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Welcome to a Day dedicated to a sitcom, one that I consider to be among the finest achievements of Western civilisation. Welcome to Father Ted Day! Now, will you not have a cup of tea? Ah, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on....
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Father Ted is a sitcom that was produced by independent production company Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May 1998, including a Christmas special, for a total of 25 episodes. The show also aired on RTÉ Two in Ireland, and in Australia on Nine Network (season 1) and ABC Television (seasons 2 and 3).
Set on the fictional Craggy Island, a remote location off Ireland's west coast, the show starred Dermot Morgan as the eponymous Father Ted Crilly, alongside fellow priests Father Dougal McGuire (Ardal O'Hanlon) and Father Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly). Exiled on the island for various past incidents, the priests live together in the parochial house with their housekeeper Mrs. Doyle (Pauline McLynn).
The show revolves around the priests' lives on Craggy Island, sometimes dealing with matters of the church but more often dealing with Father Ted's schemes to either resolve a situation with the parish or other Craggy Island residents, or to win games of one-upmanship against his nemesis, Father Dick Byrne of the nearby Rugged Island parish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_TedNow and again, you don't want a big sitcom with big casts, sets and story lines, like Blackadder 1 attempted, you want something simple, and nothing could be more simple than three priests, and their tea-maid, on an island, struggling through life. And with that simple start, comedic genius, as Father Ted leads Father Dougal (the simpleton) and Father Jack (pisshead) through one mishap after another. Its comedic genius is in its simplicity, a swearword, a fart, a cameo from Graham Norton or the lead of One Foot In The Grave, knowing that the Church must be cowering in horror at this make believe example of life, anything like that, just brings down the house, Its an Irish sitcom with British humour that anyone in the world can love. -- BigBadaBruce
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111958/reviews?start=10![]()
Father Ted CrillyParish Priest. Played by: Dermot Morgan
Father Crilly was first sent to Craggy Island following a minor scandal and "financial irregularities" that saw him holidaying in Las Vegas whilst a little boy didn't visit Lourdes ("the money was just resting in my account"). Ted still dreams of a parish in America, television stardom and all the luxury trappings that would go with it...
Due to the insane world in which he resides, Ted continually finds himself in evermore embarrassing situations from which he has to extricate himself, often through a hugely complex web of lies. Despite his various vices, Ted has a good heart and does try to help people (even if it's only because they owe him money).
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Father Dougal McGuireCurate. Played by: Ardal O'Hanlon
Banished to Craggy Island following the notorious 'Blackrock' incident in which the lives of many nuns were irreparably damaged, Dougal is the cause of most of Ted's embarrassment and misfortune. With no grasp of the religion he professes to practice, a belief that Bishops love sci-fi and fumigate houses, and an inability to understand most of real life (Dougal has charts listing the difference between dreams and reality, and various things that do not exist), Dougal continually infuriates Ted. Nevertheless, he is Ted's best friend and immortal sidekick - even if he shouldn't be allowed to do funerals.
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Father Jack HackettPlayed by: Frank Kelly
Jack was sent to the island following a particular wedding in Athlone, and other assorted incidents that are best not mentioned.
In a state of near-constant inebriation, past tipples for Jack have included 'Toilet Duck', 'Windoleen', various floor polishes, and an entire bottle of 'Dreamy Sleepy Nighty Snoozy Snooze' - which resulted in him being asleep for more than two weeks straight.
In his drunken state, Jack's vocabulary rarely stretches behind the four exclamations of "drink", "arse", "feck" and "girls", and he tends to rely on violence for further explanation. Naturally, Ted's often on the receiving end.
