One of the stars of Mrs Brown's Boys says she's delighted the comedy has been renewed until 2026.
Series creator Brendan O'Carroll has confirmed he's signed a deal with the BBC for Christmas specials for another six years.
After three full TV series between 2011-2013 (as well as a feature film in 2014), the series has continued broadcasting two annual Christmas specials every year - still drawing in millions of viewers each year.
On today's Hard Shoulder, Eilish O'Carroll - who plays Winnie McGoogan on the show - said they'd thought this year was going to be the last year of Christmas specials.
She said: "To hear [the] news is just music to my ears.
"We were only contracted - as far as I know - [until] 2020, and they were going to review it.
"It's just fantastic news - we're delighted."
She said the cast love doing the show, as it's "great fun".
She observed: "It's not everyone's cup of tea - I'm very aware of that.
"But we get some lovely emails from families who say the only time we watch a programme together as a family... is when we're watching Mrs Brown's Boys."
Eilish said the humour in the show is "very old-fashioned", but that she believes its appeal is all about timing.
She suggested: "When Mrs Brown's Boys first hit the screens, we were in the middle of a global recession. I think in a recession what tends to thrive is nostalgia and comedy, as it allows people to escape from their daily worries.
"Mrs Brown's Boys filled that gap, and continues to fill that gap.
"Regardless of the bad language - and we always get a hard time because of the language - it's just funny. The Irish have a great knack of laughing at themselves, and I don't think it devalues the Irish."
