Mrs Brown’s Boys, often the most watched Christmas show on TV, and Ken Dodd: How Tickled We Were have been added to a special tour taking place across England this December.

The BBC has already announced that family favourites Zog and The Midnight Gang will be screened at premieres in nine locations across the country as part of a children’s Christmas content tour. And now there will also be festive crackers for the grown-ups.

Fans of Mrs Brown’s Boys will have chance to see two seasonal specials of the Irish sitcom before anyone else with free screenings across the country.

The screenings start in Newcastle on Saturday 15 December 2018 and finish in York on 23 December 2018.

And in Liverpool, people will get an extra Christmas TV treat with the chance to see a new documentary about local comedy legend Ken Dodd.

Ken Dodd: How Tickled We Were will be shown on BBC Two over the festive holidays but fans in Liverpool will be able to get a first-look at a premiere on 19 December.

Fans will also be able to walk the red carpet and pose for photos with famous props from some of the BBC’s biggest shows.

In Newcastle, Sheffield, Bradford and Liverpool the screenings will take place inside a specially built BBC Christmas cinema.

Tickets to the screenings will be available through a ballot which will be open from Tuesday 27 November for seven days via the BBCShows and Tours website:

Mrs Brown's Boys tickets
Ken Dodd: How Tickled We Were tickets
In the first of this year’s Mrs Brown’s Boys festive specials, Exotic Mammy, Father Damian has organised a Christmas decoration contest to support the local football team. Agnes is keen to enter, especially as it might mean getting one over her old nemesis Hilliary Nicholson. Though she’s soon distracted when Dermot and Buster give Agnes a “wifi assistant” and she has trouble figuring out what to do with it.

The second episode, Mammy’s Motel, sees a flood in Winnie and Sharon’s house when a pipe bursts during a storm. Thank goodness for Mrs Brown who is on hand to offer a roof over their heads while repairs are carried out. However, it isn’t long before there’s a storm brewing in the Brown household too as Agnes and Cathy discover living with best friends isn’t the picnic they’d imagined. Plus, there’s Bono’s thirteenth birthday to host. It might all seem too much for Agnes, until Buster drops a bombshell…

Ken Dodd: How Tickled We Were explores the life and work of the man described by many as “the last great music hall entertainer”. Sir Ken Dodd’s performing career spanned over 60 years, from his first professional stage engagement in September 1954 to his final performance in his home city of Liverpool in December 2017.

This special documentary tells Sir Ken’s story from his boyhood growing up in the 1930s in Knotty Ash, through his big break into show business and then on to his unrivalled career in entertainment. Poignant and uplifting, the programme features interviews with the people who knew Sir Ken best - friends and family in Liverpool and beyond, and his many colleagues, admirers and fellow-performers from the world of entertainment. The programme also features an interview with Sir Ken’s wife, Lady Anne Dodd.

The Mrs Brown’s Boys screening schedule is as follows:

Date & Time Location

Saturday 15 December, 2.30pm Central Station, Newcastle
Sunday 16 December, 5.30pm Tudor Square, Sheffield
Monday 17 December, 6.30pm City Park, Bradford
Tuesday 18 December, 6pm Birmingham Town Hall
Thursday 20 December, 6pm MediaCityUK, Salford
Friday 21 December, 6.45pm Cinema City, Norwich
Saturday 22 December, 3.30pm Waterside Centre, Lincoln
Sunday 23 December, 7pm City Screen, York

Ken Dodd: How Tickled We Were will be screened at 5.30pm on Wednesday 19 December in the BBC Christmas pop-up cinema in Williamson Square, Liverpool.

The ticket ballot will close on Monday 3 December.