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Mrs DoyleHousekeeper. Played by: Pauline McLynn
The priest's housekeeper, Mrs Doyle is a woman with a tea obsession, who manages to get cocaine and raisins confused, and can change the mood of a conversation instantly. No one knows what happened to her husband (she only mentions him once) but her existence now seems primarily tea-and-cake based. Also noted is her talent for falling off the window sill when cleaning.
http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/father_ted/characters/![]()
A show was based around the lives of three misfit priests who had been consigned to the most remote parish in Ireland – Craggy Island. Father Jack was a violent, womanising, alcoholic old priest whose vocabulary had been reduced to four words – “arse”, “feck”, “drink” and “girls”. Father Dougal was a six-year old trapped in the body of an overgrown six-year old, an outcast from the church since the incident at Black Rock (“Real people were hurt Dougal!” “Ah sure they were only nuns Ted”). Father Ted was the only relatively sane one, but also the most hated by the bishop, due to the funds for the cancer charity “resting” in Ted’s account while he was on holiday in Las Vegas.
Between them, they administered their own brand of religion to the insane, inbred locals of Craggy Island. Not to mention the large Chinese community.
The cast itself was brilliantly assembled. The three ages of Irish comedy were represented - Frank Kelly, it's glorious past, Dermot Morgan, its present, and Ardal O'Hanlon, fresh from winning the Perrier Award, the bright prospect of the future. It also managed to give a cameo to practically every Irish stand-up in the business at the time, regardless of their stature (for example, the unknown semi-professional Pat McDonnel got a starring role in one episode as singer Eoin McLove).
Despite the all-Irish cast and writing team, it was picked up by the English broadcaster Channel 4 . It’s a pity really – one of the funniest things about Father Ted was its mix of acid-drenched surrealism and absolutely spot-on observations about Ireland. Everyone in Ireland knows at least one Mrs. Doyle.
The show ran for three series (+ 1 Christmas special). After a slightly shaky start, it soared to the top of the ratings in the UK, which led to the rather funny sight of RTE desperately running to buy the rights.
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http://everything2.com/title/Father+Ted![]()
Father Ted has always had a special place in my heart. Growing up in an Irish family, surrounded by Irish priests and nuns at school, it always struck me that Ted was a remarkably accurate portrayal of the insanity of Catholicism. I hear people talk about Father Ted as inspired surrealism but to me it's a documentary - every one of those "out there" characters exists in real life at a church near you.
Graham Norton's singing priest Noel Furlong is chillingly familiar to anyone who's been near the fringes of a church youth group, and Mrs. Doyle's sublimated sexual obsession is a pitch-perfect recreation of a particular type of Irish woman at a certain age.
Creators Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews' ear for the banality of rural Irish dialogue is exceptional - easily as acute as Roddy Doyle's ear for the crackle of urban Irish. The pair happily admit that they were aided by some extraordinary central performances from the leads: can you imagine anyone other than Frank Kelly, Dermot Morgan, Ardal O'Hanlon and Pauline McLynn in the main roles? It just doesn't work.
Maybe the reason Ted stays in the memory is because it provided a consistent and believable universe - a strange island with a thriving Chinatown whose western side drifted off one day, where army ants roam uninhibited. You don't need plausible characters or situations to speak deep truths about the Irish, Catholicism and middle-aged desperation. -- James Donaghy
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/jan/18/fatherted![]()
Carl Lawson: You have written many of the greatest sitcoms ever, but most notably – Father Ted. What gave you the idea and inspiration to Co-create Father Ted?
Arthur Mathews: “I came from an Irish Catholic background with priests everywhere - including two uncles.”
Are any of the FT characters based on real people?
“Some loosely, some firmly. ’The dancing priest' was based on a real priest who 'danced for peace'.”
What was Dermot (Morgan) like to work with?
“Funny. He was always 'on'. Very generous and strangely vulnerable and sensitive.”
The biggest Father Ted secret is Mrs Doyle’s first name! It’s worth a try, but could you give us a clue as to what it is?
“Her name is buried within the pages of the Father Ted scripts book. Look very carefully...”
Apart from Graham, do you still keep in contact with any of the other Father Ted cast members?
“I see Ardal a bit. We keep in touch. Occasionally bump into the others too. I've done a bit of work with Patrick McDonnell ('Eoin McLove').”
http://thedailychuckleonline.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/arthur-mathews-genius-behind-father-ted.html![]()
TNT Mgazine: Tell us a little about how you became a comic?
