Father Ted

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Television series
Original title Father Ted
Country of production United Kingdom , Ireland
original language English
Year (s) 1995-1998
length 24 minutes
Episodes 25 in 3 seasons
genre Comedy , sitcom
idea Arthur Mathews , Graham Linehan
music Neil Hannon
First broadcast England on Channel 4
occupation

Main actor:

Supporting cast:

Father Ted is a sitcom produced in the 1990s about the life of three priests on the fictional, remote island of Craggy Island off the west coast of Ireland . The first episode aired on April 21, 1995 on Channel 4 , later in Ireland on Radio Telefís Éireann . The last episode aired on May 1, 1998. Father Ted was written by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan . The interior scenes were filmed in LWT Studios in London , the exterior scenes in Ireland.

The series mainly caricatures the priesthood and the Catholic Church ; it thus takes on a pioneering role in contemporary Irish culture. But contemporary culture, people and events are also viewed satirically and z. T. grotesquely overdrawn. Father Ted became a surprise success and was, like the main actors (except Frank Kelly ), u. a. awarded with BAFTA Awards. Numerous well-known Irish actors (e.g. Dervla Kirwan , Graham Norton , Jim Norton , Maria Doyle , Gerard McSorley , Peter Caffrey , Zara Turner ) appeared in the series as secondary characters.

Father Ted's cast member, Dermot Morgan , died of a heart attack the day after filming season three; Frank Kelly , the actor of Father Jack Hackett, exactly 18 years later.

main characters

Father Ted Crilly

Ted is an intelligent man and apparently the only priest on Craggy Island who takes his office seriously. However, he seems to be quite (ambitious) stingy.

Allegations against Ted are the reason he has to eke out his existence on Craggy Island: He is accused of embezzling money that he was supposed to use to drive a sick child to Lourdes . He used the money to finance a trip to Las Vegas . Ted claims, however, that he only "dormant" the money in his account because of the interest.

Father Dougal McGuire

Dougal is a young priest aged 25 but feels that Ted is being treated like 24. He has serious problems distinguishing reality from his overflowing imagination. His mind is childlike, his intelligence can safely be described as low. However, he is friendly and helpful, which regularly leads to adversity and disaster. Dougal usually thinks being a priest is great. However, he does not even begin to master the most common liturgies and does not believe in “organized religion”. Furthermore, he doesn't believe in resurrection or eternal life , but does believe in things like baby spiders (with the body of a spider and the mind of a baby) or aliens .

Dougal was exiled to Craggy Island in particular because of the ominous Blackrock incident in which some nuns were harmed.

Father Jack Hackett

Father Jack spends his old age on Craggy Island. He fulfills a mostly silent role, but from time to time, when he is disturbed or feels annoyed, he has outbursts of violence, mostly against Ted, or he utters wild curses. His vocabulary consists largely of the interjections “Feck!”, “Feck off!”, “Drink!”, “Ass!” And “Girls!”. In addition, he is able to drink tons of alcohol, which also explains his sometimes absent state of mind and his articulation problems. According to Ted, he is sober about every 12 years. When drinking, he sometimes comes across toilet cleaning agents, motor oil or battery acid. In addition, Father Jack attaches little importance to hygiene, his priestly robe is covered with stains, and crumbs and crusts are often found around his mouth.

Before Father Jack came to Craggy Island, he was an extremely strict priest who, however, liked to watch after young women. But he is terrified of nuns. Jack must have done something unforgivable at a wedding that got him transferred to Craggy Island.

Mrs. Doyle

Mrs. Doyle is the housekeeper of the three priests who is getting used to. She loves nothing more than serving tea, cakes and mountains of triangular sandwiches. She has some old-fashioned views and sacrifices herself for the three. Your past remains largely in the dark; she has apparently been married. Mrs. Doyle's first name is unknown, in the episode "The Mainland" her full name is given by a police officer, but the first name is drowned out and cannot be heard.

Minor characters

Bishop Leonard Brennan

Responsible for the exile of the priests is the uncompromising Bishop Leonard Brennan, whom Dougal liked to call Len, much to the displeasure of the Bishop. His visits to the island are usually inconvenient and do not bode well for Ted. Bishop Brennan is a strict superior, but he does not take the rules of the Church too seriously himself, because despite celibacy he has a son in the USA.

Father Noel Furlong

Father Noel is arguably one of the most stressful people around Ted and Dougal. He talks continuously and likes to sing. He tries to get his fellow human beings excited about his themes and songs, but he doesn't succeed.

