Nelson Mandela's death was a big story for all news outlets — but some 850 BBC viewers wrote to complain about the blanket coverge.
BBC One switched 2.75 million viewers from the knockabout slapstick fun of Mrs Brown's Boys to live rolling news coverage, something the Beeb does very rarely.
Some people not quite in tune with world events (or South Africa's struggle for equality and justice) were less than pleased.
Yep ok we get it Mandela has died. No longer interested. (Not that I was before) back to mrs browns boys please BBC
Chris Pritchard
@chrisp1991
Yep ok we get it Mandela has died. No longer interested. (Not that I was before) back to mrs browns boys please BBC
RT @Jacobby123: Fuck off, you stop mrs browns boys for Nelson fucking Mandela, FFS
Duke of Bellington
@DanTheDazzler
RT @Jacobby123: Fuck off, you stop mrs browns boys for Nelson fucking Mandela, FFS
Mmm i was enjoying mrs browns boys but r.i.p
cody simpson is perf
@alishafayexx
Mmm i was enjoying mrs browns boys but r.i.p
The decision-making is one around the significance of Nelson Mandela. Nobody needs a lecture on his importance but we are probably talking about the most important statesman, the most significant statesman, of the last 100 years, a man who defined freedom, justice, reconciliation, forgiveness. The importance of his life and marking his death seems extremely clear to us
Perhaps a better argument is that the same night, Britain was being battered by storms and a tidal surge, causing some of the worst flooding in living memory.
The particular episode of Mrs Brown's Boys, "Mammy's Ass," a Christmas special, was a repeat anyway.
