Father Ted

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This article is about the sitcom itself. For its eponymous lead character, see Father Ted Crilly.

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"Craggy Island" redirects here. For other places with this name, see Craggy Island (disambiguation).
Father Ted
Alt=Series title over the sea
Genre Sitcom
Created by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Written by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Graham Linehan
  • Arthur Mathews
Directed by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Opening theme "Songs of Love" (instrumental)
Composer(s) The Divine Comedy
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 3
No. of episodes 25 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Mary Bell
Producer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Production location(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Cinematography Eugene O'Connor
Camera setup Multiple-camera
Running time 23–25 minutes
Production company(s) Hat Trick Productions
Release
Original network Channel 4 (UK)
Picture format PAL (576i)
Audio format Stereophonic
Original release 21 April 1995 (1995-04-21) –
1 May 1998 (1998-05-01)
External links
Website

Father Ted is a British sitcom that was produced by independent production company Hat Trick Productions for 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 (series 1) and ABC Television (series 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 was critically acclaimed, receiving multiple BAFTA awards, and remains one of the most popular sitcoms in Irish television history.

Synopsis

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Further information: List of Father Ted characters

The show follows the misadventures of three Roman Catholic priests who live in a parish on the fictional Craggy Island, located off the west coast of Ireland. Father Ted Crilly, Father Dougal McGuire and Father Jack Hackett live chaotically together in Craggy Island's parochial house, along with their housekeeper Mrs Doyle, who always wants to serve them tea.

The three priests answer to Bishop Len 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 a visit to Lourdes so that Ted could go to Las Vegas), Dougal for something only referred to as the "Blackrock Incident" (resulting in many nuns' "lives irreparably damaged"), and Jack for his alcoholism and womanising, particularly for an incident at a wedding.

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.

Episodes

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Main article: List of Father Ted episodes

Father Ted ran for three series from 1995 to 1998, including a Christmas special. A total of 25 episodes were produced.

Series Episodes Originally aired
Series premiere Series finale
1 6 21 April 1995 26 May 1995
2 10 8 March 1996 10 May 1996
Christmas Special 1 24 December 1996
3 8 13 March 1998 1 May 1998

Production

Writing

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Graham spent a lot of time listening to the Pixies and watching Taxi Driver. When I knew him first, it was like he'd never been outside the house, except to go to see Star Wars films, so his influences were never that Irish, whereas I grew up in the country... I remember Frank Kelly and Hall's Pictorial Weekly. He did a show called The Glen Abbey Show, which was very funny. So I was always aware of the strangeness and madness of Irish things.

—Arthur Mathews, The Tom Dunne Show, 12 October 2012[1]

Linehan and Mathews first met while working at Hot Press.[2] In the late 1980s, Mathews, Paul Woodfull and Kieran Woodfull formed The Joshua Trio, a U2 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.[3][4]

In 1991, Mathews left his job at Hot 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 as The All New Alexei Sayle Show and The Fast Show. One of these ideas was for a comedy mockumentary series called Irish 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 in Maynooth College. Producer Geoffrey Perkins suggested that the episode's concept be dramatised and rewritten as a sitcom.[3][5]

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 the their second choice for the role of Ted, being the right age and having a similar look and lightness. Mathews always preferred Dermot Morgan; Linehan was initially reluctant, fearing he would play Ted the same as "Father Trendy" a character he played on the RTÉ television show The Live Mike, but Morgan lobbied hard for the role and was cast.

The show was pitched directly to the UK's Hat Trick Productions and Channel 4 by the duo, contrary to rumours that RTÉ (the Irish national broadcaster) were originally offered the series but rejected it.[6][7]

Recording

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) and Andy De Emmony (studio scenes). In addition, Morgan and O'Hanlon hosted an hour of Comic 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 a heart attack, aged 45. As a mark of respect, the third series was first broadcast a week later than originally planned.

Just weeks before his death Morgan said that he did not want to continue playing the role of Father Ted for fear of being typecast: "I don't want to be the next Clive Dunn and end up playing the same character for years."[8]

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.[9]

Music

In 1994, the writers asked alternative rock band Pulp to compose the theme music for Father Ted, requesting a parody of a typical sitcom theme. When Pulp declined involvement, they contacted Neil Hannon, frontman of Northern Irish chamber pop band The 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. Both themes were reworked, with new lyrics, for inclusion on The Divine Comedy's 1996 album Casanova: the final Father Ted theme became "Songs of Love", while Hannon's rejected theme became "A Woman of the World".[10][11]

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."[12]

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").[13] Neil Hannon also provided Ted and Dougal's vocals in the dream sequence version of "My Lovely Horse", which later appeared as a B-side on the band's single "Gin Soaked Boy".

