BBC must say no to Brendan O’Carroll

O’Carroll and his wife at read through of the scripts

The Irish actor Brendan O’Carroll has apologised over a “clumsy” joke where a “racial term was implied” during rehearsals for the upcoming Christmas special of Mrs Brown’s Boys.

The BBC temporarily paused rehearsals to investigate the incident, but they have since resumed at the broadcaster’s Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow – with shows going ahead as planned, the PA news agency understands.

Mrs Brown’s Boys creator and star O’Carroll, 69, will return to his role as mischievous matriarch Agnes Brown in the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day specials.

O’Carroll said in a statement given to PA: “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.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “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.”

Last year, Mrs Brown’s Boys returned for a four-part series.

Despite being a regular feature on Christmas schedules for more than a decade, the episodes marked the first mini-series run since 2013.

A Little Thought:

O’Carroll has been around long enough to know what is racism, clumsy has nothing to do with it.

His alter ego Mrs Brown goes for the shock factor and it backfired during the read through of the scripts.

The show is not what it was, I think we have a final episode where Mrs Brown is put in a care home, taking Agnes and family with her.