Ardal O'Hanlon: I studied BA communication studies in Dublin City University. Because it was a very new course there was a kind of giddy atmosphere in that faculty at the time. Myself and a bunch of lads joined the debating club with the intention of undermining the whole thing by making nonsense speeches. There was no great agenda or plan. After university there wasn't a lot of options for someone with a communications degree. Some friends and I didn't want to grow up and get proper jobs, so we started a comedy club in Dublin.
TNT: So when did you realise that you could make a career out of comedy?
AO'H: I was just doing bits and pieces of comedy in Dublin from 1989 to 1994. By then I had got the hang of it and I had a decent 20 minute comedy routine under my belt. In 1994 I moved to London, which was the centre of the comedy universe at the time. I spent a year travelling up and down the country, performing in clubs. It was a very exciting time.
TNT: How did you get the part in Father Ted?
AO'H: About a year after moving to London, I got the call asking me to go for an audition for Father Ted. The writers thought the character of Father Dougal might suit me, which looking back, is probably a bit worrying! I went along to the audition with very few expectations. About a month later I was called back for a second audition and at that stage Dermot Morgan (Fr Ted) was already on board. I was thrilled to get the part, but I thought that it was very unlikely that this show would take off in Britain. We thought it would be something to pass the time for a couple of months. We imagined that it would be aired in the middle of the night and nobody would ever watch it. When it came out in Ireland, people didn't respond to it in any great way at first. It was only towards the end of the first series that we realised that something was actually happening. People were beginning to tune in.
TNT: Which is your favourite episode?
AO'H: There are so many different bits of Father Ted that I like, it is really hard to pick. I always liked the milk float episode. It was a lot of fun to record. I also loved the Eurovision episode. I loved the actual music video of the song. I would really like to make a compilation of my favourite bits of Father Ted some time.
TNT: Did starring in Father Ted open many doors for you?
AO'H: It really did. Everything took off after that. I had been doing very well as a stand up comic already, but that was the limit of my ambition at the time. I enjoyed going to festivals around the world and didn't realise how many comedy festivals there actually were until I started doing stand-up.
TNT: There were a lot of comedians who went on to do well off the back of Father Ted...
AO'H: Father Ted was groundbreaking in a way because the writers were happy to use comedians instead of actors. That was brave, because it isn't necessarily true that comedians make good actors. We did three series of Father Ted over four years, but it only took about three months of the year to record. So in-between recording I was either trying to write my novel, or continuing to do stand-up shows. Father Ted really opened doors for me in terms of television work as I got a lot of offers after it ended. I ended up doing five series of My Hero for the BBC as well as some other television work for ITV.
http://www.tntdownunder.com/entertainment/interviews/confessions-with-ardal-ohanlon-from-father-ted![]()
Frank Kelly: "When I first saw the script for Father Ted it was a page of directions and movements followed by one word, then another page of directions. It was brilliant.
"The two writers had seen me on Hall's Pictorial Weekly - I played a ballistic county council character who, like all satire, was based on a real person.
"I used to have these explosions of energy and lunatic conversations so I think the writers remembered this when they were thinking about Jack.
"Bairbre is a great judge of scripts so when she said it was going to be brilliant I signed the contract. We did three series and a Christmas special.
"The best thing about Father Ted was the closeness of the people involved. It was a small unit and everyone got on extremely well.
"We didn't always socialise together but I do miss the closeness."
The show which also starred the late Dermot Morgan, Ardal O'Hanlon and Pauline McGlynn, has won a string of awards including Best Channel 4 Comedy at the British Comedy Awards in 1996.
And Frank revealed the shock the show members felt at the sudden death of Dermot Morgan in 1998.
"We had finished filming on the Friday night and I went home. I'd gone to mass on the Sunday and when I came home my son told me that Dermot was dead.
"It was as if someone had kneed me in the groin. It was horrendous shock and a terrible trauma for us all. We didn't realise how much we loved him until he was gone.
