The Queen is secret fan of Mrs. Brown's Boys - and gets to watch the Christmas special early

15 December 2019, 12:28 | Updated: 15 December 2019, 12:44

At first glance Agnes Brown and HRH might not have much in common, but they're both iconic matriarchs with colourful families.

It's the award-winning comedy which remains a safe bet to be top of the TV ratings once again over the festive season.

But it has now been revealed that Her Majesty doesn't have to wait until Christmas Day or New Year, as according to comedian Brendan O’Carroll who plays “Mammy” Agnes Brown in the hit BBC series, The Queen orders advance copies.

Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special teaser | BBC Trailers

The 64-year-old Irish writer, producer, comedian, actor, and director, said he had a rule of not releasing previews, but had made an exception for The Queen.

“One of the few to get a preview copy is Buckingham Palace. I was speechless a couple of years ago when our producer first told me that they wanted an advance copy.”

The Christmas Day episode is based on the film It’s A Wonderful Life, where Mammy wishes she’d never been born. Her wish is overheard by angel Clyde, played by Kevin Kennedy, 58, best known as Curly in Corrie. Meanwhile, the New Year’s Day episode is a parody of the Netflix drama, Orange is the New Black.

While the British monarch gets a sneak preview, Brendan said that he never watches his show before it’s broadcast on television. He said: “The magic ingredient is the audience.

"They let us know if anything isn't funny. The deal with them is – this is your night out, so come in, sit down and we’ll make you laugh. “I never see the show before it airs on TV.

"On Christmas night, the family comes over and we all watch it in our pyjamas.”

Mrs Brown’s Boys is always a huge hit in the Christmas ratings. The 2017 Christmas episode was watched by 6.8 million viewers, reaching nine million viewers including online, making it the second most popular show on Christmas Day, only beaten by Call the Midwife.

Last year it had 4.7 million viewers and still managed to feature in the Top 10 ratings winners of Christmas Day. The Queen’s speech is usually the most-watched TV programme on Christmas Day, but it isn’t usually counted as Her Majesty’s annual message is shown on numerous channels simultaneously.

Both the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Mrs Brown’s Boys episodes will be shown at 10.30pm on BBC One.

READ MORE: Netflix, NOW TV, Apple TV+: Which streaming service is best for Christmas?