Mrs Brown's Boys and the BBC's Farage problem

Photo by BBC
On the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow, filming has ended on a new miniseries of Mrs Brown's Boys. In front of a whooping audience at BBC Scotland, Brendan O'Carroll reprised his role as the false-bosomed, foul-mouthed matriarch Mrs Brown. For much of the past decade, the show has been dragged out of the cupboard like tattered tinsel just once a year for a Christmas special. The mere thought of the show, with its 1970s slapstick and double entendre, is enough to bring some QI-watching liberals out in hives. Grace Dent called it 'the worst comedy ever made'. Hugo Rifkind wrote he could never be friends with anyone who watched it.
And there is a legitimate question as to why the BBC recommissioned it. Filming was temporarily paused last year when O'Carroll apologised for 'a clumsy attempt at a joke… where a racial term was implied'.
Perhaps the answer to the BBC's renewed fascination with the show lies in a meeting of the BBC's editorial guidelines and standards committee in March, at which BBC News CEO Deborah Turness gave a presentation on 'plans to address low trust issues with Reform voters'.
The BBC has a big problem with Reform voters, and Reform voters have a big problem with it. In a YouGov poll, 85 per cent of those who voted Reform last July said they didn't trust the BBC much or at all.
The meeting was told about plans to look at the low-trust issue in relation to news and drama, and the importance of local teams. The corporation is right to look beyond news in speaking to Reform voters, for whom cultural and moral issues are as important as political ones.
Which brings us back to Mrs Brown's Boys. My favourite data point from the Brexit referendum had nothing to do with immigration or sovereignty, and everything to do with the sitcom (once watched by 9.4 million people on Christmas Day 2013). A YouGov poll in 2018 found fans of Mrs Brown's Boys backed leaving the EU by 62 per cent to 38 per cent. Its viewers believed immigration, criminal justice and prisons were the top political issues. These are the people now turning to Reform from the Conservatives, and to a lesser degree from Labour. Around half of Leave voters are now Reform voters.
What else has the BBC offered such fans in recent years, beyond Mrs Brown's curlers and cardis? Not much. Yes, I hear the howls of frustration at what often feels like wall-to-wall coverage of Reform on news bulletins and interview shows. Nigel Farage is one of the most booked guests on BBC's Question Time. After Rachel Reeves' winter fuel U-turn, news bulletins gave first response to Farage (with his five MPs), rather than the Conservatives (120), Lib Dems (72), or even the SNP (nine).
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe
Like Keir Starmer, the BBC is now treating Reform as the de facto opposition. And on current voting intentions – if not parliamentary seats – it is right to do so. Because of this, Farage will have to face media scrutiny in a way he has previously avoided. Reform will also find it harder to continue its anti-establishment shtick when it is brought into the media fold. The argument that giving it so much airtime is adding to its momentum is, I fear, a ship long sailed. Reform is easily capable of reaching every demographic it needs through Facebook, TikTok or GB News.
The more important issue is whether our national public-service broadcaster is able to reach these people. It must do so while upholding its own standards of reporting, when there is greater competition for viewers' attention than ever – not least from Farage himself. The Reform leader, who could well be our next prime minister, has built much of his brand on attacking and undermining the BBC, calling it 'biased' and a 'political actor'.
By ignoring Reform the BBC would be ignoring almost a third of voters, while giving more credence to Farage's bleating that the BBC and the establishment are rigged against him. There are, however, concerns from inside the BBC that there is a 'mass overcorrection' going on. One insider says: 'It feels like the bosses are determined no one can say we didn't fully understand the coming of Reform in the way we were criticised for not foreseeing Brexit and the issues which led to it. But that means issues like migration and net zero are now being viewed through a 'Nigel Farage lens' – which isn't good either.'
It is doubtful whether this approach will rebuild trust among diehard Reform fans, who lost faith with the BBC a decade ago and have been frothing at the mouth at 'woke warrior' Doctor Who ever since. More important are the 'Reform curious', who are not fully convinced by the policies or character of Farage, but who want to be heard and seen in the nation's political and cultural life.
Reform has moved far beyond its base of Mrs Brown's Boys voters, probably to viewers of everything from Baby Reindeer to Springwatch. There is work to be done by the BBC to rebuild trust among many – regardless of how they might vote – in its drama output. Our public-service broadcaster has done great work in representing diverse audiences in recent years. It should not allow a populist upsurge to derail that. And yet to be truly diverse, it needs bosses and commissioners who are from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with and without university educations, and living in the communities in which they grew up. And some who find Mrs Brown's Boys hilariously funny.
[See also: Will Iran surrender?]
Related

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Scottish Sun

an hour ago

• Scottish Sun

Natalie Cassidy breaks silence on ‘disgusting' cancer hoax weeks after leaving EastEnders

