Is Mrs Brown set to become the new Mrs Merton?

Is Mrs Brown about to become the new Mrs Merton?

Brendan O'Carroll, who created and stars in the hit BBC sitcom Mrs Brown's Boys, is said to be being lined up for a chat show in the style of 90s programme The Mrs Merton Show, which saw Caroline Aherne acerbically quiz celebrities.

According to the Daily Mirror, a BBC source has said the broadcaster sees the idea as a 'near-certain hit' as Mrs Brown's Boys has attracted as many as 11 million viewers to some episodes during its three-series run.

The comedy started life in the theatre in 1999 and a film, Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie, was released in June, with an arena tour planned for next year.

Brendan has also confirmed plans for an animated series, but has turned down an offer to make a US version for HBO and dropped out of a quiz show format, Mrs Brown's Celebrities, which became The Guess List hosted by Rob Brydon.

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.