Mrs Brown's Boys Xmas rehearsal stopped as junior staffer quits over star's 'clumsy' racial joke
Brendan O'Carroll, who plays the titular character, has issued a public apology for making a joke implying a racial slur.
A crew member stormed off the set of Mrs Brown's Boys after Brendan O'Carroll reportedly read out an N-word "joke" during a read-through, leaving the BBC to issue the comedian a final warning.
The junior staffer was appalled by the offensive language at the Christmas special run-through last Wednesday. An insider told the Daily Star: "How is it that they are no longer on the show...but Brendan is. The whole thing is messed-up."
Brendan, 69, who plays the famous Irish mother Agnes, improvised on a read-through of the Christmas special script, referring to “calling a spade a spade”.
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.
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.
“It backfired and caused offence, which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”
The spokesperson for the show highlighted to press: "We would also like to clarify that the 'n' word was absolutely not spoken, it was implied."
Adding an explanation, they said, "Agnes [Mrs Brown] began the word but was stopped from finishing it by her daughter Cathy, as she knew she would be."
The BBC maintained its policy of not discussing specific cases while re-emphasising its position against discrimination, with a representative declaring: "Whilst 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."