The news today that Mrs Browns Boys has been renewed until 2026 has been met with delight – not by fans of the sitcom, but by antagonistic commentators who enjoy criticising the hit show in lieu of having any career success of their own.
“It’s just not funny” observed one commentator, who’d never seen it, but felt qualified to impart an opinion as he once had a joke on Newsjack. “It’s detracting from other comics” said another, despite high-profile shows actually generating more opportunity as evidence of the trickle-down effect, and despite no other notable audience-based sitcoms having arisen since 2008.
Some critics, specifically Guardian-readers, did jump to the defence of the show – noting that “the BBC has to do something to enfranchise northern viewers!”, and “just because it’s not aimed at us, we should be happy that less intelligent people can now experience comedy too”. It is thought the homogenisation of the north as a whole has arisen from these same critics making similar comments on the outcome of the Brexit vote, and the fact that posh people don’t tend to be very good at geography.
The view from The Squid? Yes, it’s not for everyone, but no one needs your opinion Sebastian.
