Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas special: Everything you need to know about the new episodes of the hit BBC comedy

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Mrs Brown’s Boys specials have been aired by the BBC every Christmas since the series’ debut in 2011; this year’s, entitled “Orange is the New Mammy”, see the crude-mouthed matriarch contend with the perils of life during the coronavirus pandemic. Mrs Brown’s Boys started out as a radio play in the early Nineties, before later being adapted into a series of books, a theatrical production, and, eventually, a BBC sitcom. Though Mrs Brown’s Boys has earned consistently high viewership ratings throughout its time on the air, it has faced condemnation from some viewers and critics for its broad comic sensibilities. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Ed Cumming, meanwhile, wrote of last year’s specials: “This is Brexit TV, a programme that puts two fingers up to the snooty metropolitan elite and appeals to viewers with fond memories of the early 1970s, who feel left behind by fancy high-falutin comedy out of that London.” Mrs Brown’s Boys returns at 10pm on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, on BBC One.