Father Larry Duff

A running gag in the second season are the appearances of Father Larry Duff. Ted thinks meeting Larry is a lot of fun, so every now and then he tries to call Larry on Larry's cell phone. He always catches him in an awkward position, which leads to an accident when the phone rings, in which Larry is usually seriously injured.

Father Dick Byrne

Father Dick Byrne, a priest on Rugged Island (presumably a neighboring island to Craggy Island), is Ted's archenemy . He also lives with two other priests (Father Cyril MacDuff and Father Jim Johnson) who both have features similar to Dougal and Jack. Father Byrne likes to challenge Ted whenever the opportunity arises for a competition, and Ted can never resist taking up his challenges. They like to bet for amounts in the single-digit pound sterling range - half a fortune for Ted.

John and Mary O'Leary

John and Mary are a wonderful couple in the eyes of Ted and Dougal. But the ideal world is really only an appearance: As soon as no priest is within reach, John and Mary abuse each other and even attack each other with weapons.

Tom

Tom always wears a t-shirt that says “I shot JR”. He is a seedy character with clearly psychotic-aggressive features and, according to his own statement, has already killed someone. He has robbed the post office and is employed at least part of the time as a driver for the sewer cleaning of Craggy Island.

Sergeant Hodgins

Sergeant Hodgins is representing the police on Craggy Island. He is mostly bored and therefore wishes for a murder or at least a wrongly parked car on the island. He's always there when his help is needed in catching Jack or solving a whistle theft.

Plot / episodes

First season (1995)

1. Good Luck, Father Ted
Ted gets a unique chance to appear on television. While he is meeting the television crew in the "field" (the only place on Craggy Island that is not dominated by rocks), Dougal goes for a walk with Jack. Unfortunately, the annual fair takes place in the field and Dougal is magically drawn to it instead of going to the cliffs of the island with Jack . When the TV crew arrives, Ted is busy with the crane of death, so it is foreseeable that they are mixed up.
2. Entertaining Father Stone
Father Paul Stone visits Craggy Island - much to the displeasure of Ted, Dougal and Jack. Father Stone doesn't say a word too much and therefore spreads an eerie silence and boredom. After three weeks of showing no sign of departure, Ted prays to God that he will get Paul off his body. Then Paul is struck by lightning while playing golf and falls into a coma. Ted is desperate - his guilty conscience makes him pray again and he asks God to bring Paul back.
3. The Passion Of Saint Tibulus
The blasphemous film The Passion of Saint Tibulus was banned by the Pope . Bishop Brennan instructs the three priests to protest against the film on Craggy Island. While Jack is watching the film enthusiastically, Ted and Dougal ensure that their protest arouses interest in the film. It becomes the most successful film of all time.
4. Competition time
Ted plans to play Elvis in a costume contest , but Dougal and Jack have the same idea. After a call from Father Dick Byrne, the three of them decide to compete against Father Byrne and his two colleagues in the competition. The referee is the well-known television presenter Henry Sellers, who visits Ted, Dougal and Jack before the competition. Mrs. Doyle forces Henry a sherry and the former alcoholic relapses.
5. And God Created Woman
Ted meets writer Polly Clarke at her book signing. Coincidentally, she then comes to Craggy Island because she has bought a new country house there. Ted and Polly not only get along well, Ted finds Polly very attractive. They arrange to meet for a drink in their country house. But Ted has forgotten that he has to hold mass at the appointed time : some nuns have come just to hear him preach. He tries to cancel the mass, but his excuses are not convincing. When Polly and Ted are finally alone, she makes him a surprising confession.
6. Grant Unto Him Eternal Rest
After Jack accidentally drank too much floor wax , Ted and Dougal can celebrate his will: he left them £ 500,000. The only condition: Since Jack was afraid of being buried alive, Ted and Dougal should hold a wake the night before his funeral . It soon turns out that floor wax only caused the symptoms of death on Jack.

Second season (1996)

