Misplaced Pages

#699300

84-571: Father Ted is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4 . It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May 1998, including a Christmas special, for a total of 25 episodes . It aired on Nine Network (series 1) and ABC Television (series 2 and 3) in Australia, and on TV2 in New Zealand. Set on

168-471: 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. In 1991, Mathews left his job at Hot Press and moved into Linehan's London home. Over

252-676: A rebel yell ) competitions. The village was called Ballykilferret and described by the BBC man as being in "the Republic of Eer-ah" (a mispronunciation of Éire ). In 1982, Kelly released a single, "Christmas Countdown", a comedy monologue based on the Christmas song " The Twelve Days of Christmas " and credited to the pseudonymic Gobnait O’Lúnasa. The monologue is presented as a series of comedic thank-you letters that become more and more deranged as Gobnait slowly goes insane as he receives each of

336-540: A 30-minute time slot. Throughout their history, American sitcoms have often drawn inspiration from British counterparts. Popular shows like All in the Family , Three's Company , and Sanford and Son were adapted from successful British series. More recently, The Office achieved significant popularity in the United States , following the success of its British counterpart. Numerous television networks in

420-423: 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. Several quotes from the series have entered the popular lexicon, such as: "These are small , but the ones out there are far away . Small. Far away.", "Down with this sort of thing", "Careful now", "That would be an ecumenical matter" and "I hear you're

504-480: A child being deprived of a visit to Lourdes so that Ted could go to Las Vegas ), Dougal for an event only referred to as the "Blackrock Incident" (resulting in "many nuns' lives [being] irreparably damaged"), and Jack for his alcoholism and womanising , particularly for an unspecified incident at a wedding in Athlone . The show revolves around the priests' lives on Craggy Island, sometimes dealing with matters of

588-544: A core group of characters who interact in a recurring setting, such as a family, workplace, or institution. However, British sitcoms typically consist of shorter series, often six episodes, and are frequently developed by a smaller writing team. The majority of British sitcoms are half-hour comedies recorded in studio settings using a multiple-camera setup. While many adhere to traditional sitcom conventions, some have ventured into more unconventional territory. For example, Blackadder and Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister shifted

672-451: A parody of a typical sitcom theme. When Pulp said no, 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. This theme was recorded by Hannon and co-producer Darren Allison at The Jesus and Mary Chain 's private studio. One of William Reid 's guitars

756-409: A racist now, Father". On 1 January 2011, Channel 4 dedicated a night of programmes to celebrate the show's 15th anniversary year. 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

840-566: A regular gay character (Terry Bader as journalist Leslie). In 1987, Mother and Son won the Television Drama Award for portraying a woman suffering from senile dementia and her interaction with her family, presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission . In 2007, Kath & Kim ' s first episode of series 4 attracted an Australian audience of 2.521 million nationally. This

924-483: 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". 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. Father Ted also contains references to pop culture, and some film parodies , such as

SECTION 10

#1732772728700

1008-504: A send-up of a backward local authority figure in rural Ireland. In 1974, Kelly won a Jacob's Award for his work on the series. In the early 1980s, he was featured in the RTÉ television programme for those learning Irish Anois is Aris . At the end of the programme he spoke into a telephone, gradually introducing Irish phrases. In 1988, he appeared in the Irish thriller film Taffin . Kelly

1092-473: 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". In 2012, Frank Kelly made a brief appearance as Father Jack on an episode of The One Show with Graham Norton. In 2014, guest star Ben Keaton returned to the role of Father Austin Purcell, performing a stand-up routine and hosting

1176-557: 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

1260-557: A staple of the government broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In the 1970s and 1980s many British sitcoms also screened on the Seven Network . By 1986, UK comedies Bless This House and Are You Being Served? had been re-screened several times by ABC Television ; they were then acquired and screened by the Seven Network. In 1981, Daily at Dawn was the first Australian comedy series to feature

