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Why the BBC can't kill off Mrs Brown's Boys: Comedy chief finally appears to admit show isn't funny, but commissions MORE episodes because 'millions still watch it'
It seemed an easy question for the BBC 's director of comedy - does he find one of the sitcoms he oversees funny?
But Jon Petrie's silence when quizzed about BBC staple Mrs Brown's Boys at a Q&A session earlier this week throws light on a bigger question: Who does actually like the show, and why does it divide TV audiences like nothing else? Following his awkward Q&A appearance on Tuesday, Petrie released a statement the next day praising Brendan O'Carroll, the show's writer and star, for 'creating the iconic comedy character' that had 'made me laugh many times'. O'Carroll's unlikely inspiration for the character of Mrs Brown was his mother, Maureen, who raised 11 children and embarked on a trailblazing political career that saw her rise to become the Chief Whip of the Irish Labour Party.
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