Mammy, or ma’amy? Mrs Brown claims Queen is a staunch fan
IT HAS been lambasted by critics, baffled the middle classes and left the bien pensant wondering what its millions of fans see in it.
But Mrs Brown’s Boys has one important viewer on its side, if the show’s creator is to be believed: the Queen.
Brendan O’Carroll, who plays Irish mammy Agnes Brown in the BBC comedy, has said the Queen and her family are such fans of the show that a copy of the Christmas special was requested by Buckingham Palace last year.
In an interview with Radio Times, O’Carroll was reminded that the programme’s Christmas Day episode had eight million viewers, more than the Queen’s speech once catch-up figures were taken into account.
He told the magazine: “We also do know that they are personal fans. They’re mad about the show.”
Buckingham Palace did not comment on the claim, which is one of a string of rumours about television programmes enjoyed by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. She has previously been reported to be a fan of Antiques Roadshow, the quiz show Pointless, comedies such as Keeping Up Appearances and Dad’s Army, Downton Abbey, and dozens of others besides. Some of the claims have been dismissed by insiders as the result of savvy television PR, or linked to actors who have met the Queen and been impressed by her pre-prepared knowledge of their shows.
O’Carroll’s new iteration of Mrs Brown’s Boys is in the form of a chat show, where a celebrity’s mother is interviewed by Mrs Brown in the kitchen while their offspring is on stage.
The actor joked he would like to invite the Queen and Prince of Wales to appear. He joked: “It can’t be a Christmas special because we’ve already got one, but there’s nothing wrong with it being an Easter special.”