I scoffed at the lines, I rubbished the plot, and then...: Irish comedian Oliver Callan reveals what he REALLY thinks about BBC comedy Mrs Brown's Boys

An Irish comedian has revealed his honest opinion of Mrs Brown's Boys as the rest of the nation remains divided on the popular BBC comedy. 

Oliver Callan, who is well known for his appearances on The Saturday Night Show in Ireland, has given his verdict on the show which has seemingly divided people both in the UK and across the Emerald Isle. 

The classic comedy show, which is frequently described as 'unfunny' and 'vulgar',  has been met with criticism from Irish people themselves, with one simply summing it up as 'a load of old sh**e'.

Meanwhile, a number of Brits can't get enough of it, having described it as 'hilarious' for its 'lighthearted' take on life, seemingly reflecting the thoughts of millions of viewers who have made it a BBC mainstay for more than a decade.  

It seems Callan has at one time, been a member of both camps, having started out loathing the show for its poorly worked dialogue and ridiculous plot lines. 

But after returning home on exhausted on a 'mist-dark, decrepit winter's day', the 43-year-old found himself tuning into a rerun of an old Christmas special and soon found himself in hysterics. 

Oliver told MailOnline: 'I'm pleased when the British momentarily notice Irish culture but I wish you did it more often than during rows about Mrs Brown's Boys!

'Brendan O'Carroll is a truly beloved figure in Ireland and has been for decades. His extraordinary work for charity and his years upon years on the stage before his television success are even more highly regarded in his home country than anything else he's done.

'Is Mrs Brown's Boys funny? Regardless of what any individual thinks - and what makes one laugh is even more subjective than tastes in music - if someone's laughing somewhere, it is by definition funny.

'Mrs Brown's Boys has had millions laughing, so yes, it's bloody funny. I find myself to be a comedy snob. I adore the satirical absurdities in the work of Graham Linehan, Arthur Matthews, Dylan Moran in Father Ted, Black Books, The I.T. Crowd and the electric madness of Steve Coogan who we claim as Irish, given his roots and the influence of our culture on his output.

'I liked to believe that Mrs Brown's Boys just wasn't for me. Until we were coming in from a funeral or something some years ago on an exhausted, mist-dark, decrepit winter's day.

'A rerun of an old Christmas special came on the telly. I scoffed at some of the lines. I pooh poohed the plot. And then… Mrs Brown mounted a Christmas tree. We came proximate to wetting the sofa in a way that's probably happened on another episode.

'Brendan's superb physical comic acting had me in convulsions. And damn him, but he cheered up a miserable night and got me laughing. 

'Just as he did when I was a child watching him do a live chat show routine about using knickers dropped to the ankles as a catapult.

'Even if you don't find something funny, it can still be funny, because others are lolling. For God's sake, you could be married to somebody all your life and never come to understand why certain things make them laugh.'

Earlier this week, MailOnline went Inside of an Irish bar in north west London, to speak with several people after watching a brief snatch of the show. 

For some, Father Ted is the best Irish comedy in Christendom. For others, it would be Derry Girls.

Many years ago, Dave Allen was one of the most popular comedians on the BBC. 

An Irish man who invented observational comedy, he would lead the viewer down a road to an obvious conclusion, before turning everything upside down. 

Mrs Browns' Boys however is a far cry from Dave Allen for some viewers.

One simply called it 'a load of all s***e, I tell you,' adding, 'It shouldn't be on.'

Padraig from Leitrim said Mrs Brown's Boys mocked the Irish people and that it was a 'very inaccurate characterisation of Irish people I would imagine.'

He added: 'Sometimes it's humorous, sometimes not. It gets a bit cliched after one or two episodes.'

Trent from County Cavan said that nothing would beat Father Ted. 

Meanwhile Damien, from County Kerry, said the English deserve Mrs Brown's Boys if they think it is funny as 'it's not exactly Dave Allen material.'

Elsewhere, MailOnline also spoke to the wider public to gauge their opinion. 

Friends Milla, Philly, Joanna and Helen, had conflicting views on what they thought of the TV show.

'We think it's funny but no one else does,' Joanna said over a laugh.

Philly chimed in with: 'I don't think it's funny. I don't like it at all. I don't like anything about it, I think it's slapstick, I don't like the content'. No, I really don't like it.'

Milla agreed and said: 'I found it a little bit try-hard,' in reference to how it navigates political correctness.

The group then collectively agreed 'everyone's so PC' and that the show was 'outdated'.

But Helen added: 'I think what's funny is the accents and I think the slapstick is quite funny, but the content is a little bit dodgy.'

Steve, who was visiting the country from Seattle with his friend Phyllis, appeared to have a similar view.

He said: 'They certainly made the gay guy seem a little bit overly prissy I think...I thought that was a little over the top', referencing the character of Rory Brown.

But there were some members of the public who really enjoyed the clips and thought the show was 'hilarious'.

Edward, 23, said: 'Its been a long time since I've heard potty humour like that, but I think its hilarious. 

'It reminds me of home, I grew up with a large Irish community in Birmingham, so it's a nice throwback.'

Von and Natalie from South Africa also liked the show and mentioned its relatability and light-heartedness.

Natalie said: 'It's a bit of reality with humour because you can relate to what's happening but she's making it funny, so its not unrelatable...and there's humour to it so yeah, funny.

Von added: 'It's funny, it's lighthearted. It makes light of life I guess.'

Mrs Brown's Boys reached its peak audience of 11million in 2012 and 2013, then in 2017 was the most-watched show on TV on Christmas Day with 6.8m viewers.

It may have slumped to 4million viewers last Christmas, but it remains unquestionably one of the BBC's biggest comedy hits that has now graced (or haunted) our screens for well over a decade.