"He was quite a clever guy although he hated to be seen as educated. But I didn't realise his death had affected me until a few nights later when I was sitting at home watching television.
"Suddenly a volcano of grief welled up inside me and I started howling like an animal.
"It could never be the same after Dermot's death, the circle had been broken.
"There was not going to be any more Father Ted's anyway - the writers had decided that before Dermot's death.
"I didn't mind the show coming to an end - every job comes to an end at some stage. But one advantage of being a stage actor and a journalist was that I was able to survive - I knew I'd be able to find a job. I also did a fair bit of stand-up comedy in the past so there were plenty of things for me to choose from.
"Acting is a very brutal business. A lot of people are damaged psychologically by rejection which is why I have always tried not to take it too seriously.
"The hardest thing for an actor is to be out of work. Before I got the role as Fr. Jack work was very thin on the ground.
"I had some terrible personal debts and I nearly had to sell my house. Then my career took off, largely because of Father Ted. Every actor has his or her dark moments but I have been largely spoilt.
"I never regretted choosing acting as a career. In another lifetime I probably would have been a barrister, but I am just grateful that I have been successful in the career I've chosen.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Interview%3A+Frank+Kelly+-+Drink,+girls,+feck%3A+I+take+it+all+with+a...-a060172878![]()
The real story goes something like this. In the early 1990s, Linehan and his good friend Arthur Matthews, two mediocre music hacks from Dublin with no real ambition other than to try and write some comedy, relocated to London – more specifically to a small flat in Kilburn. The proprietor was Welsh comedian, Griff Rhys Jones, who charged them little money to stay there.
Not having to worry about earning the money to pay high rent prices meant the writing duo could spend endless hours at home writing thousands of comedy sketches and keeping themselves amused. And Jones, well he became a useful contact in getting the scripts to the right people.
The initial idea was that they would make a mock-style documentary called Irish Lives. The first episode was about a priest called Ted, who visits his friends in the seminary in Maynooth College.
They sent the idea into Channel 4, who said they liked they what they read, but insisted on a whole sitcom based on the priest sketch.
Linehan and Matthews immediately got to work on writing the entire first series of what eventually became Father Ted. And for the next four years the two writers became inseparable.
“You know it’s a lovely thing when you’re in the zone writing, and you just can’t stop thinking of (bursts out loud laughing)…funny ideas, and that’s what it was like working with Arthur,” Linehan says. “As a result I think there was a special magic to our relationship. It was like the two of us had this playground, where we were drunk on each other’s company, and as a result we were just coming up with jokes, morning, noon and night.”
“Also, because we were flatmates, we were going in and making the programme, then going home and watching TV together, then waking up the next morning, and writing. We were just constantly in each other’s pockets,” he adds. “I think if it wasn’t that intense, Father Ted wouldn’t have been the programme it was. The working relationship might have gone on a little longer if we had eased off a bit on each other though.”
http://www.irishpost.co.uk/entertainment/graham-linehan-father-ted-was-a-specific-kind-of-magic![]()
The entire 3 series can be viewed online
gratis.