1344-419: 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

1428-434: A very limited sense of humour I am very wary of too, because it's not a sign of great intelligence to be without a sense of humour. If you've no sense of irony you haven't a great decision making capacity because you must see the possibilities of the downside of any decision. Without perspective you can't have any wisdom, so it frightens me when I meet captains of industry or whatever who have virtually no sense of humour. That's

1512-696: Is McCormack's at Glenquin, on the Boston road from Kilnaboy. The cinema featured in " The Passion of St Tibulus " was the Ormonde Cinema, Greystones , County Wicklow 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

1596-564: Is one of the leading channels in India, dedicated entirely to Sitcoms. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is the longest-running sitcom of Indian television and is also known as the flagship show of SAB TV . On Tiptoes and Shabhaye Barareh were among the first and most important sitcoms that led to the growth of this type of comedy in Iran, both receiving wide critical and audience acclaim. El Chavo del Ocho , which ran from 1971 to 1980,

1680-423: Is reputably a great slagger with colleagues, and is very well liked." Kelly himself said: I like humour—but I'm very suspicious of people who laugh all the time, because they never listen to what you're saying, they always—have another agenda and they generally have no sense of humour. The most untrustworthy body language I know is that of the person who laughs all the time. That terrifies me. People with no sense or

1764-570: The Bee Gees was buried with a copy of the DVD box set. Singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor was a fan, and attended the recording of the Christmas special . Irish musician Bono also requested to appear in the series. In January 2007, a dispute arose between Inisheer and Inishmore over which island can claim to be Craggy Island , and thereby host a three-day Friends of Ted Festival . The dispute

SECTION 20

#1732772728700

1848-725: The Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series . In 2020, the sixth and final season of Schitt's Creek was nominated for 15 Primetime Emmy Awards . This broke the record for the most Emmy nominations given to a comedy series in its final season. During the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards , the show became the first ever comedy or drama series to sweep the four acting categories ( Outstanding Lead Actor , Outstanding Lead Actress , Outstanding Supporting Actor , Outstanding Supporting Actress for Eugene Levy , Catherine O'Hara , Dan Levy , and Annie Murphy respectively) and one of only four live action shows, along with All in

1932-791: The Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted . Kelly was born, in 1938, in Blackrock , County Dublin , which remained his home for much of his life. His father was Charles E. Kelly , a cartoonist who established the magazine Dublin Opinion . He was educated at Blackrock College and studied law at University College Dublin , before taking up journalism, working for some years as a subeditor at a number of Irish newspapers, prior to becoming an actor. He worked at Dublin's Eblana Theatre with Cecil Sheridan and Jack Cruise . Other work included pantomime and comedy sketches. Kelly's first film role, which

2016-753: The RTR channel. The "boom" of Russian sitcoms began only in the 2000s, when in 2004, the STS started the highly successful sitcom " My Fair Nanny " (an adaptation of the American sitcom " The Nanny "). Since that time, sitcoms in Russia have been produced by the two largest entertainment channels in the country — STS and TNT . In 2007, the STS released the first original domestic sitcom — " Daddy's Daughters " (there were only adaptations before), and in 2010, TNT released " Interns " —

2100-439: The United States feature sitcoms in their programming. CBS , TBS, Nickelodeon , and Disney Channel are just a few examples of networks that air sitcoms. Frank Kelly Evelyn (2002) Francis Kelly (28 December 1938 – 28 February 2016) was an Irish actor, singer and writer, whose career covered television, radio, theatre, music, screenwriting and film. He is best remembered for playing Father Jack Hackett in

2184-543: The "Ayatollah Ceili Band" (a pun on The Tulla Céilí Band ), "Magnum Farce", "Incoming Call", "Festive Spirit", "Hymn of Praise", "Call of the Wild", "Festive Note" and "Siege Mentality". Kelly died on 28 February 2016, after suffering a heart attack. He revealed he had Parkinson's disease in October 2015, and was recovering from bowel cancer . He had previously survived skin cancer . His death came exactly 18 years after

