Latest news with #MrsBrown'sBoys
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘I honestly don't know the secret' – Brendan O'Carroll on enduring success of ‘Mrs Brown's Boys' as new series kicks off next week
The long-running comedy returns to RTÉ One for a sixth season next week as Agnes Brown attempts to manage her dysfunctional family in a rapidly modernising world. Among the folly in the first episode will be Agnes's implausible new-found stardom after she hijacks daughter Cathy's podcast, while Grandad announces plans to move himself out of the house and into a care home. Viewers will also see Agnes take on the role of driving instructor for her best friend Winnie, with predictable consequences. Fourteen years after it was first broadcast, the show is still going strong, but O'Carroll himself is stuck for an explanation as to why. Believe it or not, most of the storylines are based on true events 'I honestly don't know the secret to the enduring success of Mrs Brown's Boys,' he said. ' I write and perform what I think is funny and just hope that somebody somewhere watching gets a laugh out of it.' However, O'Carroll (69) said his dramatised anecdotes rarely stray too far from his lived experiences. 'The ideas for these episodes are no different from the previous 53 episodes,' he 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'.' O'Carroll has previously said the creation of Agnes was inspired by his own mother, Maureen, whose sharp wit and no-nonsense attitude working on the stalls on Dublin's Moore Street greatly informed the character's formulation. I love being Agnes The idea was conceived by O'Carroll in 1992 when he set up a theatre company with family members and decided to tour the country performing stage plays. Having begun writing the show in its televised format in 2011, he has made the role his own. ADVERTISEMENT 'I love being Agnes. I'm not lying when I say I could not play any of the characters better than the actors who play them now,' he said. The show owes its authentic appeal in part to its filming in front of a live studio audience, a feature O'Carroll describes as 'essential'. '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,' he said. 'They follow every move, every line and add so much to our performances. We would be lost without them.' The first Christmas special aired in the UK was well received by the British public, with the BBC production boasting 8.24 million views in spite of negative reviews by the country's entertainment critics.
Powys County Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Brendan O'Carroll says Mrs Brown's Boys storylines are ‘based on true events'
Irish actor and comedian, Brendan O'Carroll, has said the storylines for Mrs Brown's Boys are 'based on true events'. O'Carroll, 69, who is best known for playing the menacing matriarch, Agnes Brown, in the hit BBC comedy series, will reprise the role in a new miniseries. 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.'
Leader Live
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Brendan O'Carroll says Mrs Brown's Boys storylines are ‘based on true events'
O'Carroll, 69, who is best known for playing the menacing matriarch, Agnes Brown, in the hit BBC comedy series, will reprise the role in a new miniseries. 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.
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Brendan O'Carroll says Mrs Brown's Boys storylines are ‘based on true events'
O'Carroll, 69, who is best known for playing the menacing matriarch, Agnes Brown, in the hit BBC comedy series, will reprise the role in a new miniseries. 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. Brendan O'Carroll in the press room with the Best Comedy Award for 'Mrs Brown's Boys' at the National Television Awards 2017, held at The O2 Arena, London. (Ian West/PA) 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. Brendan O'Carroll collects the Best Sitcom award received for Mrs Brown's Boys during the 2013 National Television Awards at the O2 Arena, London. (Ian West/PA) 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.
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Brendan O'Carroll says Mrs Brown's Boys storylines are ‘based on true events'
O'Carroll, 69, who is best known for playing the menacing matriarch, Agnes Brown, in the hit BBC comedy series, will reprise the role in a new miniseries. 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.
