| Father Ted | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot from opening credits | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Opening theme | "Songs of Love" (instrumental) |
| Composer | The Divine Comedy |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 25(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Mary Bell |
| Producers | |
| Production locations | |
| Cinematography | Eugene O'Connor |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 23–25 minutes 55 minutes (Christmas Special) |
| Production company | Hat Trick Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 21 April 1995 (1995-04-21) – 1 May 1998 (1998-05-01) |
Father Ted is asitcom created by Irish writersGraham Linehan andArthur Mathews and produced by British production companyHat Trick Productions for British television channelChannel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May 1998, including a Christmas special, for a total of25 episodes. It aired onNine Network (series 1) andABC Television (series 2 and 3) in Australia, and onTV2 in New Zealand.
Set on the fictionalCraggy Island, a remote location off Ireland's west coast,Father Ted starsDermot Morgan asFather Ted Crilly, alongside fellow priestsFather Dougal McGuire (Ardal O'Hanlon) andFather Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly). Dishonourably exiled on the island byBishop Leonard Brennan (Jim Norton) for various reasons, the priests live together in theparochial house with their housekeeperMrs Doyle (Pauline McLynn). The show subverts parodies oflow-brow humour as it portrays nuanced themes ofloneliness,agnosticism,existentialism andpurgatory experienced by its title character; this deeper meaning of the show has been much acclaimed.[1][2][3]
Father Ted won severalBritish Academy Television Awards—including twice forBest Comedy Series, and remains a popular sitcom in Ireland and the UK. In a 2001 Channel 4 poll, Dougal was ranked fifth on their list of the100 Greatest TV Characters.[4] In 2019,Father Ted was named the second-greatest British sitcom (afterFawlty Towers) by a panel of comedy experts forRadio Times.[5]
The show follows the misadventures of three IrishRoman Catholic priests who live in a parish on the fictionalCraggy Island, located off the west coast ofIreland.Father Ted Crilly,Father Dougal McGuire andFather Jack Hackett live chaotically together in Craggy Island'sparochial house, along with theirhousekeeperMrs Doyle, who always wants to serve them tea.
The three priests answer to BishopLen Brennan, who has banished them to Craggy Island as punishment for different incidents in their past: Ted for alleged financial impropriety (apparently involving some money "resting" in his account and a child being deprived of a visit toLourdes so that Ted could go toLas Vegas), Dougal for an event only referred to as the "Blackrock Incident" (resulting in "many nuns' lives [being] irreparably damaged"), and Jack for hisalcoholism andwomanising, particularly for an unspecified incident at a wedding inAthlone.
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 enemy, Father Dick Byrne of the nearby Rugged Island parish.
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 6 | 21 April 1995 (1995-04-21) | 26 May 1995 (1995-05-26) | |
| 2 | 10 | 8 March 1996 (1996-03-08) | 10 May 1996 (1996-05-10) | |
| Special | 24 December 1996 (1996-12-24) | |||
| 3 | 8 | 13 March 1998 (1998-03-13) | 1 May 1998 (1998-05-01) | |
Graham spent a lot of time listening to thePixies and watchingTaxi Driver. When I knew him first, it was like he'd never been outside the house, except to go to seeStar Wars films, so his influences were never that Irish, whereas I grew up in the country... I rememberFrank Kelly andHall's Pictorial Weekly. He did a show calledThe Glen Abbey Show, which was very funny. So I was always aware of the strangeness and madness of Irish things.
Linehan and Mathews first met while working atHot Press.[7] In the late 1980s, Mathews,Paul Woodfull and Kieran Woodfull formed The Joshua Trio, aU2 tribute band. The trio began writing comedy sketches to accompany their act. Mathews created the Father Ted character for his short-lived stand-up routine. Before The Joshua Trio played at gigs, Mathews would occasionally come on-stage as Father Ted and tell jokes involving his great friend, Father Dougal McGuire.[8][9]
In 1991, Mathews left his job atHot Press and moved into Linehan's London home. Over the next three to four years, they worked on rough ideas for shows while at the same time writing for sketch shows such asThe All New Alexei Sayle Show andThe Fast Show. One of these ideas was for a comedy mockumentary series calledIrish Lives, with six episodes, each focusing on a different character living somewhere in Ireland. They scripted an episode centring on a priest named Father Ted Crilly, who visits his friends in the seminary inMaynooth College. ProducerGeoffrey Perkins suggested that the episode's concept be dramatised and rewritten as a sitcom.[8][10]
We wanted to make an Irish sitcom with all the insanity ofThe Young Ones, and the cleverness ofBlackadder, and the farce elements ofFawlty Towers. These were the things that we grew up loving.
