Production
In early 2009, O'Carroll was approached by BBC Scotland producer Stephen McCrum to create a television series based on the stage show. O'Carroll recruited an expanded cast mainly from family members and wrote a pilot, but production was held back a year due to the Jonathan Ross/Russell Brand incident. The unbroadcast pilot was created in November 2009, and within three weeks of the pilot being submitted to the BBC, they commissioned a full series. Subsequently, RTÉ came on board to help produce the series in partnership with the BBC. The first series aired on RTÉ One from 1 January to 5 February 2011. In the United Kingdom, the BBC transmitted the first episode on 21 February 2011.
Following the success of the first series, RTÉ and the BBC commissioned a second, which began with a Christmas special broadcast on 25 December 2011 on RTÉ One, and the next day on BBC One. The latter was the most watched television programme in Ireland over the Christmas season. The second series began on New Year's Eve 2011 in Ireland, and two days later in the United Kingdom.
The BBC commissioned a third series in November 2011 a few weeks before the second series was broadcast. O'Carroll described the commission as "An extraordinary gift and we genuinely don't take it lightly. We're overwhelmed with the support of the audience and hopefully when they see what we've done with the second series they'll see that maybe the BBC is not totally mad." Cheryl Taylor, the controller of comedy commissioning for the BBC also commented on the commission of a third series, "The new Mrs Brown's episodes are rip-roaring fun and will delight her ever growing army of fans. I am pleased as punch that we are commissioning series three – go Agnes!" Following two Christmas specials, the third series began on 29 December 2012 on RTÉ One and on 1 January 2013 on BBC One.
According to Gary Hollywood, who played Dino, on a radio interview, a Mrs. Brown's Boys Christmas Special for 2013 would be recorded in May 2013, due to a busy schedule of UK touring and the potential of filming the Mrs. Brown film (due for cinematic release in June 2014) from September to November 2013. On 30 January 2013, the BBC announced that two Christmas specials had been commissioned for 2013.
The BBC announced that they had commissioned two more Christmas specials for 2015. O'Carroll stated: "I have been commissioned to write another two Christmas specials and the BBC are expecting Christmas specials up until 2020." In December 2020, O’Carroll announced that additional Christmas specials had been commissioned up to 2026, stating "This new deal we signed last week goes all the way to 2026, which means I will be able to grow into the part, and we’ve a clause in which guarantees Mrs Brown is aired at 10pm on Christmas night, or else we don’t have to make it.".
On 19 February 2022, it was announced that Mrs. Brown’s Boys would be returning for a fourth series set to air in 2022. This marked the first new series of the show in almost 10 years. It was later announced that the series was put on hold due to scheduling difficulties, with it instead being a four episode mini-series, filmed in 2023. The series aired in September 2023, with the first episode on September 8, and the next three weekly.
In 2025, a fifth series of Mrs. Brown’s Boys was filmed between May and June 2025, this aired from 1 August to 29 August on BBC One. All four episodes were made available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and RTÉ Player in Ireland from 1 August 2025.
Mrs. Brown's Boys is recorded at the BBC Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow and is recorded in front of a live audience, which is seen at the beginning and the end of each show.
In August 2026, O'Carroll announced in a statement that the Christmas and New Year's specials would not return for that year, as they were unable to film due to O'Carroll suffering two fractures in his jaw, therefore requiring surgery and several months recovery.