1. Bright
The three priests go on vacation and find accommodation in a colleague's camper, which is not very spacious . There are two local attractions: St. Kevin's Tree Stump and the Magic Road where Father Jack is lost. Then Father Noel Furlong shows up with his youth group in the camper van.
2. Think Fast, Father Ted
The proceeds of a raffle are to be used to renovate the roof of the priest's house, which is now permeable to water. Bishop Brennan made the raffle possible because, thanks to his help, a car is available as the main prize. But Dougal discovers a small dent in the fender - Ted tries to dent it, but after that the car is no longer usable as a profit.
3. Tentacles Of Doom
The Clonrichert Holy Stone is a relic on Craggy Island and is slated to be promoted to a Grade 2 relic . Ted, Dougal, and Jack are expecting three bishops to visit to perform the ceremony. In order not to embarrass himself, Ted teaches Jack to say “yes” and “that would be an ecumenical question”, which Jack can shine with throughout the episode. Meanwhile, Dougal plunges one of the bishops into a crisis of faith.
4. Old Gray Whistle Theft
Mrs. Doyle is packing a few bags full of sandwiches for a planned picnic . But Ted has to go alone with Jack after Larry Duff is stopped and Dougal prefers to play with the rebellious priest Damien Lennon. After Jack has emptied the two bottles of wine in a few seconds and Ted has messed with other picnickers and the groundskeeper Mr. Benson, they go home again. The following night, Benson's whistle is stolen. All Benson knows is that the thief was wearing a collar . Sergeant Hodgins takes the helicopter to find the thief and Ted is suspected, especially when the pipe is found on him. While Ted is still struggling for an adventurous explanation, the real thief is found.
The title is a reference to the BBC program The Old Gray Whistle Test .
5. A Song For Europe
Dougal is in Eurovision fever. When Father Byrne calls and provokes Ted that he couldn't produce a song anyway, Dougal and Ted decide to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest . Ted takes this very seriously. The song title is easy to find: My Lovely Horse . A text is also composed, but the melody turns out to be a big problem. First, Ted and Dougal agree on a two-chord melody. Fortunately, Dougal has his record collection, consisting of a single record by Huguen and the Huguenotes, which came fifth in the 1976 contest with their song contribution to Norway. Since all band members, including their rights exploiters, were tragically killed in an airplane accident, Ted suggests using their melody as a secret memory of them. In the selection of the Irish song for the competition, Ted and Dougal prevail against Dick Byrne and Cyril MacDuff - even though they could only use the two-chord variant of the song after their originally planned melody turned out to be better known than initially assumed . At the Eurovision Song Contest, Ted and Dougal discovered that their song was not well received.
6. The Plague
Bishop Brennan has announced his visit because Jack sleepwalked naked . Only one rabbit plague has the priestly house firmly under control and Brennan has a rabbit phobia . Ted tries to move the rabbits to someone else. Larry Duff has bought twelve Rottweilers and therefore cannot take them, Tom would have liked to have taken the rabbits, but Ted and Dougal find out that he misinterpreted "taking care of the rabbits". There is nothing left to do but take the rabbits back with you. Dougal finds out that the rabbits are in the house because of Jack's smell. But Brennan is already at the door and checks the security precautions on Jack's bed: a barbed wire, a straitjacket as pajamas, a leash and surveillance cameras.
7. Rock-a-Hula Ted
Ted has the honor of judging the annual Lovely Girls Festival. Jack takes the chance and appears at the event as Bob Geldof to raise funds for himself. Meanwhile Dougal is at home alone and during this time Niamh Connolly comes by, a protest singer who criticizes the church as sexist and backward in her songs. She is looking for a house on Craggy Island - since Dougal (very inexperienced in dealing with women) listens to Ted's advice ("Always give women what they want"), he gives her the priestly house.
8. Cigarettes And Alcohol And Rollerblading
Father Dick Byrne tells Ted, Dougal, and Jack to stop smoking, drinking, and rollerblading during Lent . After just a few minutes, all three show withdrawal symptoms . The following night, Ted, Dougal and Jack catch each other breaking good intentions. But since Ted doesn't want to be seen as a loser in front of Dick Byrne, he brings Sister Assumpta from the Matty Hislop Order into the house. This leads a strict regime: The priests have to get up at five o'clock, only get water for breakfast, sleep on bricks and experience a ten-stage punishment every day , during which Assumpta does not shrink from violence. Ted and Dougal escape the ordeal from the house and catch Byrne and his colleagues smoking, drinking and skating. Since they catch Assumpta on their return, as she succumbs to her chocolate addiction, they can blackmail her and take revenge on Byrne.
The title is a parody of the Oasis song Cigarettes And Alcohol .
9. New Jack City
Jack has very hairy hands again, suggesting a disease common to older priests. He therefore has to go to St. Clabberts, a nursing home for priests, against his will , which others like to call Jurassic Park. Ted and Dougal are happy at first, but Jack is replaced by an even more exhausting priest: Father Fintan Stack. He likes to listen to jungle music loudly , especially at night. When Father Stack finally drills large holes in the walls, fills Dougal with alcohol and wrecks the car, it becomes too much for Ted and he plans a rescue operation for Jack with Dougal.
The title was borrowed from the film New Jack City .
10. Flight Into Terror
The three priests of Craggy Island are on their flight home with colleagues from a visit to the Madonna of the Shrine from the Kilnettle golf course. During a tour of the cockpit, the crazy priest Fay ("the monkey priest of Killybashangel") freaks out and Dougal, out of sheer panic, does not press the emergency button, but the button to empty the fuel tank. When it becomes clear that the aircraft cannot make an emergency landing, it must be clarified who should get the only two parachutes on board. While Ted tries to clear this up with an essay contest, Jack grabs the two parachutes to save himself and the minibar.