In the January 1994 issue ofIn Dublin (Vol 19, No2), Mathews and Linehan told Damian Corless, who had initially introduced the pair to each other, of their work in progress, describing Ted as "basically a nice man", Dougal as "nice but really stupid" and Jack as "a hideous creature". Linehan revealed: "They've all been sent to this isolated place called Craggy Island because they're crap priests." Mathews elaborated: "They've each a terrible secret which is why they've been banished to this place, and the terrible thing is that they can't get away from each other. Obviously it's not entirely reality-based." Mathews was originally intended to play Ted, but decided he lacked the acting ability the role required.Maurice O'Donoghue, who plays Father Dick in the series, was their second choice for the role of Ted, being the right age and having a similar look and lightness. Mathews always preferredDermot Morgan; Linehan was initially reluctant, worrying that some viewers would be confused because they already knew him as "Father Trendy", another priest character that he had played many years before on theRTÉ television showThe Live Mike. Morgan was very excited about the Father Ted role, and he repeatedly phoned the series creators and let them know how much he wanted it, which eventually won Linehan over because he figured that if Dermot wanted the role so badly then he would end up putting a lot of passion into doing a great job with it.[12]
The show was pitched directly to the UK'sHat Trick Productions and Channel 4 by the duo, contrary to rumours thatRTÉ (the Irish national broadcaster) were originally offered the series but rejected it.[13][14]
Three series and one Christmas special were aired. Declan Lowney directed the first two series and the Christmas special, while the third series was directed by Linehan (location scenes) andAndy De Emmony (studio scenes). In addition, Morgan and O'Hanlon hosted an hour ofComic Relief in character, during which Kelly and McLynn also made brief guest appearances. One day after the shooting of series three wrapped, Dermot Morgan died of aheart attack, aged 45. As a mark of respect, the third series was first broadcast a week later than originally planned.
The show was already scheduled to conclude with the third series prior to Morgan's death, as Morgan said that he did not want to continue playing the role of Father Ted for fear of beingtypecast: "I don't want to be the nextClive Dunn and end up playing the same character for years."[15]
Following Morgan's death, the production company received calls from numerous agents and casting directors suggesting either new actors for the role of Ted or spin-offs without the character; Linehan and Mathews declined all offers.[16]
In 1994, the writers asked alternative rock bandPulp to compose the theme music forFather Ted, requesting a parody of a typical sitcom theme. When Pulp said no, they contactedNeil Hannon, frontman of Northern Irishchamber pop bandThe Divine Comedy. Hannon's first effort, a jaunty composition, was rejected on Geoffrey Perkins's advice. Hannon composed a second theme, which the team found acceptable. This theme was recorded by Hannon and co-producerDarren Allison atThe Jesus and Mary Chain's private studio. One ofWilliam Reid's guitars was selected by Allison and Hannon to carry the main tune, which was played by Hannon. Both themes were also reworked, with new lyrics, for inclusion on The Divine Comedy's 1996 albumCasanova: the finalFather Ted theme became "Songs of Love", while Hannon's rejected theme became "A Woman of the World".[17][18]
In 2010, Linehan discussed the dramatic effect this choice had on the tone of the series: "'Woman of the World' was kind of like a jaunty, plinky-plonky song, and we wanted that song. He [Hannon] gave us two choices: he gave us that, and 'Songs of Love', and we wanted the plinky-plonky song because our idea was we were making fun of sitcoms. We were saying, you know, we don't like sitcoms. This is a parody of sitcoms. This is a kind of satire on sitcoms. And I remember Geoffrey [Perkins] looking really glum and sad about this, you know? And then he said, 'Why do you want to make fun of your characters?' He said, 'People will love these characters.' And that was just a real revelation for me, and after that, whatever he said went, as far as I was concerned."[19]
The Divine Comedy also contributed most of the show's original music, including the songs "Big Men in Frocks" (for the episode "Rock-a-Hula Ted"), "My Lovely Horse" and "The Miracle is Mine" (for "A Song for Europe"), and "My Lovely Mayo Mammy" (for "Night of the Nearly Dead").[20] Neil Hannon also provided Ted and Dougal's vocals in the dream sequence version of "My Lovely Horse", which was produced by Allison and Hannon, and later appeared as aB-side on the band's single "Gin Soaked Boy".
