Mrs Brown’s Boys spin-off chat show ‘faces the axe’

Mrs Brown’s Boys chat show All Round to Mrs Brown’s is reportedly faxing the axe due to coronavirus restrictions around filming.

Bosses are said to be having a difficult time trying to book celebrity guests for the spin-off series amid the ongoing pandemic.

According to the Daily Star, the show is now ‘hanging in the balance’ and a decision has yet to be made, despite the programme being set to air next month.

Hanging in the balance: Mrs Brown’s Boys chat show All Round to Mrs Brown’s is reportedly faxing the axe due to coronavirus restrictions (Brendan O’Carroll pictured as Agnes Brown)

A source said: ‘The cast were able to film two festive specials of Mrs Brown’s Boys last autumn because there were fewer restrictions at the time and the cast were able to form a bubble.

‘But making the chat show with different guests every episode is much more difficult to pull off in the current climate.

‘If there is a way of getting the show on air, then they’ll make it happen.’  

If the show ends up being axed, BBC bosses would be left with up to six hours of screen time to fill. 

Show: Bosses are said to be having a difficult time trying to book celebrity guests for the spin-off series amid the ongoing pandemic (Pamela Anderson pictured in 2017)

Show: Bosses are said to be having a difficult time trying to book celebrity guests for the spin-off series amid the ongoing pandemic (Pamela Anderson pictured in 2017)

MailOnline has contacted a representative for the BBC for comment. 

All Round to Mrs Brown’s has aired since 2017 and sees Brown family matriarch Agnes Brown (Brendan O’Carroll) interview celebrity guests.

It comes after Brendan O’Carroll revealed that he’s used his own savings to pay the cast of the Mrs Brown’s Boys tour after the event was cancelled because of Covid-19.

The actor, 65, explained how he’s given stars ‘half the money they’d make off the tour’, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of euro, in an interview with the Irish Sun.

Axe: The show is now 'hanging in the balance' and a decision has yet to be made, despite the programme being set to air next month (Harry Redknapp pictured in 2020)

Axe: The show is now ‘hanging in the balance’ and a decision has yet to be made, despite the programme being set to air next month (Harry Redknapp pictured in 2020)

Although taking a financial hit, Brendan said he thinks it will be worth it as he wants the talented stars to return to the show after the pandemic and believes in ‘karma’.

Brendan told the publication: ‘You have to realise this would be the cast’s earnings for the year.

‘So what I did was advance them half the money they’d make off the tour, they’ll get the rest when we actually get to play the arenas.’

Explaining he believes in ‘karma’, Brendan added: ‘I want all my actors back when we come out of this. I’m a big believer in treating people well so they don’t feel the need to go anywhere else.’ 

Airtime: If the show ends up being axed, BBC bosses would be left with up to six hours of screen time to fill (Brendan pictured in 2018)

Airtime: If the show ends up being axed, BBC bosses would be left with up to six hours of screen time to fill (Brendan pictured in 2018)

The cast were set to play a massive Mrs Brown UK arena tour consisting of 16 dates in cities such as Glasgow, Birmingham and Cardiff. 

Seven of the dates are currently rearranged for June and July. 

The series has been surrounded by controversy of late after actor Gary Hollywood revealed he’s suing the show’s creator Brendan over a bitter pay row.

Gary, who played hairdresser Dino Doyle, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘So much of the show, off screen, is about Brendan’s own family. It’s like jobs for the Browns.

‘At times, as the years went on, it felt like it was a case of the Mrs Brown’s mafia, which was difficult if you weren’t in it. There is a fear of falling out with them, and of course that creates a tense atmosphere and I found myself walking on eggshells.’

Claims: The hit BBC series has been surrounded by controversy of late after actor Gary Hollywood revealed he's suing the show's creator Brendan over a bitter pay row

 Claims: The hit BBC series has been surrounded by controversy of late after actor Gary Hollywood revealed he’s suing the show’s creator Brendan over a bitter pay row

The show was reportedly thrown into chaos last month when a bitter row broke out over his pay. Gary was furious after learning he earns less than the rest of the cast.

Now he is taking legal action against Brendan, the BBC and the TV production company which makes the show, citing discrimination and unfair dismissal.

In papers lodged with an employment tribunal, the Glaswegian actor said he was paid 25 per cent less than his colleagues for his role in last year’s All Round to Mrs Brown’s.

And he said he was dropped from one of the two Christmas specials just days before filming started. Hollywood said when he raised both issues with Dublin-born Brendan, he was told that he should be ‘more grateful’.

The BBC, O’Carroll and his company, BOC Productions, all declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.

Not happy: Gary Hollywood (pictured left with Rory Cowan, who is seen above as Rory Brown) said working on the show could be: 'At times, as the years went on, it felt like it was a case of the Mrs Brown's mafia, which was difficult if you weren't in it'

Not happy: Gary Hollywood (pictured left with Rory Cowan, who is seen above as Rory Brown) said working on the show could be: ‘At times, as the years went on, it felt like it was a case of the Mrs Brown’s mafia, which was difficult if you weren’t in it’