Post by Dirty Epic on Jul 25, 2018 13:02:16 GMT
Recently been watching Father Ted again on DVD… even though I’ve seen them quite a bit on E4 over the years and just wondering are there any Father Ted fans on here?
Following the madcap adventures of three ‘banished’ priest’s to the mythical Craggy Island over three series we Ted (Dermot Morgan) banished for ripping off a bank account along with loveable dimwit Dougal (Ardal O’Hanlon) and lecherous drunken elderly priest Jack (Frank Kelly). We also encounter their hyper hyper housekeeper Mrs Doyle (Pauline McLynn) their nemesis Bishop ‘Len’ Brennan (Jim Norton) and a whole host of other crazy characters from their mirror image from Rugged Island Father Dick Byrne (Maurice O’Donnogue), Graham Norton as a insanely madcap priest on speed as Father Noel Furlong, the accident prone Father Larry Duff (Tony Guilfoyle) and many other weird, wacky, zany and downright insanely funny characters like John & Mary (Patrick Drury and Rynagh O'Grady), Tom (Pat Shortt), Pat Mustard (Pat Laffan) along with so many others to mention here.
Over it’s three series we see Father Ted send up the many aspects of religion and beyond in many over the top ways/scenario’s like media savvy priest’s, sex and religion, blasphemous films, racism, Irish stereotypes and many other farcical situations and exploding these etc. in many ways which hadn’t been done before and in ways which I feel are funny, interesting and make you laugh with the situation rather than at it. Okay perhaps if I were Irish/religious might feel a bit different about it. There was a famous Right to Reply interview where writer Graham Linehan received criticism from a Mancunian 3rd generation ‘Irish’ claiming he was disrespecting the Irish with Father Ted. Everyone’s entitled to a view but in my opinion he’s Irish, the critic didn’t see any of the nuances of the show which actually was criticising the whole ‘Irish stereotype’ that up until the mid-90’s was built up in programmes like Ballykissangel (ugh) etc. which Father Ted to some degree took the p*** out off and there’s always a degree of truth in anything which sends up a stereotype in my view.
In a similar way to say Fawlty Towers which was an influence the three series of Father Ted have a timeless classic quality to them. Despite Dermot Morgan’s untimely death in 1998 both Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews have stated the series wouldn’t have gone beyond the three series. Also interesting that neither Linehan and Matthews (for me) have seemed to repeat the success they had with Father Ted nor actors like Ardal O’Hanlon who went on to do the lukewarm My Hero/’Thermoman’ which I feel didn’t really work and was something I didn’t really like being honest. Also Pauline McLynn seems to have dropped off the radar too and a bit disowning of the show these days – maybe understandable if she doesn’t want to be typecast.
Like Fawlty I’ve mentioned and other comedies like Young Ones and Bottom the madcap elements of these are captured in Father Ted and for anyone (who?) hasn’t seen it and doesn’t get offended by the religious aspects depicted in it I’d fully recommend it.
RIP Dermot Morgan and Frank Kelly too.
Final note Graham Linehan is undergoing a bit of a cancer battle at the moment, hope it all goes well and thanks for bringing this to life.
Following the madcap adventures of three ‘banished’ priest’s to the mythical Craggy Island over three series we Ted (Dermot Morgan) banished for ripping off a bank account along with loveable dimwit Dougal (Ardal O’Hanlon) and lecherous drunken elderly priest Jack (Frank Kelly). We also encounter their hyper hyper housekeeper Mrs Doyle (Pauline McLynn) their nemesis Bishop ‘Len’ Brennan (Jim Norton) and a whole host of other crazy characters from their mirror image from Rugged Island Father Dick Byrne (Maurice O’Donnogue), Graham Norton as a insanely madcap priest on speed as Father Noel Furlong, the accident prone Father Larry Duff (Tony Guilfoyle) and many other weird, wacky, zany and downright insanely funny characters like John & Mary (Patrick Drury and Rynagh O'Grady), Tom (Pat Shortt), Pat Mustard (Pat Laffan) along with so many others to mention here.
Over it’s three series we see Father Ted send up the many aspects of religion and beyond in many over the top ways/scenario’s like media savvy priest’s, sex and religion, blasphemous films, racism, Irish stereotypes and many other farcical situations and exploding these etc. in many ways which hadn’t been done before and in ways which I feel are funny, interesting and make you laugh with the situation rather than at it. Okay perhaps if I were Irish/religious might feel a bit different about it. There was a famous Right to Reply interview where writer Graham Linehan received criticism from a Mancunian 3rd generation ‘Irish’ claiming he was disrespecting the Irish with Father Ted. Everyone’s entitled to a view but in my opinion he’s Irish, the critic didn’t see any of the nuances of the show which actually was criticising the whole ‘Irish stereotype’ that up until the mid-90’s was built up in programmes like Ballykissangel (ugh) etc. which Father Ted to some degree took the p*** out off and there’s always a degree of truth in anything which sends up a stereotype in my view.
In a similar way to say Fawlty Towers which was an influence the three series of Father Ted have a timeless classic quality to them. Despite Dermot Morgan’s untimely death in 1998 both Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews have stated the series wouldn’t have gone beyond the three series. Also interesting that neither Linehan and Matthews (for me) have seemed to repeat the success they had with Father Ted nor actors like Ardal O’Hanlon who went on to do the lukewarm My Hero/’Thermoman’ which I feel didn’t really work and was something I didn’t really like being honest. Also Pauline McLynn seems to have dropped off the radar too and a bit disowning of the show these days – maybe understandable if she doesn’t want to be typecast.
Like Fawlty I’ve mentioned and other comedies like Young Ones and Bottom the madcap elements of these are captured in Father Ted and for anyone (who?) hasn’t seen it and doesn’t get offended by the religious aspects depicted in it I’d fully recommend it.
RIP Dermot Morgan and Frank Kelly too.
Final note Graham Linehan is undergoing a bit of a cancer battle at the moment, hope it all goes well and thanks for bringing this to life.