2268-446: The 1950s. Early television sitcoms were often filmed in front of a live studio audience using a multiple-camera setup , the latter of which continues in some modern productions such as The Big Bang Theory and Fuller House . Other formats make use of a laugh track or "canned laughter". Since the 1990s, sitcoms have since expanded to animated sitcoms , with successful shows of the genre including The Simpsons , King of

2352-458: The 1970s until the 1990s. Kelly played the part of a culchie (rural buffoon) called Gobnait O'Lúnasa. The sketches typically started with the sound of him putting coins in an old public phone's coin box, and when the call was answered, his words were, "Hello! Guess who? Is that you Nuala?" Kelly acted the part of an English BBC reporter interviewing rural inhabitants about local customs, such as watching bacon being sliced, or "ha-hooing" (shouting

2436-431: The 1990s these included: Dekh Bhai Dekh (1993), Zabaan Sambhalke (1993), Shrimaan Shrimati (1995), Office Office (2001), Ramani Vs Ramani (Tamil 2001), Amrutham (Telugu 2001–2007), Khichdi (2002), Sarabhai vs Sarabhai (2005) F.I.R. (2006–2015), Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (2008–present), Uppum Mulakum (Malayalam 2015–present), and Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain (2015–present). SAB TV

2520-482: The 2010s, resulting in a decline in sitcom popularity. Nevertheless, there have been recent efforts to revive the sitcom genre. For instance, Netflix released So Not Worth It in 2021, featuring many creators from popular South Korean sitcoms. Popular South Korean sitcoms include the High Kick series, which has spawned several spin-offs. British sitcoms , like their American counterparts, often revolve around

2604-560: The 20th century, the highest ranking Channel 4 production on the list. In 2004, it came 11th in the poll for Britain's Best Sitcom . In August 2012, Channel 4 viewers voted the series as the No 1 in C4's 30 Greatest Comedy Shows . 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 . Maurice Gibb of

Father Ted - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-417: The Family , The Golden Girls , and Will & Grace where all the principal actors have won at least one Emmy Award. Sitcoms started appearing on Indian television in the 1980s, with serials like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984), Nukkad (1986), and Wagle Ki Duniya (1988) on the state-run Doordarshan channel. Gradually, as private channels were permitted to operate, many more sitcoms followed. In

2772-559: The Hill , and Family Guy . Critics have debated the exact definition of a sitcom, mostly regarding productions created at the turn of the 21st century. Many contemporary American sitcoms use a single-camera setup and do not feature a laugh track, instead more resembling documentaries or the comedy-dramas of the 1980s and 1990s. Although there have been few long-running Australian-made sitcoms, many American and British sitcoms have been successful in Australia, since sitcoms are considered

2856-489: The January 1994 issue of In 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

2940-768: The Labour Party, in the UK Television drama The Deal . In 2007, he acted in the TG4 political drama Running Mate , about an election campaign. He also appeared in the TG4 series Paddywhackery . On 29 September 2010, it was announced that Kelly had joined ITV1 soap Emmerdale , playing the role of Dermot, Declan Macey 's father. Kelly left the soap after five months of filming because he missed his family in Ireland. A regular stage actor, Kelly toured extensively in

3024-637: The United States and Canada. He provided voice-overs and in his television advertising work, appeared with "Mr Tayto" in an advertising campaign for Tayto crisps. In 2014, he appeared as judge Justice Cannon in Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie . In September 2015, Kelly published an autobiography called The Next Gig . His reminiscences include those of acting colleagues including Pierce Brosnan and Michael Caine . Many of his radio sketches originated from his weekday RTÉ radio show The Glen Abbey Show in

3108-525: The United States in 1926 with the radio show Sam 'n' Henry . The subsequent success of Amos 'n' Andy , also created by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll , solidified the sitcom's place in American radio programming. The transition to television brought about significant changes in the sitcom format. Mary Kay and Johnny , which premiered in 1947, became the first American television sitcom. Today, American sitcoms typically run for 22 minutes, allowing for approximately eight minutes of advertising within