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p.s. Hey. So, I'm back. As of yesterday afternoon, if you want to start with my official re-ensconcement in Paris. The trip was just amazing, from start to finish, and Antarctica itself was otherworldly and incredible. Truly. I won't say too much about all of that today because I'm kind of spaced out and, mainly, because I'm putting together a big post about the trip, so I'll save the colorful details and all of that until then. By 'then', I mean either on Saturday or Monday depending on how quickly my brain-plus-fingers cooperate. For now, we reengage courtesy of this awesome post by the mighty _Black_Acrylic about a TV show thing that I, at least, had never even heard of until I got this guest-post in the mail. I'm going to be investigating it along with (hopefully) you today. Please do investigate 'Father Ted', or refresh yourself if you're already clued in about it, and then say something to _B_A, okay? Awesome. And thank you a ton for wiping out the blog's extended blank so magnificently, Ben. All right, so let's start to catch up, shall we? ** David Ehrenstein, Hi, D! Oh, yeah, I read something about the US's recent polar period, if that's what you meant. It actually wasn't as scary/deathly cold down there where Zac and I were as had been anticipated. Around -5 degrees mostly. Tang, ha ha, no. The food was actually kind of okay mostly. When I could eat it. That two-day ship trip from Ushuaia to Antarctica and vice versa through the infamously rough, choppy Drake Channel is pure misery. 48 hours straight of nausea and vomiting, by me and by a bunch of the other passengers, although Zac survived it with flying colors. So excited to see the new Wes Anderson. I think it might be playing here now. I need to check. I think there's the beginnings of a Max Frisch revival going on maybe. Hope so. One of Gisele's and my future projects is an opera, 'Bluebeard', which will partly adapt Frisch's great novel of the same name. That 'Voynich Manuscript' thing is fascinating, thank you. I might do something on the blog about it maybe. You like the Jarmusch? Cool, me too. ** les mots dans le nom, Hi! Nice to see you! Conferences, cool, or cool in theory? When and what are they? Your talkativeness was nice, no prob. I'm a little too disoriented this morning to blab too much, but my intake function seems to be prepped and working fine. I hope you found 'Providence' interesting. Really sad to learn that Resnais died while I was away, although he worked until the very end. My trip had no boredom or torment. Well, it did get a little boring at times when we were stuck on the ship for periods of really bad weather, I guess. ** Thomas Moronic, Hi there, T! Now I remember why I vaguely thought I knew the name 'Love Liza'. I'll see if I can see it. Yay, I get to come home and try to wake up to one of your classic slaves ripostes. Or ... well, sort of ripostes. Might not be the right word. Lovely, lovely. I don't have the cognitive abilities to respond to your glories in ...kind (?) this hazy morning, but thank you! My travels were safe, yes. You been good? What's been going on? ** Steevee, Hi, Steve! I'm impressed (about your Lil' Wayne sighting). I didn't know that I was in the ID channel promo for the JT Leroy show, but I did manage to watch the episode when I got back to civilization (Ushuaia). I don't know if you watched it, but it's amazing that a story that is inherently very interesting and complex for better or worse could be rendered so dull and superficial and banal. And the recreations were completely ridiculous. Let me just say, if there is any question, that I did not and will never live in a chi-chi condo with Chinese vases displayed on antique tables and a view overlooking the ocean and etc. Anyway, what a blah thing that show turned out to be. ** Bill, Hi, Bill! Great to see you! There's a new Ben Marcus collection? I should delve into it. Hogtiemenow was super DC's, no? We need him. What's been happening, my man? Are you out of town yet? ** Pisycaca, Montse! My old pal! Longest time no see! Awesome! Yes, Zac and I were in Argentina when we weren't in Antarctica or Chile. Really, really liked Buenos Aires. Super interesting city. How are you? Any chance for a catch up on what's going on with you? Love, me. ** James, Hi, James! It's a terrific book. 'TMitH', I mean. I've heard of Jonathan Crary, but I don't think I've read '24/7' or maybe anything by him unless I'm spacing out, which is likely. Huh. Sounds quite interesting. I'll check for it. ** Toniok, Hi, man! It's a really good book, or I think so, I mean. I'll go see what 'The Tongueing' is in a bit. Thanks a lot, pal. You good? What's up? ** White tiger, Hey, buddy! Aw, thanks. I'll do my best on the trip slideshow. I know, BOUND2BY KANYEWEST, so good. The slave name, I mean, not the thing it was taken from itself. What's up? What's your latest? How are you? ** Grant maierhofer, Hi, Grant! 