It’s a drizzly Tuesday in Finglas, the kind where the rain pelts your windows like Agnes Brown’s unfiltered opinions. Brendan O’Carroll, the 69-year-old comedy wizard behind one of TV’s most gloriously chaotic creations, is perched in his armchair, nursing a cuppa that’s more tea than milk (just how Mammy likes it). He’s got that mischievous glint in his eye, the one that says he’s about to spill secrets hotter than a plate of overcooked spuds. “Series 5? Oh, it’s a right riot,” he chuckles, his Dublin brogue rolling like thunder. “We’ve got Agnes accidentally becoming an internet sensation – without even trying. And let me tell you, the podcast bit? It’s pure pandemonium. Cathy’s face when she realizes her mammy’s hijacked her baby? Priceless.”

Hold onto your mammy pants, because Mrs Brown’s Boys – the BAFTA-winning, NTA-sweeping sitcom that’s been slinging saucy one-liners since 2011 – is officially charging back onto BBC One for a full-throated Series 5. Filming wrapped back in May at the cavernous Pacific Quay studios in Glasgow, where the live audience’s howls could probably be heard from here to the Liffey. That electric buzz, the kind that turns scripted gags into spontaneous gold? It’s the secret sauce fans have been craving since the last full run in 2023. And after a Christmas special that yanked in 3.88 million viewers (top 10 comedy of the year, no less), the BBC’s not messing about. This isn’t a one-off; it’s a proper six-episode binge (plus a cheeky box set on iPlayer), airing from Friday, August 1, 2025, at the witching hour of 9:30 p.m. – prime time for mammy mayhem.

But why now? Why drag the Brown clan out of hibernation just as the world’s gone mad for edgier laughs and prestige dramas? O’Carroll leans in, conspiratorial as a neighborhood gossip. “Look, the world’s a mess – pandemics, politics, prices through the roof. People need an escape that doesn’t make ‘em think. Agnes doesn’t philosophize; she just belts out the truth, whether it’s about her son’s love life or the state of her knickers drawer. It’s comfort food with a side of filth.” And filth there is, aplenty. The BBC’s teasing “slapstick shenanigans” and “heartwarming chaos,” but insiders whisper of plot twists that’ll have you choking on your biscuits. Episode 1, “The Mammy Effect”? Agnes Brown, queen of the passive-aggressive guilt trip, stumbles into podcast stardom without leaving her threadbare armchair. Cathy (played by O’Carroll’s real-life missus, Jennifer Gibney) launches a trendy wellness pod from the kitchen table, only for Mammy to barge in mid-rant about “these bloody millennials and their avocado toast.” Cue accidental viral gold: Agnes’s no-holds-barred takes on everything from Brexit to bedroom etiquette rack up millions of downloads overnight. “I’m a podcaster now? Jaysus, I can’t even work the remote!” Agnes bellows in the script, her Dublin drawl dripping with mock horror.

By episode’s end, she’s got a sponsor deal for “Mammy’s Miracle Laxatives” and a feud with a rival influencer who calls her “problematic.” Guest star Simon Delaney (fresh off Derry Girls) pops in as a sleazy producer, only to get schooled in the fine art of the Brown family ambush. “It’s like if your nan discovered TikTok and started beefing with the Kardashians,” O’Carroll grins. “Heartwarming? Aye, but only after the heart attack from laughing.” And it’s not just laughs – there’s that signature warmth, the kind that sneaks up on you like a hug from behind. Agnes’s meddling saves Cathy’s pod from cancellation, but not before exposing some raw family fractures. “We’re all a bit broken,” O’Carroll says softly. “That’s what makes the Browns real. They fight, they forgive, and they always end up round the table with a fry-up.”

The cast? A family affair in every sense. O’Carroll’s back in the frock and peroxide wig as Agnes, that sharp-tongued matriarch who’d fight the devil for a discount on mince. Rory Cowan returns as the dim-witted Rory, forever bungling his way into romantic disasters (episode 3 teases a fling with a vegan activist that ends in a kitchen inferno). Danny O’Carroll (Brendan’s son) reprises Buster, the hapless handyman whose DIY fails are legendary. And don’t sleep on the cameos: whispers of a Doctor Who alum stirring the pot in episode 4, and a surprise link-up with The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman for a “celebrity edition” of Agnes’s pod that devolves into glorious anarchy. “We filmed in front of 300 screaming Scots every Thursday in May,” recalls Paddy Houlihan (Mark). “Two shows a day – sweat, swears, and standing ovations. It felt like the old days, pre-streaming doom and gloom.”

Mrs Brown’s Boys has always been a lightning rod: critics sniff at its “old-school” format (live audience, breaking fourth wall, ad-libs galore), calling it “panto for the telly.” But the numbers don’t lie – 55 episodes across five series, plus spin-offs like All Round to Mrs Brown’s, and a stage show that’s toured the globe. It scooped Best Comedy at the 2024 NTAs, beating out heavy-hitters like Ghosts and Derry Girls. “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” O’Carroll shrugs. “We’re just giving folks permission to laugh at the mess. Agnes is every mammy who’s ever hidden the electric bill or blessed herself at a PTA meeting.” And in 2025, with the world still reeling from economic squeezes and endless headlines, that permission feels like a lifeline.

Filming at Pacific Quay was a love letter to the format. “Glasgow’s got that raw energy,” says director John Piper. “The audience roars like they’re at a GAA final. Brendan feeds off it – one flubbed line in rehearsal turned into a five-minute bit about Bono’s ego that we kept.” Post-production wrapped in July, with the trailer dropping like a mic drop: Agnes in curlers, wielding a rolling pin like Excalibur, declaring, “I didn’t raise no snowflakes – I raised survivors!” Views? 5 million in 48 hours. Socials exploded: #MammyReturns trended worldwide, with TikToks of fans recreating Agnes’s foul-mouthed monologues racking up billions. Even the haters piled on – “If this is comedy, I’m the Queen of Sheba,” tweeted one Guardian scribe, only for O’Carroll to clap back on X: “Darlin’, if you can’t handle a bit of mammy wisdom, stick to your broadsheets.”

What’s next for the Browns? Episode guides hint at escalating lunacy: a family cruise that sinks (metaphorically) in episode 2; Agnes running for local council in 5, promising “free rashers for all”; and a finale where Grandad (Dermot O’Neill) reveals a long-lost love letter that flips the family tree upside down. “It’s the cheekiest yet,” teases Gibney. “More heart, more havoc, and enough blue jokes to turn the Mersey red.” Airing weekly Fridays through September 5, with iPlayer drops for the binge brigade, it’s timed perfectly for summer slumps – think barbecues interrupted by Agnes’s latest scheme.

As O’Carroll signs off our chat, he imparts one final pearl: “Comedy’s like a good stout – it warms the cockles without the hangover. Series 5? It’s a pint for the soul.” So dust off your slippers, queue up the kettle, and brace for the return of TV’s most unapologetic mammy. Because if Agnes Brown can conquer podcasts and podgy relatives, she can conquer anything. And us? We’ll be right there, laughing till it hurts.

Slán go fóill, and go raibh maith agat for the memories. Series 5 isn’t just back – it’s unbreakable.