Mrs Brown’s Boys is set to remain on air until at least 2026, it’s been reported.
The show’s creator Brendan O’Carroll confirmed that he’s signed a new deal to ensure the popular BBC sitcom will continue to make its Christmas specials for seven more years.
He added that the new contract guarantees that every festive edition he creates will be given a coveted slot of 10pm every Christmas Day.
Not going anywhere: Mrs Brown’s Boys is set to remain on air until at least 2026, it’s been reported
And that if they are not given the spot, they are not obliged to make the Christmas episode at all.
Boasting of his sitcom’s success, Irish comic Brendan, 65, told the Irish Sun: ‘We’ve been doing it for nine years already – which is six more than The Royle Family had and more than Morecambe and Wise.
‘This new deal we signed last week goes all the way to 2026, which means I will be able to grow into the part, and we’ve a clause in which guarantees Mrs Brown is aired at 10pm on Christmas night, or else we don’t have to make it.’
He added of the deal: ‘I wanted that because if it’s not good enough for Christmas Day, then we shouldn’t be making it.’
Big deal: The show’s creator Brendan O’Carroll confirmed that he’s signed a new deal to ensure the popular BBC sitcom will continue to make its Christmas specials for seven more years (pictured in 2018)
MailOnline have contacted BBC representatives for comment.
Last year’s Mrs Brown’s Boys drew an audience of 4.63 million, making it the seventh most watched programme of the day.
This year’s festive edition is called ‘Orange is the New Mammy’ and will see the foul-mouthed matriarch navigate life in the coronavirus pandemic.
Life imitated art as rehearsals for the show were done via Zoom, while the cast and crew had daily Covid-19 tests during production.
Festive joy: He added that the new contract guarantees that every festive edition he creates will be given a coveted slot of 10pm every Christmas Day
The series has been surrounded by controversy of late as a source close to former-Mrs Brown’s Boys actor Gary Hollywood recently accused the show’s star Brendan O’Carroll of ‘lying’ about Gary’s shock exit from the series.
Gary, 41, who played the loveable hairdresser Dino Doyle, recently vanished from new episodes of the BBC One show after 20 years over an alleged ‘big money dispute’.
Last weekend, Brendan insisted that Gary left due to personal reasons and that there is no bad blood between them.
Exciting: ‘This new deal we signed last week goes all the way to 2026, which means I will be able to grow into the part, and we’ve a clause in which guarantees Mrs Brown is aired at 10pm on Christmas night’
But a source told MailOnline on Monday evening: ‘Brendan is lying through his dentures to save face and save the show.
‘To say Gary left the show to move to Lanzarote was so stupid and really insulting to Gary’s and the Mrs Brown’s fans.
‘They all know Gary has been living in Lanzarote since 2014 and regularly takes to social media to share snaps. He even hosts a weekly radio show on their main radio station, Monster Radio.
Seven more years: ‘I wanted that because if it’s not good enough for Christmas Day, then we shouldn’t be making it’
‘Brendan knows this but said it in the hope nobody will really notice, as he’s trying to be complimentary about Gary, by saying it was amicable. It was far from amicable.’
The source went on to claim the rest of the cast are ‘too scared to stand up to Brendan’ and that the show is in turmoil behind-the-scenes.
‘The future of the show is at stake here. While it does divide opinion, it’s extremely popular with a lot of people.
‘One of the reasons for it is because they appear to be a family not just on camera but off too. They’re all meant to be paid equally and they’re all meant to be one big happy family.
‘He’s LYING through his dentures!’ A source close to former-Mrs Brown’s Boys actor Gary Hollywood accused the show’s star Brendan of ‘lying’ about Gary’s shock exit from the series
A source told MailOnline: ‘To say Gary left the show to move to Lanzarote was so stupid and really insulting to Gary’s and the Mrs Brown’s fans. They all know Gary has been living in Lanzarote since 2014!’
‘Behind the scenes it’s far from it. This has been brewing for a very long time and everyone saw it coming.
‘Of course brushing it under the carpet and trying to rewrite history isn’t going to help matters – but everyone’s too scared to stand up to Brendan for fear they’ll get the chop, just like Gary did.
‘Gary was much loved by the cast, crew and the fans alike. His character Dino was one of the show’s most popular and the fans are very upset to see him go.’
MailOnline approached reps at the BBC and for Brendan for comment at the time.
The Mrs Brown’s Boys festive specials air Christmas Day on BBC One at 10pm and New Years Day.
Cover up? ‘Brendan knows this but said it in the hope nobody will really notice, as he’s trying to be complimentary about Gary, by saying it was amicable. It was far from amicable,’ the source added
Cast: The source went on to claim the rest of the cast are ‘too scared to stand up to Brendan’