It came after she opened up on 'bullying' allegations from a major pop star FORMER EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy has slammed a "disgusting and disgraceful" fake rumour suggesting she is battling breast cancer. The popular soap star took to her Instagram Stories for a fiery rant over the "terrible and made up" allegations. 6 EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy has slammed fake rumours of a medical condition Credit: Rex 6 The mum of two took to her Instagram Stories to rage about a 'disgraceful' story suggesting she has breast cancer Credit: Instagram 6 She quit her role on the long-running soap this year Credit: BBC The EastEnders alum, 42, who told of her decision to quit her EastEnders role as Sonia Fowler earlier this year, screen-grabbed the article image and concerning headline, which read: "Natalie Cassidy Breaks Down as She Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis." It then allegedly featured a quote from the TV star which read: "I Didn't Want Anyone to Know..." Images showed her in-character on the show as well as smiling in a cheery headshot. Yet Natalie, who this year quit EastEnders after 32 years on the soap, categorically slammed the suggestions of her illness. She furiously wrote in her caption: "THIS IS DISGUSTING AND DISGRACEFUL. "So many people are going through this and I have had messages asking if I'm ok. "It is completely made up and a terrible story. "Take this down whoever you are." The fake news came after the mum of two opened up on a huge pop star who used to bully her at school. EastEnders' Natalie Cassidy claims huge pop star used to BULLY her at school and reveals awkward confrontation ALL CHANGE The shock story also came just weeks after Natalie's podcast with Joanna Page was scrapped by the BBC in a huge career change. Yet she still has her own podcast, Life With Nat. The podcast scrap came after we reported how Natalie had landed a new TV show with the broadcaster. BBC Daytime have commissioned a new series - under the working title Natalie Cassidy Learning to Care - for BBC One and iPlayer. EastEnders stars who QUIT MICHELLE Collins has seen her second EastEnders stint boost her bank balance. Yet what stars have quit this year? The Sun exclusively reported how Michelle, 62, was down to £20,000 in her company accounts when she agreed to a shock back-from-the-dead return to Albert Square last year. Her character, Cindy Beale, was presumed dead off-camera in 1998. Yet what about the 2024 exits? Earlier this summer, loyal soap fans appeared to note how Stevie Mitchell had "quit" the long-running series. It came after Alan Ford enjoyed just six-months on-screen. Bobby Beale actor Clay Milner Russell also left this year after five years in Walford. Fans also feared Martin Fowler actor James Bye would "quit out of boredom" over recent storylines. Additionally, a host of stars have quit the BBC soap for Hollywood fame. One of the most successful stars to come from the BBC One soap is Rob Kazinsky. He played Stacey Slater's brother Sean Slater from 2006 to 2009, he has starred in Hollywood blockbusters Pacific Rim and Captain Marvel. Ben Hardy, who quit EastEnders as Bobby Beale almost a decade ago, went on to break Hollywood the following year, when he starred as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse. Since then, he has played Roger Taylor in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and he starred in Michael Bay's Netflix movie 6 Underground. Michelle Ryan played Zoe Slater until 2005. She starred as the lead in short-lived American series Bionic Woman from 2007 to 2008. The actress will fulfil her longtime ambition of wanting to train as carer. This means enrolling at one of the UK's top Health & Social Care colleges - alongside the next generation of carers. In recent years, Natalie has cared for family members and volunteered in local groups. The show follows her journey across classroom to community care services - as she's there for life's toughest moments. While to make things official, the actress will have to pass her final exam. Natalie said: 'I'm thrilled to be embarking on a new adventure with BBC Daytime. "In a series exploring social care, I will be going back to college and learning for the first time since leaving school at 16. "Caring has always been a huge part of my life, from watching my mum care for my nan, to being a mother to caring for my dad, this series is close to my heart and I can't wait for you to see it.' 6 She said the claims were 'completely made up' Credit: Rex 6 Natalie was an EastEnders fan-favourite Credit: BBC

The Independent

an hour ago

• The Independent

Billy Porter says Trump would be in jail if he was a black man

Broadway and Pose star Billy Porter has said that if Donald Trump was a black man he would have been in jail by now. Speaking to Matt Chorley for BBC Newsnight, Porter discussed the re-election of Donald Trump and the challenges faced by Democrats and activism in the United States. Porter said, 'We need to be focused on the fact he's not in jail… If he was a black man, he would be in jail.' He also speculated that the re-election of President Trump was a "backlash" to the election of President Obama because 'America is a racist country."

North Wales Chronicle

an hour ago

• North Wales Chronicle

EastEnders schedule change to occur in summer on BBC One

This is partly thanks to the BBC's coverage of Wimbledon, which will last from Monday, June 30 to Sunday, July 13. Due to this, there won't be any room for EastEnders to air in the usual 7.30pm slot. Instead, viewers will need to head over to BBC Two to get their usual fix of the soap. A post shared by EastEnders (@bbceastenders) On the week commencing June 30, EastEnders will only air on Monday and Tuesday. However, it will broadcast two episodes in a row, therefore effectively broadcasting a week's worth of episodes in just two days. As reported by The Metro, the storylines across those two days will involve Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) and Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) clashing, while Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) plots to catch someone out. At the time of writing, no information has been revealed regarding whether the episodes will arrive on BBC iPlayer at the usual time of 6am or what the schedule will look like for the week commencing July 7. A post shared on the r/EastEnders Reddit page shared the changes to the schedule for EastEnders. Quite a few were wondering how this would impact the usual release of episodes on BBC iPlayer. A person commented: "Will we get the 6am releases on iPlayer to be able to watch it at the usual time on the usual days?" One replied: "Glad you asked this because I was wondering the same! Hopefully we still get 6am iPlayer releases but wonder if they'll be double bills on Monday and Tuesday, or the usual Monday-Thurs (which would mean terrestrial/schedule viewers would get the storylines before the iPlayer episodes drop…) "Also the temptation to watch the doubles on Monday and Tuesday will be too much, but then what on earth do we do with ourselves for five days 🤣. "I find Friday-Sunday weird enough without checking in on the Square lol, five days feels looong." Recommended reading: EastEnders fans 'so sad' as its confirmed 'all-time favourite' dog has died Coronation Street star reportedly quits with final scenes having already aired 'Annoyed' EastEnders fans slam BBC soap as characters 'disappearing for weeks' Another person said: "I don't understand why people complain when something is moved to accommodate something else, especially when it's just a channel change. "In the world of streaming and catch up, there is absolutely no way someone can 'miss' it because it was moved. "It really doesn't matter because all you have to do is instead of switching to bbc one, you just switch to bbc 2. It's better that than them not airing an episode or taking it off for Wimbledon."