[Andrew]

It would be nice if next year one of either Strictly, Call the Midwife or Mrs Brown’s Boys was moved to Christmas Eve or Boxing Day to freshen up the schedule further. Maybe if Doctor Who returns to Christmas Day this will happen?

I’m not a fan of Midwife being 90 minutes when it’s scheduled right in the middle of the schedule, in as much as it starts early evening and by the time it’s finished it’s late evening so it blocks out too much of the middle part of the night.

I think we are gradually moving to New Years Day being seen as a much bigger priority. It doesn’t help that most dramas that are popular at the moment wouldn’t sit well in tone on Christmas Day

[Newshound47]

It would be nice if next year one of either Strictly, Call the Midwife or Mrs Brown’s Boys was moved to Christmas Eve or Boxing Day to freshen up the schedule further. Maybe if Doctor Who returns to Christmas Day this will happen?

I’m not a fan of Midwife being 90 minutes when it’s scheduled right in the middle of the schedule, in as much as it starts early evening and by the time it’s finished it’s late evening so it blocks out too much of the middle part of the night.

I think we are gradually moving to New Years Day being seen as a much bigger priority. It doesn’t help that most dramas that are popular at the moment wouldn’t sit well in tone on Christmas Day

New Years Day suits higher ratings anyway. A lot more people are sitting quietly at home without being at gatherings for a start.

[JMT1985]

Mrs Brown's Boys simply does not deserve a Christmas Day slot anymore - back in what people think is the good old days of Christmas, even the likes of Morecambe and Wise in their final years at Thames were kicked out of Christmas Day (two reasons - one was the quality of their show was not great by 1981 and second was that London Weekend Television controlled Christmas night networking from 1981 to 1983, with LWT and Thames hating each other, LWT would never air Eric and Ernie on Christmas night. However this is not to say that LWT never networked other ITV companies big shows, they did at Christmas of course).

Brendan O'Carroll has had the luxury of having this sitcom/variety show air on Christmas night now since 2011, that must be a record which is getting close to beating Only Fools and Horses. By Christmas Day 2022, he would have has 12 Christmas Days on air. Only Fools had 14 Christmas Day airings, so it is getting close.

[all new phil]

Very much sounds like “I don’t like it so it shouldn’t be on” tbh.

[London Lite]

With ever fragmented audiences, MBB still fills a role of targeting audiences who wouldn't otherwise watch BBC output. Call the Midwife skews older as well, but it's not the same demo.

[JMT1985]

Let me make it very clear - I used to enjoy Mrs Browns Boys in the early series, in fact I went to see it in a theatre.

My problem is that the quality has dropped, and it simply does not deserve to be on Christmas night every year. Moving it to Christmas Eve or Boxing Day would free up Christmas night for something different.

In fact, back in 2014 I really enjoyed the Michael McIntyre’s Very Christmassy Christmas Show which aired at 10.40pm, a perfect end of Christmas night show.

[tellyblues]

Mrs Brown's Boys is on every Christmas night because a contract states it has to be aired then otherwise a show doesn't have to be made at all.

Even factoring in dwindling viewer numbers, by comparison to Strictly and Call The Midwife, MBB has lost way more of its audience. If there wasn't the clause in the contract, the show would have been moved.

[JMT1985]

I wonder why that clause was created, and was it created by the BBC or Brendan, as I have to say having that clause must be unique.

Yes, we have seen Only Fools on Christmas Day for years, I doubt that John Sullivan demanded from the BBC that he should always have Christmas Day on air.

Other big BBC shows never had that guarantee - just look at Doctor Who, shunted to New Year's Day under Chris Chibnall era.

Very interesting reading about that clause, I never knew it was that particular. Thank you.

[Steve in Pudsey]

Apparently that deal runs until 2026.

"I wanted that because if it's not good enough for Christmas Day, then we shouldn't be making it."

www.digitalspy.com 

Mrs Brown’s Boys gets BBC Christmas specials until at least 2026
Mrs Brown's Boys creator Brendan O'Caroll confirmed that he signed a deal with t…
  Source: www.digitalspy.com

[Neil Jones]

Very interesting reading about that clause, I never knew it was that particular. Thank you.

Contract clauses are strange things. Its stated that Arthur Lowe had a clause in his contract for Dad's Army (which may have been a result of the 1971 film) that he would never be seen on screen without his trousers on, which came to a head in a 1973 episode (the infamous "Don't tell him Pike" episode) and where the grenade was going to go.

Apparently Roger Moore when he was James Bond had a clause in the contract that said he could have as many cigars as he could get through, and Samuel L Jackson (it is said) has the contractual right to go play golf twice a week when working on a film.