Mrs Brown's Boys' Brendan O'Carroll cancels Christmas specials

Brendan O'Carroll has announced the Christmas and New Year's specials of Mrs Brown's Boys have been cancelled, with the creator needing "immediate surgery" on his broken jaw.

The 70-year-old, who stars as Agnes Brown on the show, said in a statement on Monday that filming would not go ahead.

"It is with sincere regret I must announce that due to an unexpected medical issue I will have to cancel the recordings of the 2026 Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas and New Year's Specials," he wrote on Instagram.

"Following a CT Scan, it was found that I had two fractures in my mandible (jaw) which requires immediate surgery and a few months recovery."

O'Carroll shared he had been speaking with the BBC about getting the tv series "back on the screen".

The medical issue will see the postponement of Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Panto? shows in Dublin and Killarney, which were scheduled for later this year. The Dublin comedian said he and MCD Productions were trying to reschedule the shows for 2027.

Though he announced he was "heartbroken" for fans, he is focusing on restoring himself "to full health", adding: "I genuinely cannot wait to see you all again in 2027."

"Our fans mean the world to us, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and support and trust me Agnes Brown and her family will be back."

He then thanked MCD and the BBC for their "support and understanding at this difficult time".

"We wish Brendan a full and speedy recovery and are working with him on plans for Mrs Brown's Boys in 2027," said a spokesperson from the BBC.

The comedy series is filmed at the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow and has been running since 2011.

The show was developed from O’Carroll’s works dating back to the early ‘90s, with Agnes originally appearing on RTÉ 2FM and consequently in a series of books. Despite a limited number of episodes, the show has retuned annually for Christmas and New Year’s specials since 2013.