Mrs Brown is the foul-mouthed but warm-hearted matriarch of Mrs Brown's Boys, played by writer and creator Brendan O'Carroll, and the BBC sitcom first reached television audiences in 2011 after earlier stage and radio versions of the character. The show's mix of family chaos, breaking the fourth wall and unscripted laughter helped its catchphrases and reactions travel well beyond the original broadcasts. Short clips of Mrs Brown laughing are now shared as reaction sounds, because the character is instantly recognisable to comedy fans and the laugh reads as affectionate rather than mocking.