The \u2018Mrs Brown\u2019s Boys D\u2019Panto\u2019 live shows have also been postponed<\/p>\n
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Filming for this year\u2019s Mrs Brown\u2019s Boys Christmas and New Year\u2019s specials has been cancelled, as comedian Brendan O\u2019Carroll needs \u201cimmediate surgery\u201d on two jaw fractures.<\/p>\n
The show\u2019s 70-year-old creator and star shared the news in a post on social media, telling fans: \u201cTo say I am heartbroken is an absolute understatement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to sincerely apologise to all our fans who were looking forward to seeing the shows and for any disappointment caused.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Carroll said the fractures were discovered during a CT scan and that he \u201crequires immediate surgery and a few months recovery\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am talking with the BBC about getting Mrs Brown\u2019s Boys back on the screen in 2027,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n
The Mrs Brown\u2019s Boys D\u2019Panto arena shows scheduled for later this year have also been postponed, though O\u2019Carroll added he is hoping to reschedule them for 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cI now need to focus on getting myself back to full health, and I genuinely cannot wait to see you all again in 2027,\u201d he said. \u201cOur 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!\u201d<\/p>\n
The divisive Mrs Brown\u2019s Boys sees O\u2019Carroll play the bawdy and foul-mouthed Irish \u201cmammy\u201d, 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 RT\u00c9 and the BBC joined forces to commission the first TV series in 2011.<\/p>\n
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From the very beginning, the sitcom was derided by critics, but in spite of the damning reviews \u2013 or perhaps, partially thanks to them \u2013 Mrs Brown\u2019s Boys has proven hugely popular with viewers with a whopping 11.5m people watching the 2013 Christmas special.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also enjoyed success at various awards ceremonies, with TV Bafta nominations for best situation comedy and best male in a comedy for O\u2019Carroll in 2011 and 2014, respectively. At the National Television Awards, where winners are decided by a public vote, Mrs Brown\u2019s Boys has won best comedy six times.<\/p>\n
In 2024 though, the show found itself at the centre of a controversy when \u201ca racial term was implied\u201d during rehearsals for a Christmas special. O\u2019Carroll apologised for what he called a \u201cclumsy attempt at a joke\u201d, stating: \u201cIt backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.\u201d<\/p>\n
Viewing figures have slumped in recent years too, with last year\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n