Brendan O'Carroll, the star and creator of TV sitcom Mrs Brown's Boys, has announced that the show's planned Christmas and New Year specials have been cancelled because he needs an operation on a broken jaw.

The actor and writer, 70, said in a statement on Instagram, external on Monday that filming would no longer go ahead so he can have "immediate surgery".

He wrote: "It is with sincere regret I must announce that due to an unexpected medical issue I will have to cancel the recordings of the 2026 Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas and New Year's Specials.

"Following a CT Scan, it was found that I had two fractures in my mandible (jaw) which requires immediate surgery and a few months recovery."

O'Carroll added that he has been "talking with the BBC about getting Mrs. Brown's Boys back on the screen in 2027".

The long-running comedy series, which is filmed at the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow, arrived on screens in 2011, starring O'Carroll as foul-mouthed Irish matriarch Agnes Brown.

Despite its many critics, the show remains a hit with viewers, winning multiple comedy prizes at the National Television Awards.