Christmas episode (1996): A Christmassy Ted

Looking for a Christmas present for Mrs. Doyle, Ted and Dougal get lost in Ireland's largest lingerie department. Ted worries about the Church's reputation and fears scandal if he and Dougal are caught there. While looking for the exit, they meet six other priests. Thanks to a clever plan, Ted manages to get all the priests out unnoticed after three hours.
Ted then receives a call from Rome : In view of this heroic deed, Ted is to receive the Golden Cleric Award. An old friend of Ted comes to visit at Christmas - Ted can't remember his name. To avoid this embarrassing situation, he lets Mrs. Doyle guess the name of the priest - after a while she actually manages: it is Todd Unctious. He wants to attend the award ceremony, but after the long ceremony it turns out that he also has other reasons for his visit.

Third season (1998)

1. Are You Right There, Father Ted?
Ted's imitation of a Chinese earned him the reputation of a racist among the Chinese immigrants on Craggy Island. His attempts to prove otherwise only make matters worse. In addition, Ted is bequeathed a collection of Nazi memorabilia from a deceased friend.
2. Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep
In a beauty contest for sheep, Ted bets his favorite, but he is mentally stressed due to rumors about a sheep-eating monster on the island.
The title is a reference to the song " Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep ", which was made famous by Middle of the Road .
3rd speed 3
The new milkman, Pat Mustard, is suspected by Ted and Dougal of getting his customers pregnant. You can get him to relinquish his post to Dougal. In revenge, Pat Mustard places a bomb in the milk truck that activates at a speed of 4 miles per hour.
The title and plot of the episode allude to Speed or Speed ​​2 - Cruise Control .
4. The Mainland
Ted, Dougal, Jack and Mrs. Doyle are going to mainland Ireland because Ted wants to redeem a betting slip, Jack needs new glasses and Mrs. Doyle has an appointment with her friend Mrs. Dineen. But Ted and Dougal get lost during a cave tour, Jack bursts into a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous after the appointment with the optician, and Mrs. Doyle's tea party with Mrs. Dineen ends in fights.
5. Escape From Victory
Ted, like Dick Byrne, trains a team for the annual football tournament of the over 75-year-old priests. The two bet for victory. However, Ted cannot fall back on his two best players: Father Jack cannot be woken up from a bottle of sleeping pills and Father Nick recently passed away. To keep his chances, he controls Father Jack in a remote-controlled wheelchair while playing. His team wins, but Dougal accidentally blows the hoax. Dick Byrne confronts Ted with kicking Bishop Brennan's butt as a punishment for losing the bet.
6. Kicking Bishop Brennan Up The Ass
In order for Ted to do his job, Dick Byrne lures Bishop Brennan to Craggy Island on the pretext that a miraculous image of the bishop appears in the baseboard of the priestly house there. On the second attempt, Ted struggles to kick Brennan's butt when the latter bends down to look at the image. Brennan is paralyzed and only realizes what happened to him during an audience with the Pope. He travels back to Craggy Island on the spot.
7. Night Of The Nearly Dead
Mrs. Doyle wins a visit from the adored presenter Eoin McLove in a poetry competition on a television show. She spreads the news all over the island and when the childish star, who cannot wait to return on arrival, is in the priest's house, this is besieged by the women of Craggy Island and finally attacked.
8. Going To America
Ted stops Father Kevin from throwing himself out the window and is offered a congregation in Los Angeles by his American colleague Father Buzz Cagney. Dougal, Jack and Mrs. Doyle look forward to the emigration to the USA just as expectantly as Ted, who, however, can never bring himself to tell them that he will go alone. Ted was already on the plane with Father Cagney when he learned that a parish in Los Angeles in an area contested by street gangs was planned for him.
The episode, the last of the series, ends with a montage of clips from all previous episodes.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Eugene O'Brien, 'Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Ass': Negotiating Texts and Contexts in Contemporary Irish Studies , Bern 2009, p. 116.
  2. ↑ Margaret Llewellyn-Jones, "The Grotesque and the Ideal: Representations of Ireland and the Irish in Popular Comedy Programs on British TV," in: Bruce Carson, Margaret Llewellyn-Jones (eds.), Frames and Fictions on Television: The Politics of Identity Within Drama , Exeter / Portland 2000, p. 127.