3192-616: 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

3276-557: 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. 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

3360-407: The controversy over his 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." Hannon, a longtime friend of Linehan's, said the project

3444-425: 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 Linehan and Mathews first met while working at Hot Press . In the late 1980s, Mathews, Paul Woodfull and Kieran Woodfull formed The Joshua Trio,

Father Ted - Misplaced Pages Continue

3528-538: The death of his Father Ted co-star Dermot Morgan . Speaking at Kelly's funeral, Michael D. Higgins , the President of Ireland, said, "He will forever be remembered for his roles in the theatre and will be recalled with great affection and fondness for his roles on television, including in Wanderly Wagon , Glenroe and the much-loved Hall's Pictorial Weekly ." Kelly and Bairbre, his wife of 51 years who

3612-676: The dream sequence version of "My Lovely Horse", which was produced by Allison and Hannon, and later appeared as a B-side on the band's single " Gin Soaked Boy ". The interior scenes were recorded at the London Studios in front of a live studio audience, while exterior filming was at various locations in Ireland. Location work for Father Ted was done mostly in County Clare , including locations at Corofin , Ennis , Kilfenora , Ennistymon , and Kilnaboy . The Parochial House

3696-699: 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 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." Embarrassment plays

3780-510: The episode " Speed 3 ". An avid fan of Monty Python growing up, Linehan cited the ineffectual protest of Monty Python's Life of Brian upon its release in 1979 as an influence for the Father Ted episode " The Passion of Saint Tibulus ". 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

3864-651: The fictional Craggy Island , a remote location off Ireland's west coast, Father Ted stars Dermot Morgan as Father Ted Crilly , alongside fellow priests Father Dougal McGuire ( Ardal O'Hanlon ) and Father Jack Hackett ( Frank Kelly ). Dishonourably exiled on the island by Bishop Leonard Brennan ( Jim Norton ) for various reasons, the priests live together in the parochial house with their housekeeper Mrs Doyle ( Pauline McLynn ). The show subverts parodies of low-brow humour as it portrays nuanced themes of loneliness , agnosticism , existentialism and purgatory experienced by its title character; this deeper meaning of

3948-647: The first sitcom, filmed as a comedy (unlike dominated "conveyor" sitcoms). Sitcoms, or "시트콤" in Korean, gained significant popularity in South Korea during the 1990s. This popularity was fueled by the success of shows like Dr. Oh's People , LA Arirang , and Men and Women . The use of computer graphics (CG) in sitcoms began to increase in the late 1990s as more broadcasters adopted CG technology. This led to more visually dynamic and creative sitcoms. However, viewer preferences shifted towards dramas and thrillers in

4032-496: The focus from domestic or workplace settings to the world of politics. A more recent development in British comedy is the mockumentary , a style that blends documentary and comedic elements. Shows like The Office , Come Fly with Me , W1A , People Just Do Nothing , and This Country have successfully employed this format to explore a variety of topics and characters. Sitcoms, or situation comedies, made their debut in

4116-569: The kind of person I find dismaying. From 1999 to 2001, Kelly starred in Glenroe as Maurice and played Henry Doyle (father of Pierce Brosnan 's Desmond Doyle) in Evelyn (2002). He appeared in the film Rat in 2000, as a priest called Father Pickle in the TV series Lexx (2001), and also in a short film, Yu Ming Is Ainm Dom , in 2003. That same year, he had a major role as John Smith , leader of

4200-673: The misadventures of three Irish 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

4284-421: The musical from going into production owing to "activists" within the company. Sitcom The structure and concept of a sitcom have roots in earlier forms of comedic theater, such as farces and comedy of manners . These forms relied on running gags to generate humor, but the term "sitcom" emerged as radio and TV adapted these principles into a new medium. The word was not commonly used until

