To be nonplussed why people rave over Mrs Brown's Boys

[ComposHat]

I've tried watching it twice twice and haven't got past the first five minutes it was so awful.

It seemed like an artless parody of a shite 70s sitcom (like something Frankie Howerd forgot to make) Don't get me wrong I'm not a comedy snob and quite enjoy a broad knockabout comedy like Vicious, yet I am utterly bemused by Mrs Brown's Boys, it looks dated, absurd and utterly free from laughs.

Yet it has a massive following, especially amongst people of my parents' generation. Normally when there's a TV programme I dislike I can see why other people (Top Gear for example) may enjoy it. But Mrs Brown seems to be without any redeaming features.

There must be some fans out there who can explain its appeal?

Heart Friday Night Dinner is fantastic .

"Shit on it" has become a catchphrase for me and DP .

I'm sure if those were delivered in an Irish accent by a bloke dressed as a woman and filmed on a set they would be hilarious

Yes, BOAF is back tomorrow. If I recall rightly, I was mildly amused the first time round (but preferred stuff like Blackadder and The Comic Strip).

I think it's because Dorian and the blonde one can't get any other work and Pauline Quirke (who is actually a fucking great actress and doesn't need to return to this shite) feels sorry for them.

That's the only reason I can think of for bringing it back.

YY to Friday Night Dinner and Green Wing

Ha, yes! I use 'shit on it' all the time - to the extent where I'd forgotten where I got it from

I also love the ongoing saga of the science mags that he won't get rid of. The episode with the bonfire was particularly brilliant.

I'm only halfway through the first series of Green Wing - completely bonkers - love it.

Shalom!

And the neighbour (Mark Heap, scene-stealing as always) and his dog - who he's scared of! The way he twitches at it when the bloody animal hasn't even moved

Friday night dinner isn't that resemblant of my upbringing, but there are some stereotypes I'm quite familiar with, my family is Jewish and we did always have, and still do have Friday Night Dinner (always with crumble too). I just wondered if Mrs Browns Boys is easier to laugh at if you're familiar with the stereotypes it includes? I have no reference points for it, I didn't know if that's why I don't get the jokes.

Loved Friday Night dinner. I wish they'd make another series.

I get that there might be cultural reference points that those of us who aren't Irish/from an Irish background might not get, but that doesn't excuse the quality of the writing and the crassness of the approach. I don't always get the references in Friday Night Dinners either, but the writing is brilliant.

SirChenjin, say what you like about the scripts of Birds of a Feather, or about the acting of Linda Robson or Lesley Joseph, but Pauline Quirke is a really good actress.

Pauline Quirke is a fantastic actress (not happy about the prices of her stage schools though - thought it was about 'giving back' ), which is why I don't understand why she's stepping backwards to do more BOAF, which was shite the first time round and will probably be extremely cringe worthy this time.

They don't even have Peter Polycarpou (who I love just for his name )

I quite like Mrs Brown's Boys, though not as much as Friday Night Dinner.

Citizen Khan, however, you can keep - the only bit I like are the bits filmed with the locals in Sparkhill, as they often look bemused....

You don't have to be Welsh to get the humour in Gavin & Stacey - a few of the Welshisms might throw you but not very likely.

Friday Night Dinner was very well written. I related to the sibling rivalry and eccentric gran more than anything.

DH is Irish & I've lived in Ireland for years so you might think I'd get the humour & cultural references in Mrs Brown's Boys, but I don't. It's the biggest load of rubbish ever, almost embarrassingly unfunny.

I love Father Ted though, absolute comic genius.

I hate it too!

My mum (Irish descent, late 70's) was on at me to watch MBB as it was 'hilarious' so I gave it a go. What a bag of shite (as the actually funny Paul Calf would say)! It is sooo awful, embarrassingly bad!

I was astounded she likes it, as back in the 70's she was deeply into Monty Python and The Goon Show/Spike Milligan's Q series and would sit purse-lipped at the likes of Love Thy Neighbour, Bless This House and Terry & June whilst my dad howled with laughter... she also loves Father Ted, IT Crowd, Spaced, Black Books and League of Gentlemen, so what the hell she sees in MBB I just can't fathom. It is, as fireside said earlier, on a par with the pisstake the Young Ones did "Oh Crikey!". Utterly cringeworthy.

I actually avoid being in the house when I visit if MBB is on because she seems determined to get me to admit that it's funny. Like if I watch it enough suddenly the scales will drop from my eyes and I'll start guffawing along with her...

David Sedaris is FANTASTIC btw, whoever said that upthread.

Pressed post too soon - Father Ted is utter genius and whoever compared the two shows wants shooting. No comparison whatsoever.

I don't enjoy MBB but love Miranda. Tend to be more Peep Show/IT Crowd/Black Books etc though. Oh and Gavin & Stacey! One of my favourites.

My grandma enjoys it and is of Irish heritage but not sure that makes a difference, I don't work in a book shop or IT department!

Comedy is so subjective though, very at correlating sense of humour with intelligence. I have a high IQ and enjoy Keeping Up Appearances and Only Fools & Horses, neither of which are very highbrow.

I agree about the genius of Father Ted. But I also love Frasier, Black Books, Peep Show, Friday Night Dinner, Spaced, Gavin and Stacey, and loads more that people have mentioned.

It was funny, watching Sherlock last night, I realised that the Sherlock/Mycroft relationship reminded me of Frasier and Niles Crane. In fact, there was a bit of dialogue where they talk about how, as children, they found other children really stupid, that I even thought might have been lifted from Frasier. Then this morning I saw a quote from Mark Gatiss where he says that Sherlock and Mycroft were like the Cranes - so it must have been deliberate on the writers' part.

Mrs Brown started as a very successful stage show and I have seen at least three of them. So when it appeared on tv I was surprised but wondered how it it would be received. I think it is successful because there are a lot of Irish descent people and/or people who know someones mother that Mrs Brown depicts. I certainly do. The beauty of it is, it can be sad, happy and exasperating all in one minute, it's fast and maybe you don't get the accent or the 'Catholic upbringing' thing.

I didn't get Miranda (but do now) and certainly don't get Viscious, Citizen Khan and I am not looking forward to BOAF. I say, well done to Brendan O'Carroll and his family for giving me something to laugh at.

Leave it alone, it made me chuckle on Christmas day and that's saying something.

I'm with you too and again my parents find it hilarious

melika please don't insult people on this thread by saying the reason we don't like MBB is because we don't 'get' it .

I am Irish and was raised catholic in Ireland.

And it is still a festering pile of shite.

BIL is from Ireland and is Catholic - he 'gets' it fine, just thinks it's shite. It really is shite - it's like a badly scripted amateur pantomime in a small town, but because the actors are known to the audience it's 'funny'.