However, it will return for another episode on New Year’s Day. The episode synopsis has teased: ‘Tensions are high as Agnes and the gang prepare for an incoming storm. Buster’s flying high as he nervously awaits his birthday parachute jump. Winnie receives a shock to the system, and a lost Nun looks for help.’
In 2023 O’Carroll defended his show against its critics.
‘First of all, I’m well aware that comedy is very subjective,’ he told BBC Radio Sounds.
‘What some people like, other people just detest. So, I don’t take it too serious.’
He also once said that it was ‘the fans and certainly not the reviewers’ who had kept the series on air after all these years.
Mrs Brown’s Boys is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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