SECTION 50

#1732772728700

4368-420: The next Clive Dunn and end up playing the same character for years." 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. In 1994, the writers asked alternative rock band Pulp to compose the theme music for Father Ted , requesting

4452-441: 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

4536-624: The original series. 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

4620-730: The pub quiz "Arse Biscuits" in-character. In 2015, he launched the spin-off web series Cook Like a Priest . In February 2016, Over The Top Wrestling marked the anniversary of Morgan's death with "Ah Ted", an event held in Dublin's Tivoli 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 and Michael Redmond reprised their roles as Eoin McLove, Father Damo Lennon and Father Paul Stone respectively. McLove entered

4704-470: 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. In 2017, Rooney appeared as Father Damo in the video for Brave Giant 's "The Time I Met the Devil", which follows him on

4788-504: The seminary in Maynooth College . Producer Geoffrey Perkins suggested that the episode's concept be dramatised and rewritten as a sitcom. We wanted to make an Irish sitcom with all the insanity of The Young Ones , and the cleverness of Blackadder , and the farce elements of Fawlty Towers . These were the things that we grew up loving. —Graham Linehan, Small, Far Away: The World of Father Ted , 1 January 2011 In

4872-413: The series but rejected it. 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

4956-404: 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. 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 being typecast : "I don't want to be

5040-453: The show has been much acclaimed. Father Ted won several British Academy Television Awards —including twice for Best 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 the 100 Greatest TV Characters . In 2019, Father Ted was named the second-greatest British sitcom (after Fawlty Towers ) by a panel of comedy experts for Radio Times . The show follows

5124-472: The show has earned an estimated $ 1 billion in syndication fees alone for Televisa . Gliding On , a popular sitcom in New Zealand in the early 1980s, won multiple awards during its run including Best Comedy, Best Drama and Best Direction at the Feltex Awards . The first Russian sitcom series was "Strawberry", which resembled "Duty Pharmacy" in a Spanish format. It was aired from 1996 to 1997 on

SECTION 60

#1732772728700

5208-663: 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. 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

5292-509: The show's creators imagined Ted and Dougal as "just two people who happen to be [priests]". Father Ted was met with critical acclaim and is the most popular sitcom in Irish TV history. The Irish media frequently uses the series as a point of comparison in political stories. In 1996 and 1999, the show won the BAFTA award for Best Comedy, while Morgan also won Best Comedy Performance. In 1995

5376-488: 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 the Catholic child abuse scandals , saying, "The jokes would have to have a little bit more edge, because you just can't ignore this stuff." Mathews

5460-662: The twelve items from the original song. It reached number eight in the Irish Singles Chart in 1982, and peaked at number 26 in the UK Singles Chart and number 15 in Australia in 1984. He performed the single live on Top of the Pops on 5 January of that year. The single was the opening track on the later album Comedy Countdown . In 2000 he released Comedy Countdown , an album featuring some of his sketches taken from The Glen Abbey Show . Tracks included

5544-406: The way to give Mass after a night of alcohol and sex. Since the end of the series, several attempts to remake Father 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 by Spike Feresten , who previously wrote for US sitcoms Seinfeld and The Simpsons . Ferensten stated: "I

5628-405: Was "not as convinced" of the musical idea, though Linehan insisted it could work. 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

5712-530: Was an audience for the project. In April 2017, Linehan said that the musical would draw inspiration from The 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". In June 2018, Linehan announced that Pope Ted: The Father Ted Musical

5796-572: Was best known outside Ireland for playing Father Jack Hackett in the comedy series Father Ted , which aired in the United Kingdom from April 1995 to May 1998. Father Jack is an old, alcoholic and offensively rambunctious priest who usually shouts only " feck !", "arse!", "drink!" and "girls!" and the occasional scream of "what!" and "women's knickers". For his role in Father Ted , he wore contact lenses (to show Father Jack's cataract). People would not eat lunch with him during filming if he

