Yahoo News Mrs Brown’s Boys filming halted for racism probe
Mrs Brown’s Boys has temporarily paused rehearsals after creator Brendan O’Carroll made an allegedly racist remark while in character, according to The Mirror.
The BBC series was preparing for its upcoming festive specials in a read-through last week when the remark was made.
The site reports that those in attendance were left shocked and informed the BBC, who paused rehearsals to investigate the matter. Rehearsals have since resumed in Glasgow.
“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,” a BBC spokesperson told Digital Spy.
O’Carroll told The Mirror of the incident: “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.”
The Christmas and New Year’s Day episodes of Mrs Brown’s Boys were confirmed back in June, the show traditionally airing the specials every year.
"Brendan has created an iconic comedy character in Agnes Brown,” the BBC's Director of Comedy, Jon Petrie said at the time. “Mrs Brown's Boys is a BAFTA-winning comedy show and one of the BBC's most-watched comedies ever.
"It's made me laugh many times and seeing Mrs Brown's Boys live is an unforgettable experience – I feel very lucky that I've had the chance to witness it and I'm proud to have it in the BBC Comedy stable."
Reflecting on last year’s special, which was beaten in ratings by Ghosts’ finale, Petrie added: "[Viewers] want jokes, they want shows that make them laugh and the ones that they are re-watching again and again are Ghosts, Motherland, Not Going Out and Mrs Brown's Boys. They still get huge numbers for us."
Mrs Brown's Boys will return later this year on BBC One and iPlayer.
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