For more than a decade, BBC One’s Mrs Brown’s Boys has been a hit with viewers, but it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been plagued by scandals, including Brendan O’Carroll’s racist joke during a script reading.
In 1992, the show began as a radio play before going on the road as a theatre production. Starring and written by Brendan O’Carroll, who portrays the main character Agnes Brown, the Irish comedian has remained on the sitcom since its television launch. However, the cast members around him have constantly changed over the years.
Here, we take a look at all the backstage scandals and drama that have impacted the dynamics of Mrs Brown’s Boys off-screen, from the racist joke heard via a character to actors suddenly leaving.
Mrs Brown’s Boys racism row over Brendan O’Carroll’s joke
While rehearsing for this year’s Christmas special, Brendan used an offensive term during a read-through in front of the cast and crew while portraying Agnes.
The remark didn’t go unnoticed and those shocked by the racist slur acted immediately. This resulted in an urgent investigation and rehearsals were temporarily put on hold.
“At a read-through of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied. It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised,” Brendan told the Mirror.
The BBC also had their say on the matter: “Whilst we don’t comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism and we have robust processes in place should issues ever arise.”
Brendan’s refusal to stop swearing
Mrs Brown might be the loveable grandmother the public adores, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t got a potty mouth.
In order for BBC bosses to air the show at an earlier time in a pre-watershed time slot, they have begged the actor to stop cursing throughout the episodes.
Brendan, on the other hand, was seemingly having none of it after it was suggested to him in a meeting. He told BBC boss Danny Cohen in 2018: “You want me to stop saying [bleep] so you can put the show on at eight o’clock.’ And he said: ‘Exactly.’ I said: ‘The show is the show. Put it at eight o’clock, or put it on at half 10, put it on at half 12, the people who want to see it will find it. But the show is the show. I don’t care when you put it on, we are not changing the show’.”
Rory Cowan quits
Actor Rory Cowan, who played the role of Rory Brown for 26 years on screen and stage, suddenly quit the show in 2017.
At the time, he told the Mirror that he got “tired” of the show and hadn’t “been happy for the last two years working there”.
Rory continued: “There was no row with Brendan, there was no dispute over money or anything, in fact, quite the opposite, I got so well paid that it enabled me to be able to leave, I didn’t need to stay.”
However, two years later, he revealed that he is no longer in touch with the cast. He said: “I don’t keep in touch with the people I worked with on Mrs Brown’s Boys. Not because I left on bad terms. It’s like anybody who changes jobs. You leave and you just don’t see the old workmates you used to work with.”
Gary Hollywood’s departure
Gary Hollywood, who starred as hairdresser Dino Doyle for more than two decades on both the TV show and the stage version, also quit.
While headlines suggested he left over an argument about money, Brendan insisted that wasn’t the case. He told Dublin Live: “Some people claimed Gary left because of a row over money but it wasn’t true. They didn’t know the full story and it was amicable.”
Tax avoiding scandal
Talk of money has continued to surround the drama behind the scenes for Mrs Brown’s Boys. However, the show hit a money scandal when Panorama’s Paradise Papers leak called out three members of the cast. They were accused of “diverting more than £2 million” into an offshore tax avoidance scheme.
The report mentioned Martin Delany and Fiona O’Carroll, who are currently divorcing, as well as Patrick Houlihan.
All three allegedly had their fees from the show transferred to companies in Mauritius and later received it back as a “loan”. While nothing the trio did was illegal, this is a common way of avoiding tax.
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