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The interior scenes were recorded atthe London Studios in front of a live studio audience, while exterior filming was at various locations in Ireland.[21] Location work forFather Ted was done mostly inCounty Clare, including locations atCorofin,Ennis,Kilfenora,Ennistymon, andKilnaboy. TheParochial House is McCormack's at Glenquin, on the Boston road from Kilnaboy.[22][23] The cinema featured in "The Passion of St Tibulus" was the Ormonde Cinema,Greystones,County Wicklow[24] and "The Field", the location for Funland in "'Good Luck, Father Ted'", is inPortrane, NorthCounty Dublin. The 'Very Dark Caves' featured in "The Mainland" were theAillwee caves inthe Burren, County Clare.
Some exterior shots for the episode "And God Created Woman" were filmed inDún Laoghaire, South County Dublin. The opening sequence (including shots of thePlassy shipwreck) were filmed overInisheer — the smallest of theAran Islands.
The series is set in ahumorously surreal world in which Ted is the only fully rounded normal character among "caricatures", according to Graham Linehan: "exaggerated-over-friendly, over-quiet, over-stupid, over-dull [...] they really only got one thing, they've got one job."[25]
Embarrassment plays a role in many storylines, in a similar fashion toFawlty Towers. Linehan says, "if Ted is in a situation that is slightly embarrassing we get him out of it [...] by having him lying or cheating, basically digging a massive hole for himself".[25] Arthur Mathews has describedSeinfeld as a major influence on the comedy ofFather Ted, with himself and Linehan being "big fans" of the show.[26]Father Ted also contains references to pop culture, and some filmparodies, such as the episode "Speed 3". An avid fan ofMonty Python growing up, Linehan cited the ineffectual protest ofMonty Python's Life of Brian upon its release in 1979 as an influence for theFather Ted episode "The Passion of Saint Tibulus".[27]
Regarding the series's religious content, Linehan says "Ted doesn't have an anti-religious view of life, but a non-religious view. It's a job to him. He doesn't care about religion." While writing, he says the show's creators imagined Ted and Dougal as "just two people who happen to be [priests]".[25]
Father Ted was met with critical acclaim and is the most popular sitcom in Irish TV history.[28] The Irish media frequently uses the series as a point of comparison in political stories.[29][30][31][32][33]
In 1996 and 1999, the show won theBAFTA award for Best Comedy, while Morgan also won Best Comedy Performance.[34] In 1995 the show won Best New TV Comedy at theBritish Comedy Awards, with O'Hanlon receiving Top TV Comedy Newcomer Award. At the 1996 British Comedy Awards the show won Top Channel 4 Sitcom Award, McLynn took the Top TV Comedy Actress award.[35] In 1997 the show was given the Best Channel 4 Sitcom Award. It was also ranked at number 50 in theBFI's 2000 list of the100 greatest British television programmes of the 20th century, the highest ranking Channel 4 production on the list. In 2004, it came 11th in the poll forBritain's Best Sitcom. In August 2012,Channel 4 viewers voted the series as the No 1 inC4's 30 Greatest Comedy Shows.[36]
Notable fans of the show include directorSteven Spielberg, musiciansLiam Gallagher,Madonna,Cher andMoby, actorsJim Carrey andSteve Martin, comedianRicky Gervais, and wrestlerSheamus.[37][38][39][40]Maurice Gibb of theBee Gees was buried with a copy of the DVD box set.[41] Singer-songwriterSinéad O'Connor was a fan, and attended the recording of theChristmas special.[42] Irish musicianBono also requested to appear in the series.[37]
In January 2007, a dispute arose betweenInisheer andInishmore over which island can claim to beCraggy Island, and thereby host a three-dayFriends of Ted Festival.[43][44] The dispute was settled by a five-a-side football match that February.[45] Inishmore won 2–0[44] allowing them to use the title of Craggy Island until February 2008, while Inisheer was given the title of Rugged Island. The Friends of Ted Festival, better known as Ted Fest, has been held annually as aFather Ted fan convention since 2007.
