So far, 2016 has offered up some pretty shocking news – the loss of music legends David Bowie and Prince, the fact that Britain voted to leave the EU, and now the feeling that we’re actually all living in an episode of Black Mirror continues with the announcement that the honour of best British sitcom of the 21st century has gone to Mrs Brown’s Boys.

Yep, Brendan O’Carroll’s opinion-splitting BBC series has added another win to its mantelpiece alongside a Bafta and National Television Awards, this time beating The Office, The Thick Of It and Peep Show in a Radio Times reader poll.

Brendan O'Carroll and his wife Jennifer Gibney with the Best Situation Comedy Award for Mrs Brown's Boys, in the press room at the 2013 National Television Awards
Brendan O’Carroll, writes and stars in Mrs Brown’s Boys, with wife Jennifer Gibney

But in much the same way that after the Brexit vote public outcry suggested there must have been some terrible mistake, social media is awash with people who are absolutely livid.

It was just like the day after the EU referendum – people could not believe what they were hearing.

Let’s remember that this was only a magazine opinion poll and not necessarily an irreversible decision, set in stone for the rest of time. But we’ve been here before in 2016…

Such is the strength of feeling that viewers were absolutely wrong in the opinion that they expressed, the public began to speculate that it could be the worst news yet this year.

There were plenty of suggestions offered up for who a more worthy winner would have been. If only there was some way the masses could have stood up and been counted when this public opinion poll was being taken.

It wasn’t all hate for Mrs Brown’s Boys, though. Some were sick of the sneering.

This person felt it was best to bypass the likes of the Radio Times and go straight to the root of the problem to make sure that this sort of thing never, ever happens again.