5880-927: Was criticized by several social commentators as inappropriately disrespectful to the office of the Prime Minister. The show nevertheless proved very popular with both television audiences and critics, becoming the most-watched Australian scripted comedy series of 2011. It was nominated at the 2012 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards for Best Television Comedy Series. Although there have been several notable exceptions, relatively few Canadian sitcoms attained notable success in Canada or internationally. Canadian television has had much greater success with sketch comedy and dramedy series. The popular show King of Kensington aired from 1975 to 1980, at its peak garnering an average of 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers weekly. The 1999 movie Trailer Park Boys

5964-431: 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." In December 2020, Linehan said he was seeking legal advice regarding Hat Trick Productions who he argued were preventing

6048-530: Was followed up by a television series of the same name that ran from 2001 to 2018, airing in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. Corner Gas , which ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009, became an instant hit, averaging one million viewers per episode. It has been the recipient of six Gemini Awards and has been nominated almost 70 times for various awards. Other noteworthy recent sitcoms have included: Call Me Fitz , Schitt's Creek , Letterkenny , and Kim's Convenience , all of which have been winners of

6132-470: 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

6216-429: Was in his Father Jack make-up because the false flaky skin he was wearing would fall off into the food. Interviewing Kelly in 1997 for The Irish Times , Deirdre Falvey said of him: "In person he could not be further from Father Jack. Urbane, articulate, thoughtful, fit (he swims and hikes), charming company, full of stories, and quite serious, though his conversation is punctuated by the occasional burst of laughter—he

6300-558: Was just a real revelation for me, and after that, whatever he said went, as far as I was concerned." 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 "). Neil Hannon also provided Ted and Dougal's vocals in

6384-425: Was nearing completion, with a script by Linehan and Mathews. Linehan said, "It's the real final episode of Father Ted ... This was the right idea. Arthur and I have been laughing our arses off while writing it. Just like the old days." The Divine Comedy frontman Neil Hannon , who wrote the television show's music, composed the music. In March 2022, Linehan said the musical had been cancelled by producers following

6468-425: 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. In March 2004, Supanet Limited reported that an American remake

6552-469: Was scheduled to begin in January 2008. 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". In an interview with Radio Times in January 2015, Linehan said that he wanted to revive Father Ted as a musical stage production. He stated that he would never revive

6636-414: 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 album Casanova : the final Father Ted theme became "Songs of Love", while Hannon's rejected theme became "A Woman of the World". In 2010, Linehan discussed the dramatic effect this choice had on the tone of the series: "'Woman of

6720-408: Was settled by a five-a-side football match that February. Inishmore won 2–0 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. In August 2020 An Post released a set of commemorative postage stamps , each with

6804-559: Was the highest rating for a first episode in the history of Australian television, until the series premiere of Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities in 2009, which garnered 2.58 million viewers. In 2013, Please Like Me received an invitation to screen at the Series Mania Television Festival in Paris, was praised by critics, and earned numerous awards and nominations. Also in 2013, At Home with Julia

6888-546: Was the most-watched show on Mexican television and had a Latin-American audience of 350 million viewers per episode at its popularity peak during the mid-1970s. The show continues to be popular in Central America as well as in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, the United States, and other countries. Syndicated episodes average 91 million daily viewers in all its American markets. Since it ceased production in 1992,

6972-616: Was uncredited, was as a prison officer in The Italian Job (1969), escorting Charlie Croker ( Michael Caine ) out of prison in the film's opening sequence. He starred in the popular RTÉ children's programme Wanderly Wagon alongside Eugene Lambert and Nora O'Mahoney from 1968 to 1982, playing a number of different characters and writing many of the scripts. It was Kelly's work on Hall's Pictorial Weekly (1970–1982) that established him as one of Ireland's most recognisable faces. He memorably portrayed councillor Parnell Mooney,

7056-419: Was working in another country). In 2001, Pauline McLynn reprised her role as Mrs Doyle in a run of advertisements for the UK's Inland 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. Later in 2001, Ardal O'Hanlon returned to the role of Father Dougal for

#699300