[JMT1985]

Mrs Brown's Boys does better business for RTE in Ireland than the BBC here in the UK - it is a joint production, and I have a feeling if the BBC had other better comedies for Friday nights and Christmas, they wouldn't have signed O'Carroll up to do more, it is basically BBC admitting they have very few new ideas for comedy

I wonder if it was left up to RTE, would the series still be running now? I doubt it, as even though it is studio bound it's still fairly expensive to film - which is why the BBC chose to use their BBC Scotland facilities, to make the production costs reduced.

[London Lite]

A preview of the new living room and kitchen sets shown on a MBB trailer shown on BBC One before Football Focus.

[chinamug]

Mrs Brown's Boys does better business for RTE in Ireland than the BBC here in the UK - it is a joint production, and I have a feeling if the BBC had other better comedies for Friday nights and Christmas, they wouldn't have signed O'Carroll up to do more, it is basically BBC admitting they have very few new ideas for comedy

I wonder if it was left up to RTE, would the series still be running now? I doubt it, as even though it is studio bound it's still fairly expensive to film - which is why the BBC chose to use their BBC Scotland facilities, to make the production costs reduced.

It's a joint production but RTE are very much the junior partner, there's no way the series would be going now if it was left up to RTE. I know a good few people that entered production hell with RTE and their projects never saw the light of day. Brendan O Carroll was smart and kept the project under his own control. The reason it's shot in Scotland is because it was BBC Scotland commissioned it originally.  The show was a huge hit in Glasgow and a local BBC Scotland Producer managed to pick it up. The reason O Carroll got such a good deal from the BBC was because there was interest from other parties at the time.

[JMT1985]

It's a joint production but RTE are very much the junior partner, there's no way the series would be going now if it was left up to RTE. I know a good few people that entered production hell with RTE and their projects never saw the light of day. Brendan O Carroll was smart and kept the project under his own control. The reason it's shot in Scotland is because it was BBC Scotland commissioned it originally.  The show was a huge hit in Glasgow and a local BBC Scotland Producer managed to pick it up. The reason O Carroll got such a good deal from the BBC was because there was interest from other parties at the time.

I would hazard a guess Channel 4 were interested, as they seem to like Irish comedy, just look at the huge success of Father Ted and Derry Girls - if Mrs Brown's Boy had have been made for Channel 4, I wonder if the decline would have been slower and probably Channel 4 ending it around after a few years.

[strollfan]

I would hazard a guess Channel 4 were interested, as they seem to like Irish comedy, just look at the huge success of Father Ted and Derry Girls - if Mrs Brown's Boy had have been made for Channel 4, I wonder if the decline would have been slower and probably Channel 4 ending it around after a few years.

Strongly doubt it would be Channel 4, it doesn't fit into their brand whatsoever and has no similarity to either of the shows you mentioned beyond the fact they are Irish.

[Jon]

Channel 4 may have well have been interested as it was commercially lucrative at the time. In the same way they went after Bake Off despite not feeling like the right fit for the Channel. It wouldn’t have had the more edgy feel and credibility of those other shows though.

I think it’s the sort of thing you can imagine Sky or ITV would be a more likely home for. At that time.

[Brekkie]

Worth noting how it was a sleeper hit for the BBC with the first series or two going out at 10.35pm then getting surprisingly high ratings for Christmas specials not on Christmas Day and repeating well too. Indeed one thing that hasn't really changed in 50 odd years is how almost every hit BBC comedy usually becomes a hit thanks to repeatingwell.

[JMT1985]

Strongly doubt it would be Channel 4, it doesn't fit into their brand whatsoever and has no similarity to either of the shows you mentioned beyond the fact they are Irish.

Both Father Ted and Derry Girls have crude humour in them, just like Mrs Brown's Boys - this is why I could see Channel 4 taking it originally. 

I think many have a misty eyed view of Father Ted, with the passage of time that happens to every sitcom

[London Lite]

Isn't it just like EastEnders at the moment? EE may not have the huge linear audience it once had, but still leads with 16-34 year olds and is one of iPlayer's better peformers.

I can see this happening with MBB, low ratings to the linear airing, but will do well with iPlayer viewers who may well be watching it in box set form.

[James2001]

Though with EastEnders, the combination of the early release and the linear airing clashing with Emmerdale probably has a lot to do with why it does so well on there (they're the reason I watch it on the iPlayer more often than not).