Father Ted, 1995
In a poll as recent as 2nd November this year a poll conducted by Ranker.com showed this now cult show as having dis-lodged Only Fools And Horses off it’s traditional top spot.
Father Ted was produced by Hat Trick Productions especially for Channel 4. Winning several British Academy Television Awards, including two for Best Comedy Series, Father Ted ran for twenty five episodes over three series.
Several attempts to re-make the series mainly for the American market but nothing has ever materialised. However in 2015 co-creator Graham Linehan stated in an interview with Radio Times that he wanted to revive Father Ted as a musical stage production.
The project was discussed in further interviews and in June 2018, Linehan announced that he and his fellow creator Arthur Mathews had almost completed a script for Pope Ted: The Father Ted Musical. Music had been composed by Neil Hannon, who had written the music for the TV show. It looked like it was all systems go.
Fast forward to March 2022 In March 2022, Linehan said that the musical was “ready to go”, with a completed story and songs, but sadly it had been had been cancelled by producers following the controversy over his views on transgender rights.
Summary
The TV series follows the antics of three Roman Catholic Priests on their remote parish of Craggy Island. Father Ted Crilly, Father Dougal McGuire and Father Jack Hackett live together in Craggy Island’s priest house, along with their housekeeper Mrs Doyle, who is often wanting to serve them tea. The three priests answer to Bishop Len Brennan.
Bishop Brennan has assigned the three priests to Craggy Island parish due to different incidents in their past: Ted for alleged financial impropriety, Dougal for something only referred to as the “Blackrock Incident” (resulting in many “lives irreparably damaged”), and Jack for his alcoholism and womanising. 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 arch-nemesis, Father Dick Byrne of the nearby Rugged Island parish.
Clips
Now who recognises this guy?
Car Repairs
Cast
Father Ted – Dermot Morgan
Father Dougal McGuire – Ardal O’Hanlon
Father Jack Hackett – Frank Kelly
Mrs Doyle – Pauline Mclyn
Details
Channel: Channel 4
Created By: Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews
Produced By: Hat Trick Productions
Originally Broadcast: 21st April 1995 – 1st May 1998
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