Location

The house used for external shots of the parochial house (2006)

Location work for Father Ted was done mostly in County Clare, including locations at Corofin, Ennis, Kilfenora, Ennistymon, and Kilnaboy. The Parochial House is McCormack's at Glenquin, on the Boston road from Kilnaboy.[14][15] The cinema featured in "The Passion of St Tibulus" was the Ormonde Cinema, Greystones, County Wicklow[16] and "The Field", the location for Funland in "'Good Luck, Father Ted'", is in Portrane, North County Dublin. The 'Very Dark Caves' featured in "The Mainland" were the Aillwee caves in the Burren, County Clare.

Some exterior shots for the episode "And God Created Woman" were filmed in Dún Laoghaire, South County Dublin. The opening sequence (including shots of the Plassy shipwreck) were filmed over Inisheer — the smallest of the Aran Islands. The interior scenes were recorded at the London Studios in front of a live studio audience.

Comedy style

The series is set in a humorously 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."[17] Embarrassment plays a role in many storylines, in a similar fashion to Fawlty 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".[17] Arthur Mathews has described Seinfeld as a major influence on the comedy of Father Ted, with himself and Linehan being "big fans" of the show.[18] Father Ted also contains references to pop culture, and some film parodies, such as the episode "Speed 3".

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]".[17]

Critical reception

Father Ted met with critical acclaim and is one of the most popular sitcoms in Irish television history.[19]

In 1996 and 1999, the show won the BAFTA award for Best Comedy, while Morgan also won Best Comedy Performance.[20] In 1995 the show won Best New TV Comedy at the British 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.[21] In 1997 the show was given the Best Channel 4 Sitcom Award. It was also ranked at number 50 in the BFI's 2000 list of the 100 greatest British television programmes of the 20th century, the highest ranking Channel 4 production on the list.

In August 2012, Channel 4 viewers voted the series as the No 1 in C4's 30 Greatest Comedy Shows.[22]

Notable fans of the show include director Steven Spielberg; musicians Liam Gallagher, Madonna, Cher and Moby; actors Jim Carrey and Steve Martin; comedian Ricky Gervais; and wrestler Sheamus.[23][24][25][26] Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees was buried with a copy of the DVD box set.[27] Singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor is a fan, and attended the recording of the Christmas special.[28] Irish musician Bono also requested to appear in the series.[23]

Legacy

In January 2007, a dispute arose between Inisheer (pop. 250) and Inishmore (pop. 1,200) over which island can claim to be Craggy Island, and thereby host a three-day Friends of Ted Festival.[29][30] It was decided, in appropriate Father Ted fashion, that the dispute would be settled by a five-a-side football match held on 25 February 2007.[31] This was won by Inishmore, 2–0[30] 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 a Father Ted fan convention since 2007 after the show achieved a cult following.

As of May 2012, the show is being repeated on More4 and RTÉ Two. All three series have been available through the OnDemand service of Virgin Media in the UK but now they have only one series at a time, switching between the three. As of February 2012, series one and two and the Christmas Special are available on 4oD.[32] BBC Two showed an episode on 8 November 2008[33] as part of its tribute night to producer Geoffrey Perkins, who had died just over two months before.[34]

In 2001, Pauline McLynn reprised her role as Mrs Doyle in a run of advertisements for the Inland Revenue, reminding people to get their taxes in on time by uttering her catchphrase from the programme ('Go on, go on' repeated over and over again). It was later voted as the worst advert of the year.[35] In the same year, Ardal O'Hanlon returned to the role of Father Dougal for a series of PBS advertisements to coincide with Father Ted's American broadcast; these segments were included on later DVD releases as "Fundraising with Father Dougal".[36][37] In 2012, Frank Kelly made a brief appearance as Father Jack on The Graham Norton Show.[38]

The series has been referred to in regard to lack of political policy. Speaking in Carlow in June 2010, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Green Party leader John Gormley said the Labour Party is coming very close to being the "Father Ted of Irish politics" because, according to Gormley, they have no policies.[39]

On 1 January 2011, a night dedicated to the show was screened by Channel 4 from 9pm to 11pm in celebration of its 15th anniversary year.[40][41] This included the nation's and the writers' favourite episodes plus a documentary of the cast and creators that revisited the show's locations. Pauline McLynn decided not to take part in the documentary.[42] The show was also dedicated to Dermot Morgan.[43] This documentary and another (Father Ted: Unintelligent Design and Small, Far Away – The World Of Father Ted) followed by the episode Kicking Bishop Brennan Up The Arse were repeated again on Channel 4 late in the evening of 26 December 2011.

In 2015, guest star Ben Keaton reprised the role of Father Austin Purcell for the spin-off web series Cook Like a Priest.[44]

Potential remakes

Since the end of the original programme, several attempts to remake Father Ted have been reported, but none have yet materialised.

