That's NICE!

BRENDAN O'CARROLL on his meddling matriarch returning for a new series...

- ELAINE REILLY

MRS. BROWN'S BOYS
NEW FRIDAY, 9.30PM, BBC1 COMEDY (BOX SET, BBC IPLAYER)

Do not adjust your set – Christmas has come early for fans of Mrs. Brown’s Boys! Usually the mainstay of the festive schedules with seasonal specials, for the first time in 10 years, the Irish mammy with strong opinions and even riper language is back with a new miniseries on BBC1.

From hairdressing disasters to a DNA dilemma, there is no shortage of madcap antics for Agnes Brown (Brendan O’Carroll) and her chaotic clan in the four episodes. There’s also the arrival of lively new neighbour Birdie, played by Irish comedian June Rodgers, Holby City’s Debra Stephenson guesting as a former neighbour, plus the return of Susie Blake as Mrs Brown’s snobby nemesis Hilliary Nicholson.

Here, in an exclusive video-call chat from his home in Florida, Brendan, 67, the show’s creator, writer and star, tells us what we can expect from the new series…

How does it feel to be back with a whole series rather than festive specials?

We’ve been planning this since 2020, but then COVID-19 hit, we were locked down and by 2022 you couldn’t get a studio because everyone wanted to make programmes again. We were lucky to get in for the two Christmas specials we made that year! So it’s great we got to do it this year.

Can you tell us what crackpot capers we can expect?