Mrs Brown’s Boys star Brendan O’Carroll claims making a racist joke on set ‘was a GOOD thing’ for the BBC because it showed they ‘don’t take any messing’

The Irish actor, 69, became embroiled in a racism row after he ‘implied’ the N-word in front of shocked co-stars and production staff. 

During a reading of the script while in character as Agnes Brown, O’Carroll is said to have said ‘I don’t call a spade a spade, I call a spade a…’ He then started to utter the N-word before he was stopped by a co-star, whose intervention was allegedly delivered while in character as Agnes’ daughter.

Brendan has now seemingly dismissed the severity of his actions and insisted that alluding to the highly offensive slur was good for the BBC because it ‘raised awareness of racism’.

Speaking to The Sun on Wednesday, Brendan said: ‘The one thing that that incident did is give great awareness about racism, and great awareness about the BBC, they don’t take any messing. 

‘The context of it… it was completely taken out of context. However I think in the long run it was a good thing, because it got people talking about it.’ 

When the scandal was revealed last month, Brendan’s representative 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, as she knew she would be.’

In initial statements about the incident, neither the BBC nor Brendan acknowledged the severity of the offensive slur.

Cast and crew were reportedly stood down while the corporation ‘tried to get to the bottom’ of what happened.

The rehearsals then resumed in Glasgow at the broadcaster’s Pacific Quay studios in Scotland and shows will go ahead as planned.

The BBC said: ‘Whilst we don’t comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism, and we have robust processes in place should issues ever arise.’

Brendan later apologised for making a ‘clumsy attempt at a joke’ in character as Mrs Brown where a ‘racial term was implied’.

His full statement said: ‘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, where a racial term was implied. It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.’

Those who witnessed the remark were reportedly left ‘shocked’ by the slur which was ‘flagged with the BBC afterwards’.

Mrs Brown’s Boys has been a regular feature on the BBC’s Christmas schedules for more than a decade.

The show has also had several mini-series runs, including a four-part series last year, which was the first since 2013.

In the programme O’Carroll’s character, who is known affectionately as ‘mammy’ in the series, is a foul-mouthed Irish mother.

O’Carroll is also slated to star in new BBC sitcom Shedites and will touch on ‘men’s mental health’ and is due to hit screens by ‘the fall’.

The new BBC programme will star iconic funnyman Tommy Cannon, 86, who previously starred in The Cannon and Ball Show, as the leading character.

The episodes are being filmed in Glasgow at the BBC’s Pacific Quay studios.