In July 2003, it was announced that the show would be remade for the American market. The remake would be scripted by Spike Feresten, who previously wrote for US sitcoms Seinfeld and The 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 founders Denise O'Donoghue and Jimmy Mulville were set to produce. The US production company was Pariah Productions, which previously adapted The Kumars at No. 42 for an American audience.[45]

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 and Graham 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.[46]

In November 2007, a separate American remake was announced. Rather than Craggy Island, this version would be set in an unfortunate fishing village in New England. American actor John 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.[47]

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 in Boston – an idea Linehan considered "ridiculous".[48]

Potential musical

In an interview with Radio Times in January 2015, Linehan revealed that he wanted to revive Father Ted as a musical stage production. He stated that he would never revive the television series itself, "because of the risk you poison people's memories of the original", but that the completely new format would make the project worthwhile. Linehan mentioned the possibility of a dance number with "spinning cardinals". He said that the musical would have to reference the Catholic child abuse scandals, stating, "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 still insisted it could work.[49]

In December, Mathews said that he and Paul Woodfull were developing a Joshua Trio musical and a show focusing on a "Father Michael Cleary-type character", and that the Father 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.[50]

Home video

United States

U.S. Releases
Title Format Episodes Release date Rating
Volume 1 VHS 3 15 May 2001 Not Rated
Volume 2 VHS 3 15 May 2001 Not Rated
Volume 3 VHS 3 5 March 2002 Not Rated
Volume 4 VHS 3 5 March 2002 Not Rated
A Christmassy Ted VHS 1 17 September 2002 Not Rated
The Complete Series 1 DVD 6 5 June 2001 Not Rated
The Complete Series 2 DVD 10 5 March 2002 Not Rated
The Complete Series 3 DVD 9 4 March 2003 Not Rated
The Holy Trilogy DVD 25 2 March 2004 Not Rated

United Kingdom

UK Releases
Title Format Episodes Release date Rating
Series 1 - The Opening Chapters VHS 3 21 October 1996  15 
Series 1 - The Closing Chapters VHS 3 21 October 1996  15 
The Second Sermon - Chapter 1 VHS 3 20 October 1997  15 
The Second Sermon - Chapter 2 VHS 3 20 October 1997  15 
The Very Best of Father Ted VHS 5 2 November 1998  15 
5 Hilarious Episodes VHS 5 15 November 1999  12 
The Final Revelations VHS 8 27 November 2000  15 
The Complete 1st Series VHS & DVD 6 20 August 2001  15 
Series 2 - Part 1 VHS & DVD 6 15 October 2001  15 
Series 2 - Part 2 VHS & DVD 5 25 February 2002  12 
The Complete 3rd Series VHS & DVD 8 20 May 2002  15 
The Very Best of Father Ted DVD 6 18 November 2002  15 
The Complete Series DVD 25 20 November 2002  15 
The Definitive Collection DVD 25 29 October 2007  15 
A Christmassy Ted DVD 1 19 October 2009  12 
The Complete Boxset DVD 25 12 November 2012  15 
Series 1 DVD 6 11 March 2013  15 
Series 2 DVD 11 11 March 2013  15 
Series 3 DVD 8 11 March 2013  15 

Australia

Australian Releases
Title Format Episodes Release date Rating
The Complete 1st Series DVD 6 18 August 2003  M 
Series 2 - Part 1 DVD 6 August 2003  PG 
Series 2 - Part 2 DVD 5 September 2003  M 
The Complete 3rd Series DVD 8 Late 2003  M 
The Definitive Collection DVD 25 5 November 2009  M 
The Complete 1st Series DVD 6 4 March 2010  M 
The Complete 2nd Series DVD 11 4 March 2010  M 
The Complete 3rd Series DVD 8 4 March 2010  M 

References

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  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ As stated by Neil Hannon in the documentary Half Minute Melodies, BBC Radio 4, 3 February 2000. Hannon offered a choice of tunes to the producers; his personal preference was for "Woman of the World".
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ McCormack's at Glenquin used for external shots of the parochial house in the Father Ted TV series Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "A Peak Inside the Craggy Island Examiner", by Stacey Baird Spirit of Genovia, c1997 (Retrieved 23 November 2011)
  18. ↑ "A return to Craggy Island", by Arthur Mathews, Irish Times, 31 December 2010 (Retrieved 23 November 2011)
  19. ↑ Bex, T, Burke, M. & Stockwell, P. Contextualized Stylistics: In Honour of Peter Verdonk. Rodopi Publishers.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.; Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Labour 'Fr Ted of Irish politics' says Gormley. RTÉ. 28 June 2010
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

External links

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