Mrs Brown’s Boys licensing campaign boosted as repeats aired and new series on way

The first series of Mrs Brown’s Boys returns to BBC One on Friday 2nd of September. But things have changed a lot since the first screening of the hit comedy. In the months since Mrs Brown’s Boys first aired, series one has been nominated for a comedy BAFTA, the Golden Rose of Montreux and Monte Carlo’s Golden Nymph comedy award. Its stupendous DVD sales — half a million and counting — have bucked retail trends, and a tour based on the popular BBC sitcom and in its hilariously tactless and ribald central character, Mrs Brown, has been a sell-out success. And that’s not all. Repeats of the first series will coincide with the recording of the second series for BBC One and an overseas appearance for the mad matriarch as series one gets its first showing in Australia and New Zealand. And just for good measure, back in the country of its birth Mrs Brown’s Boys has placed first in the top 50 most watched entertainment TV series in Ireland with a barely believable 58 per cent share.

With awareness sky-high, independent licensing and brand development company Rocket Licensing is looking forward to promoting the global licensing campaign at BLE on stand F005. The initial focus of the campaign will be gifts, cards, calendars and t-shirts, all of them reflecting the fast-moving, outrageous comedy that has brought the show a vast number of fans in a very short time.

Conor Gibney, Head of New Media and Merchandise at BocPix Limited, says: “We were still reeling from the amazingly fast growth of audience figures from series one when the DVD and tour were equally big hits. Now we’re looking forward to the return of series one and working with Rocket on a licensing campaign that will be strongly boosted by the continuing success of the show.”

Charlie Donaldson, Joint Managing Director, Rocket Licensing, adds: “Plans for a licensing campaign were already well advanced during the first series based on the obvious appeal of Mrs Brown’s Boys to a wide demographic. However, with award nominations, overseas interest growing and general awareness about to go through the roof, the timing couldn't be better for this wild and funny show to lend its name to a major licensing programme.”