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Mrs Brown’s Boys star cracked sick ‘joke’ using vile racial slur in front of junior member of production who later quit
Brendan was stopped from saying the final syllable of the offensive word by his wife, Jennifer Gibney
MRS Brown’s Boys star Brendan O’Carroll cracked a “joke” using the N-word in front of a junior member of production who was so upset they later quit.
Brendan, 69, who plays Irish matriarch Agnes, improvised on a read-through of the Christmas special script, referring to “calling a spade a spade”.
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He was stopped from saying the final syllable of the offensive word by his wife, Jennifer Gibney, who plays his daughter, Cathy on the show.
The BBC temporarily halted filming of the Christmas special, and the creator of Mrs Brown’s Boys has since apologised for making the attempted gag, admitting it had backfired.
A TV insider said: “Virtually everyone in the room on the day that the outburst happened were shocked, but the reading continued for some time without anyone saying or doing anything as they were so stunned.
“One member of the production team in particular was upset by what came out of his mouth and it was quickly reported to the bosses.
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“There was no excuses for what he said or any kind of context or mitigation he could provide for making the slur, he just seemed to think it was amusing.”
An urgent probe was ordered by the BBC and rehearsals for the festive show were temporarily suspended and the cast and crew stood down.
But filming is due to resume later this week at BBC Scotland’s Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow.
Brendan yesterday admitted: “At a read-through of the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, where a racial term was implied.
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“It backfired and caused offence, which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”
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The corporation added: “While 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.”
It’s particularly difficult for the Beeb since Mrs Brown’s Boys remains one of their most popular shows, and in their top most-watched sitcoms.
The festive specials, in particular, have become staples of BBC One’s schedules on Christmas Day, with millions still tuning in.
Mrs Brown’s Boys been on our screens since 2011 and has won the National Television Award for Best Comedy for the last six years in a row, constantly beating off competition from new, trendier rivals.
But it hasn’t always been so popular with BBC bosses, including the corporation’s current head of comedy Jon Petrie.
He was recently asked at a Beeb event whether he found the Dublin-based comedy funny or if he would watch it if he didn’t have to, and he turned down the chance to say he did.
After the gaffe he quickly issued a statement saying: “Brendan has created an iconic comedy character in Agnes Brown.
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“Mrs Brown’s Boys is a Bafta-winning comedy show and one of the BBC’s most-watched comedies ever.
“I’m proud to have it in the BBC Comedy stable.”
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