'Mrs Brown's Boys' Christmas 2021 special— everything we know

Mrs Brown's Boys star Brendan O'Carroll
Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas 2021 special is on its way. (Image credit: BBC)

The Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas 2021 special will be a big part of the Beeb's Christmas TV line-up, with news that there'll be not one but two special episodes to celebrate Christmas and New Year. 

Earlier this year there was also a Halloween special, which saw Mrs Brown’s late husband, Redser, arriving in Finglas to haunt her.

The Halloween special was a live event and also marked the 10th anniversary of the series. Speaking about it ahead of its launch, Charlotte Moore, BBC's Chief Content Officer said: "I'm thrilled that we are marking the 10th anniversary of the award-winning Mrs Brown's Boys coming to BBC1 with this very special live broadcast.

"A huge thank you to Brendan and the team for keeping us all so brilliantly entertained for a decade. I can't wait to see what mischief Agnes and family have in store for us this Halloween."

But now that Halloween is over for another year, all focus is on Christmas, and Mrs Brown's Boys will air two specials to keep fans entertained over the festive period. Here's everything we know so far...

'Mrs Brown's Boys' Christmas 2021 special release date

There are two specials this year, one on Christmas Day at 10:20pm and one on New Year's Day at 10pm. Both will air on BBC1. 

What are the plots of the Christmas specials?

Christmas Day - 'Mammy's Magical Merriment'

The official plot for the Christmas Day special is as follows: "Agnes has been recruited to the church choir, but she’s under strict instructions from Father McBride that there’s to be no singing and certainly no dancing. That’s not the only thing off limits: a Christmas tree shortage means Buster has to get even more creative than usual to impress Agnes. Meanwhile, Dermot and Buster have organised this year’s festivities at Foley's and are holding a murder mystery night in aid of alcoholic greyhounds. What could possibly go wrong?"

New Year's Day - 'Mammy's Mickey'

And the New Year's Day plot is: "This New Year is all about reconciliation and fresh starts in the Brown household, but not everyone seems to have got the message. Grandad’s brother Mickey is fresh out of prison and decides to stop by for a visit. Everyone except Grandad is suspicious when he shows up asking for 5,000 euros to invest in a South African gold mine. Winnie, inspired by Cathy’s book, is on a daredevil mission to change the trajectory of her life, while Mrs Brown’s boys are forced to have a heart to heart."

Will there be a full series in 2022?

So far, it seems unlikely that a full series of Mrs Brown's Boys will return to the BBC. The last time we had a proper series was in 2013, and now the BBC have only been airing special episodes to celebrate certain events such as Christmas and Halloween. However, if a new series is set to arrive we'll be sure to keep you updated.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress