The ratings for Mrs Brown’s Boys have taken a major nosedive.
The once-beloved BBC sitcom appears to be falling out of favour with viewers at home.
The Halloween special aired on Friday night, however, only 2.6 million people tuned in to watch.
That pales in comparison to when the show used to pull in millions more.
Mrs Brown’s Boys Halloween special sheds millions of viewers
In 2019, its festive episode scored over 7 million viewers in total, almost three times as many as this year’s Halloween episode.
The show has lost more than a million viewers since Christmas 2020. At the time, the festive episode attracted 3.7 million fans.
The show has undergone major changes in recent years.
Gary Hollywood, who played Dino Doyle, and Damien McKiernan, who played Rory Brown, left the show.
Read more: Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas special forced to change running order in case the Queen died
At its height, the show had more than 11 million viewers chuckling at home.
The latest ratings will come as a big blow to the BBC. The broadcaster recently signed a deal to air the sitcom until 2026.
Actor Brendan O’Carroll said at the time: “This new deal we signed last week goes all the way to 2026. I will be able to grow into the part. We also have a clause in which guarantees Mrs Brown is aired at 10pm on Christmas night, or else we don’t have to make it.
“I did that because if it’s not good enough for Christmas Day, then we shouldn’t be making it,” he added.
Behind the scenes drama
There’s been trouble behind the scenes of the show recently too.
Actor Gary Hollywood – who played Dino in the sitcom – was said to be suing Brendan for “workplace discrimination and constructive dismissal” earlier this year.
He told the Daily Star at the time: “I feel I wasn’t being paid equally and I wasn’t being given an explanation for decisions.”
Mrs Brown Boys will return later this year for another festive special.
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