'And Every Day was Overcast': no, I don't what that is. It's about Antarctica? I'll google that title and see what's what. It wasn't always overcast there, but it often was that and snowing. Very cool to hear about the novel revising. I can't wait to get to that phase with mine. Yeah, I'd love to hear more about that anytime. Oh, wait, now that I've glanced at the tumblr by the author of that book, I think maybe it's not an Antarctica thing. The tumblr looks swell. I'll look into it closely when my brain regains full consciousness. Thank you a lot! ** Sypha, Hi, James! I did have fun, lots and lots of it, thank you! What's new? ** Misanthrope, Georgie! It was safe. Or I was safe. It was mostly safe. One of the mountaineering guides fell in a bottomless crevasse on one of the hikes, but got saved because we were all tethered together and hauled him back up. That was the least safe moment, I think. Like I said to Steevee, I thought the JT Leroy 'Imposters' thing was really dull and dumb. Ha ha, I think your mom probably thought the guy playing me in the recreations was me. He was pretty skinny. Skinnier than me anyway. Feel better? How come you're sick and I wasn't. Well, if nausea and vomiting for 2 days doesn't count as sick, which I guess it does. ** Etc etc etc, Hi, Casey! Has the dissertation been finalizing itself to its/your satisfaction? That's exciting! We didn't come across any monsters down there. About a billion penguins, though. Man, they smell awful. ** Pilgarlic, Hi, man! Yeah, that storm you mentioned was building just as our ship started its horrible trip back from Antarctica to 'civilization', and we got the outer edges of it, meaning even choppier seas than usual, and I was a green-faced, vomiting wreck as a result. There was no tree on the boat to lie under, no. And if the anti-seasickness patch I wore and the tons of ginger I ate helped, I could barely tell. But enough whining about the trip's very minor downside. How are you, my friend? ** Rewritedept, Hi, Chris! Oh, man, you are so awesome for sending in those guest-posts! They're going to help save the blog's ass 'cos getting it up to speed again is going to be a chore. Thank you! The first one will launch on the day after tomorrow, and I'll give you the dates on the others soon. Yeah, thanks so much! Argentina was loads of fun, yes. I'll talk about it or try to portray it or whatever in the post I'm making. My camera was just my iPhone, and it did not like the cold very much, but Zac's proper camera handled it pretty well, or one of his proper cameras did. The other one fell off the kayak it was suction-cupped to and into the irretrievable depths of the ocean, which, you know, really sucked. I saw so many penguins that I really don't need to ever see another penguin. Nice film festival you had there. I'm not so into 'Brazil', but I seem to be a rare non-fan. Oh, I like '400 Blows' okay. It's just that back in the day it was hyped as a great, important film all the fucking time, and that made me grouchy about it. Cool that you're working on stuff if 'Hey Ma' has to be delayed. A late happy birthday to you, man! Yeah, sure, I knew about the new GbV album. I'm pretty up on all things Pollard. It's amazing. Did you know that there's yet another new GbV album finished and ready for release already? ** Scunnard, Hi! How's it? Nothing much to report for good reasons, I hope? Yeah, I'll tell/show what happened on Zac's and my end in a post soon. ** Paul Curran, Hi, Paul! Thank you for the warm welcome. I made it. I did. How are you? ** Torn porter, Hey, buddy! Awesome to see you! Oh, yeah, I'll get on preparing to lay out the recent trip starting today, I think. And I'll see you very soon, it seems, cool. All is well? ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben! Thanks billion for being the one to revive this place. Great post. Very curious to see what its what is all about today. How have you been? ** Alexp336, Wow, hey there! Of course I remember you. It's really sweet to see you back. Back like me. What's going on with you? How have you been, etc.? ** Creative Massacre, Hi, Misty! I didn't freeze, no. It was cold, for sure, but it wasn't as terrifyingly cold as I had imagined or anything. You good? ** Empty Frame, Hey! No, we were spared deaths by avalanche. Never saw any of those. A fair amount of very nearby calving glaciers, though. Amazing time, you bet! Unbelievable! Painting commissions, cool. Trip report very soon, and, in the meantime, very lovely to see you! ** Okay. We've re-begun. Sorry for any spaciness that showed through in my text. I'm not quite with-it entirely yet. Now, go be _B_A's post's eager readers and investigators, please. Thank you! See you tomorrow!
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