In August 2020An Post released a set ofcommemorative postage stamps, each with a catchphrase from the series on a background of the parochial house's lurid wallpaper, in a booklet listing Mrs Doyle's guesses for the name of Father Todd Unctious.[46]
Several quotes from the series have entered the popular lexicon, such as: "These aresmall, but the ones out there arefar away. Small. Far away.", "Down with this sort of thing", "Careful now", "That would be an ecumenical matter" and "I hear you're a racist now, Father".[47]
On 1 January 2011, Channel 4 dedicated a night of programmes to celebrate the show's 15th anniversary year.[48][49] This included "Father Ted: Unintelligent Design", a documentary on the show's influences, and "Small, Far Away: The World of Father Ted", a documentary revisiting the show's history with the writers and many of the surviving cast (Pauline McLynn was unable to take part as she was working in another country).[50][51]
In 2001, Pauline McLynn reprised her role as Mrs Doyle in a run of advertisements for the UK'sInland Revenue, reminding people to get their taxes in on time with her catchphrase from the programme ("Go on, go on, go on..."). It was voted in an Adwatch poll of 1,000 people as the year's worst advertisement.[52]
Later in 2001, Ardal O'Hanlon returned to the role of Father Dougal for a series ofPBS advertisements to coincide withFather Ted's American broadcast; these segments were included on later DVD releases as "Fundraising with Father Dougal".[53][54]
In 2012, Frank Kelly made a brief appearance as Father Jack on an episode ofThe One Show with Graham Norton.[55]
In 2014, guest starBen Keaton returned to the role of Father Austin Purcell, performing a stand-up routine and hosting the pub quiz "Arse Biscuits" in-character.[56][57] In 2015, he launched the spin-off web seriesCook Like a Priest.[58]
In February 2016,Over The Top Wrestling marked the anniversary of Morgan's death with "Ah Ted", an event held in Dublin'sTivoli Variety Theatre. During the main-event tag-team match between The Lads From the Flats and The Kings of the North,Patrick McDonnell,Joe Rooney andMichael Redmond reprised their roles as Eoin McLove, Father Damo Lennon and Father Paul Stone respectively. McLove entered the ring first, withstanding one wrestler's attack on his crotch because he has "no willy", but was soon attacked by Father Damo, who brought the whistle he stole from Benson. Father Stone served as a special guest referee, performing a three-count so slow that one wrestler kicked out after two.[59] In 2017, Rooney appeared as Father Damo in the video forBrave Giant's "The Time I Met the Devil", which follows him on the way to give Mass after a night of alcohol and sex.[60]
Since the end of the series, several attempts to remakeFather Ted have been reported, but none has yet materialised.
In July 2003, it was announced that the show would be remade for the American market. The remake would be scripted bySpike Feresten, who previously wrote for US sitcomsSeinfeld andThe Simpsons. Ferensten stated: "I was raised Catholic and this show just felt right to me. The essence of the show is about men who are also priests and, as men, they have many foibles." Hat Trick foundersDenise O'Donoghue andJimmy Mulville were set to produce. The US production company was Pariah Productions, which previously adaptedThe Kumars at No. 42 for an American audience.[61]
In March 2004, Supanet Limited reported that an American remake was in development. This version would be set on a fictional island off the coast of New York.Steve Martin andGraham Norton would reportedly play Ted and Dougal. Martin had not been expected to take the role because of his stature, but agreed because he was a fan of the original series, and would reportedly be paid £500,000 per episode. Norton was cast based on his popularity with American audiences, and in reference to his appearance as Father Noel Furlong in the original series.[62]
In November 2007, a separate American remake was announced. Rather than Craggy Island, this version would be set in an unfortunate fishing village inNew England. American actorJohn Michael Higgins was cast as Ted, but expressed concerns about the show's religious themes: "The English have a very robust history of being unkind about religion. We don't have that in our country, we're frightened of it. It's basically that you guys are doing an Irish joke also, we don't have that. So I'll be Father Ted, we'll see how it goes." Filming was scheduled to begin in January 2008.[63]
In January 2015, Linehan said that there had been "a few attempts" by US broadcasters to remake the show, including one which would have been set inBoston – an idea Linehan considered "ridiculous".[64]
In an interview withRadio Times in January 2015, Linehan said that he wanted to reviveFather Ted as a musical stage production. He stated that he would never revive the television series, "because of the risk you poison people's memories of the original", but that the completely new format would make the project worthwhile. He mentioned the possibility of a dance number with "spinning cardinals". He said that the musical would have to reference theCatholic child abuse scandals, saying, "The jokes would have to have a little bit more edge, because you just can't ignore this stuff." Mathews was "not as convinced" of the musical idea, though Linehan insisted it could work.[65]
