‘It was implied:’ A big BBC star is in hot water after allegedly saying a racial slur on set

If you haven’t heard of Mrs Brown’s Boys, count yourself lucky. It’s one of the most unfunny things British comedy has ever produced, yet it’s inexplicably popular. It made lead actor Brendan O’Carroll, who plays the title character in drag, famous—but now his name is in headlines for an entirely different reason.

O’Carroll allegedly told a very offensive joke at a read-through for the show’s Christmas special. The Mirror reported on the matter on Monday, without knowing the full details of what was said. The BBC subsequently temporarily shut down the show and launched an investigation, but it seems to have been pretty basic, as rehearsals for the show are already back on.

O’Carroll released a statement to the Mirror saying, “At a read-through of the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes [Brown, his character], where a racial term was implied. It backfired and caused offense which I deeply regret and for which I have apologized.” It’s not the best apology in the world, though, seeing as the word “sorry” didn’t make it in. And then what he reportedly actually said came out in the British press.

According to the Daily Mail (themselves bastions of racism so I apologize for linking to them), O’Carroll made a joke involving the N-word and stopped just short of saying it. But in the process, he also used a word that, while inoffensive in some contexts, was clearly also meant to be a slur. As reported by the Mail, O’Carroll allegedly said, “I don’t call a sp*de a sp*de, I call a sp*de a-” and then began to say the N-word before actress Jennifer Gibney stopped him while in character, apparently following the script. Why this “joke” was in the script in the first place (O’Carroll is a co-writer on the show) is another question entirely.

O’Carroll’s people are falling over themselves to excuse this. A representative for the actor told the Mail, “We would also like to clarify that the ‘n’ word was absolutely not spoken, it was implied. Agnes (Mrs Brown) began the word but was stopped from finishing it by her daughter Cathy [Gibney], as she knew she would be.”

Again, not exactly an apology! And it gets worse. According to the Mirror, a Black crew member heard the joke and was understandably appalled, so much so that they quit. An inside source told the outlet, “How is it that they are no longer on the show … but Brendan is. The whole thing is messed up.” They’re not wrong.

There’s pressure on the BBC to make O’Carroll face consequences for what he allegedly said. Their statement to the Mirror was, “The BBC takes the matter extremely seriously and Brendan also takes the matter extremely seriously. Brendan is under no illusion about this. We have made it clear what the consequences of any future issues would be.” But what about the present issue? Lots of people are outraged and fully aware that if O’Carroll was an ordinary person working an ordinary job, he would most likely be fired, and rightfully so.

The Mirror pointed out that the BBC may simply be loathe to take any action because of how many viewers O’Carroll and Mrs Brown’s Boys pull in. It even picked up Best Comedy at the TV Choice Awards this year—somehow. “They are tied to the show for the foreseeable future … getting rid is not an option,” an insider told them. If that’s the case, it’s extremely disappointing.