Fans of BBC Scotland comedy Mrs Brown's Boys have been given an early Christmas present with the news that two festive specials will be screened.

The announcement came after The Herald reported yesterday that some specials were under consideration, despite fears the next full series of the hugely successful show is unlikely to be broadcast until late 2014.

The schedule of the show's star, writer and comedian Brendan O'Carroll is said to be a contributing factor because he is extremely busy over the coming year.

Station controller Danny Cohen said: "I'm absolutely delighted to confirm that Mrs Brown's Boys will be spending Christmas 2013 on the channel with two special episodes."

Mr O'Carroll said: "It's a great privilege to be invited into people's homes at such a magical time of year."

The BBC screened two editions of the show over the recent festive period, which drew an average of 15 million viewers, including time-shift and iPlayer viewing.

Mrs Brown's Boys – in which Mr O'Carroll won a National Television award as matriarch Agnes Brown – is currently in its third series on BBC1.

Filmed at the BBC's headquarters in Glasgow, it won best sitcom, beating Absolutely Fabulous and Benidorm at last week's glitzy awards ceremony in London.