British public votes Mrs Brown’s Boys as the sitcom of the century

Well, we didn't see this one coming.

Brendan O'Carroll's massive hit comedy series Mrs Brown's Boys has just been voted the best British sitcom of the 21^st century in a new 'Radio Times' readers poll. The Irish-Scottish co-production beat out Ricky Gervais' modern classic The Office (which placed second) and, erm, Peter Kay's Car Share, which came third. The top 20 was compiled from a shortlist of 40 picked by 'Radio Times' critics, and experts from the British Film Institute, and then 14,000 members of the public voted on it. When 'Radio Times' contacted O'Carroll with the news, he shouted “breathtaking!”

He added: “Lost for words... and that doesn’t happen to me very often. Myself and Jenny [Jennifer Gibney, his wife and co-star] are dancing around 
the living room. I can die happy now... but I’ll take my time...” “It vindicates the fans’ belief in the show. They have kept us on the air — it certainly wasn’t the reviewers. There is an audience out there that comedy forgot — that Are You Being Served? audience has been left behind. Us winning this award proves that.”

Needless to say, the decision has divided people. A lot. Some thought it was the Britain's greatest self-inflicted disaster since the Brexit vote. https://twitter.com/tomcopley/status/767977336721596416 https://twitter.com/chrisbrereton1/status/767987203943325696 https://twitter.com/journodave/status/767981133283950594 https://twitter.com/StuieBuck/status/767980220276154368 https://twitter.com/WillBlackWriter/status/767979829350240256 https://twitter.com/john_neptune/status/767988577791840256 https://twitter.com/yatesy9230/status/767988146722275328 Others defended the show and its position in the poll. https://twitter.com/JeyyLowe/status/767978519548887044 https://twitter.com/IanKEllard/status/767978022188220416 https://twitter.com/karenmaeby/status/764556034660831232 https://twitter.com/absolutelyjunk/status/767988269384626176 The top 10 in the poll were as follows: 1 ) Mrs Brown's Boys 2) The Office 3 ) Peter Kay's Car Share 4 ) Count Arthur Strong 5 ) The IT Crowd 6 ) The Thick Of It 7 ) Gavin & Stacey 8 ) Miranda 9 ) Raised By Wolves 10 ) Outnumbered                  Where do you stand on Mrs Brown's Boys and its success? Vote in our own poll below: Read more