Brendan O'Carroll says Mrs Brown's Boys storylines are ‘based on true events'
The fifth series, which is due to air on August 1 on BBC One, follows Mrs Brown as her meddling – into the lives of her family and friends, takes her on a number of misadventures.
Speaking about the new series, O'Carroll said: 'Believe it or not most of the storylines are based on true events that either happened to my family or have been told to me by people about their families.
'Everybody has a story, and it's quite common for someone in a family to say in the middle of a family disaster, 'This is like an episode of Mrs Brown's Boys'.
'In every episode there is something that stands out for me. I love being Agnes Brown and I love her family, and her neighbours like Winnie and Birdy.'
The new series will see Mrs Brown as she becomes the subject of a podcast, helps Winnie pass her driving test and becomes the unexpected new member of a book club where she discovers a 'passion' for steamy fiction.
Mrs Brown's Boys was first broadcast on BBC One in 2011 and has since transmitted more than 50 episodes, including Christmas specials.
The Bafta-winning series is filmed in front of a studio audience which O'Carroll described as 'essential'.
He said: 'So many times, at the end of rehearsals for a particular episode, our director, Ben Kellett will say 'all this needs now is the audience' and he is so right.
'They follow every move, every line and add so much to our performances. We would be lost without them.'
The miniseries will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday August 1.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Steve Coogan: ‘Fawning podcast fans should get a life'
The comedian and award-winning actor, who hosts the weekly podcast Alan Partridge: From the Oasthouse, also took aim at the 'tsunami' of podcasts hosted by 'anyone with any confidence or conviction'. 'I do think the podcast bubble might be about to burst,' he said of the countless celebrity-hosted shows which have 'followers flock to them'. Coogan has posed as his evergreen character Alan Partridge since 1991, when he was created for the BBC Radio 4 comedy programme On the Hour. The comedian turned his hand to podcasting as the character in 2020, when podcasts exploded in popularity during the Covid pandemic. Coogan, who writes the show with his long-time collaborators Neil and Rob Gibbons, explained: 'The podcast is stuff we want to do, that we're passionate about and we think is funny and relevant.' He differentiates it from 'intimate chat' celebrity podcasts because every word of the show is scripted and rehearsed. 'People forget it's not real, it's all written,' Coogan said, adding: 'Even when Alan is going away on a train of thought, all that's been crafted so it's funny.' The Telegraph described the first episode of the podcast as '25 minutes of sheer Partridge pleasure' in its review, saying Coogan's 'fictional alter ego is on top form'. Political podcasts Speaking about the crowded industry, the comedian said there 'used to be proper analysis' offered, particularly in political shows. He explained: 'The problem with political podcasts is there are no solutions. There used to be proper analysis that was evidence-based with references and research. 'Now it's loads of people's gut feelings everywhere. They just like talking about politics, the game of it.' While he didn't single any out by name, the actor said his focus remains on trying 'to get the balance between doing stuff that has some substance, without vanishing up my own arse, and doing things that are entertaining'. He continued: 'If you go one way or the other, for me that's failing. I want it to be about something, but I don't want to be a bore.'
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BBC confirms the future of two beloved daytime TV shows after a whopping 15 years on screens - as host pens emotional message to fans
The future of two beloved daytime hits has been confirmed by the BBC on Tuesday after a whopping 15 years on screens. Antiques Road Trip has amassed a whopping 31 series since its debut in 2010, quickly becoming a fan-favourite and staple of the TV schedule. Now bosses have confirmed the hit format's fate as its host released an emotional statement to fans. They've officially green-lit a 32nd series, with 20 brand new episodes of the afternoon show ordered. Meanwhile, in a further update, the broadcaster has also revealed the Travelling Auctioneers will return for a fifth series. Since its launch in 2022, it's gained a cult following and established itself as a major part of the BBC's daytime output. Izzie Balmer, JB Broad and Bee Harford are back for series five, along with restoration maestros JJ Chalmers, Robin Johnson, Lauren Wood and Saf Fakir. Speaking about its return, host Izzie Balmer said: 'The Antiques Road Trip and Travelling Auctioneers teams have become like family to me. In fact, I sometimes see them more than my actual family… 'I wouldn't have it any other way though, because these shows are great fun, full of heart, and have just the right amount of jeopardy to keep you on the edge of your seat… without spilling your cuppa! I know how much they mean to our viewers and I'm thrilled to be back filming on them both.' Muslim Alim, Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime and Early Peak, said: 'These shows are TV gold packed with great stories, brilliant finds and led by experts in their field. 'Antiques Road Trip and The Travelling Auctioneers have become firm favourites with our audiences and it's easy to see why: they're warm, feel-good and endlessly entertaining. I'm absolutely thrilled we're bringing them back and hugely grateful to the top-tier talent at STV Studios who make them so special.' Izzie Balmer previously revealed how her TV career wasn't initially the path she thought she'd end up on. She had originally wanted to be a musician and attended music college before realising it wasn't right. Speaking to Great British Life, Izzie confessed: 'I planned to be a professional musician but didn't enjoy music college. It wasn't for me.' Her move to Bargain Hunt was then fairly spontaneous as she stepped in for her boss to auctioneer on the show when no other auctioneers were available. She said: 'There were no other auctioneers available it had to be me. I had to auction the Bargain Hunt lots in front of the cameras.' It was her mother Sheila who encouraged her to go into the antiques business full time after graduating and moving back home to look for a job. After some work experience she secured a full-time job at a local auction house. Then after becoming a regular on the hit show Antiques Road Trip, she landed a full-time role. This ignited a passion that led her to study at Birmingham's School of Jewellery. In a 2019 interview with Bristol Post, she revealed: 'I kind of fell into this job but I absolutely love it.
BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
Sarah Lancashire says Happy Valley performance 'born of fear'
Bafta-winning actress Sarah Lancashire has said her award-winning performance in gritty TV drama Happy Valley was "born out of fear".Lancashire, 60, who rose to fame as barmaid Raquel Wolstenhulme in Coronation Street, won two leading actress Baftas for playing no-nonsense Sergeant Catherine Cawood in the BBC decades-long "brilliant and intangible" working relationship with writer Sally Wainwright influenced her role, but she said fear was key to her the role at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, after being formally made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), Lancashire said: "That was just born out of fear, abject fear, of feeling quite off-piste. "Literally it was a leap of faith, jumping off the cliff at midnight in the dark."But knowing that somebody has the confidence in you and the belief in you - Wainwright is deeply persuasive as an individual, which I absolutely, really admire, I'm very grateful, always."Lancashire starred in Coronation Street from 1991 until 1996, appearing in more than 260 and Wainwright first met when they were "cutting their teeth" on the soap pair later collaborated on the BBC comedy-drama Last Tango In Halifax, for which Lancashire won her first Bafta in 2014 for her supporting worked together again on Happy Valley, which ran from 2014 to what made playing Sgt Cawood so terrifying, Lancashire said: "The setting of it, being asked to play something which I had no knowledge of at all - absolutely no knowledge."And knowing that the level of research that was available to me was going to be quite limited in the time available."But in actual fact - as Wainwright always said - it wasn't a procedural drama, it was not a police drama, it was a family." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