In December, Mathews said that he and Paul Woodfull were developing aJoshua Trio musical and a show focusing on a "Father Michael Cleary-type character", and that theFather Ted musical may follow. He expressed concerns that it would "dilute the product" or be seen as a "cash-in", but said that he believed there was an audience for the project.[66] In April 2017, Linehan said that the musical would draw inspiration fromThe Book of Mormon, and would "go for the jugular ... You get all the things people loved about it, all the innocence and all the sweetness, but introduce a harder edge." Linehan also said that, being a special event, the musical would need to focus on a "world-shaking" story, possibly with Ted becoming Pope due to "some weird succession thing".[67]
In June 2018, Linehan announced thatPope Ted: The Father Ted Musical was nearing completion, with a script by Linehan and Mathews.[68] Linehan said, "It's the real final episode ofFather Ted ... This was the right idea. Arthur and I have been laughing our arses off while writing it. Just like the old days."[69] TheDivine Comedy frontmanNeil Hannon, who wrote the television show's music, composed the music.[70] When asked about its potential to be a hit musical, Hannon stated, "We are certainly aiming for a bigWest End show."[71]
In December 2020, Linehan said he was seeking legal advice regardingHat Trick Productions who he argued were preventing the musical from going into production owing to "activists" within the company.[72] In March 2022, Linehan said the musical had been cancelled by producers following the controversy overhis public statements about transgender rights. He said that the musical was "ready to go", with a completed story and songs, but "just because a group of people have decided that anybody who speaks up against this ideology is evil, [the producers have] just kind of rolled over for those people. No one is standing up for me."[73] Hannon, a longtime friend of Linehan's, said the project was difficult and said about the controversy around Linehan: "It's been difficult to watch what's happened. I believe in free speech, but I also very much believe in people's perfect right to remain completely silent on issues that they don't feel they can speak on. And that's all I want to say about it."[70]
In May 2025, on his podcast:Insiders: The TV Podcast,Jimmy Mulville of Hat Trick Productions stated that he had offered to buy the rights toFather Ted from Linehan in order to proceed with the musical. Linehan refused, saying that the musical would not be made.[74]
| Title | Release date | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | North America | ||
| Series 1 – The Opening Chapters(Volume 1) | 21 October 1996[75] | 15 May 2001 |
|
| Series 1 – The Closing Chapters(Volume 2) | 21 October 1996 | 15 May 2001 |
|
| The Second Sermon – Chapter 1(Volume 3) | 20 October 1997 | 5 March 2002 |
|
| The Second Sermon – Chapter 2(Volume 4) | 20 October 1997[76] | 5 March 2002 |
|
| The Very Best of Father Ted | 30 October 1998[77] | No release | |
| 5 Hilarious Episodes | 12 November 1999[78] |
| |
| The Final Revelations | 24 November 2000[79] |
| |
| The Complete 1st Series | 20 August 2001[80] |
| |
| Series 2 – Part 1 | 15 October 2001[81] |
| |
| Series 2 – Part 2 | 25 February 2002[82] |
| |
| The Complete 3rd Series | 6 May 2002[83] |
| |
| A Christmassy Ted | No release | 17 September 2002 | |
| The Very Best of Father Ted(re-release) | 18 November 2002[84] | No release | |
| Title | Release date | Features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| The Complete 1st Series | 5 June 2001[85] | 20 August 2001[86] | 18 August 2003[87] |
Special features:
|
| Series 2 – Part 1 | 5 March 2002 (released complete)[88] | 15 October 2001[89] | 22 September 2003[90] |
Special features:
|
| Series 2 – Part 2 | 25 February 2002[91] | 22 September 2003[92] |
Special features:
| |
| The Complete 3rd Series | 4 March 2003[93] | 20 May 2002[94] | 17 September 2004[95] |
Special features:
|
| The Very Best of Father Ted | No release | 18 November 2002[96] | No release |
Special features:
|
| A Christmassy Ted | 19 October 2009[97] |
| ||
| Complete series & re-release sets | ||||
| The Complete Series | No release | 4 November 2002[98] | No release |
Special features:
|
| The Holy Trilogy | 17 February 2004[99] | No release |
Special features:
| |
| The Definitive Collection | 19 February 2008[100] | 29 October 2007[101] | 5 November 2009[102] |
Special features:
|
| The Complete Boxset | No release | 12 November 2012[103] | No release |
Special features:
|
| Series 1 | 11 March 2013[104] | 4 March 2010[105] |
| |
| Series 2 | 11 March 2013[106] | 4 March 2010[107] |
| |
| Series 3 | 11 March 2013[108] | 4 March 2010[109] |
| |
| The Complete Boxset(slimline) | 14 October 2019[110] | No release |
Special features:
| |
