Mrs Brown’s Boys demonstrates that money can’t buy you quality; with only three regular sets, the show looks as if it was made from funds gained by selling off Christmas cracker gifts. But that doesn’t matter; where the show’s charm really lies is in the lovable characters, and the sharp fekking writing.
Christmas Eve’s episode, Mammy Christmas, saw Agnes (Brendan O’Carroll) believing that secret cameras were filming her, leading to some brilliant scenes with the even more brilliant Winnie McGoogan (Elish O’Carroll – who has one of the loveliest, most perpetually happy faces on telly), the latter’s stupidity, and lack of understanding about seemingly every situation she finds herself in proving to be an utter joy as ever. But it was with Boxing Day’s The Virgin Mammy that the real fun started, as Agnes tried to organise a nativity play, with predictably hilarious results: from the gut-busting baby cannon opening to Cathy’s fantastic use of “Jesus Christ”, this episode really hit the nail on the head. Or, perhaps more appropriately, pinned the tail on the donkey. Or was it a zebra?
