Series synopsis
Father Ted is a comedy television series that premiered on Channel 4 on April 21, 1995. It ended on May 1, 1998. It was created by Arthur Mathews, Graham Linehan. It stars Dermot Morgan, Ardal O'Hanlon, Pauline McLynn and Frank Kelly.
A crazy comedy about three rather strange parish priests exiled to Craggy Island, a remote island off the Irish west coast.
Premise
A crazy comedy about three rather strange parish priests exiled to Craggy Island, a remote island off the Irish west coast.
Premise: A real charmer.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Dermot Morgan as Father Ted Crilly
- Ardal O'Hanlon as Father Dougal McGuire
- Pauline McLynn as Mrs. Doyle
- Frank Kelly as Father Jack Hackett
- Denys Hawthorne as Bishop Facks
- Declan Mulholland as Shouting Priest
- Clare Grogan as Niamh Connolly
- Richard Wilson as Richard Wilson
Supporting cast
- Vernon Dobtcheff as Old Nazi
- Jeff Harding as Father Buzz Cagney
- Maggie Shevlin as Mrs. Collins
- Graham Norton as Father Noel Furlong
- Jim Norton as Bishop Len Brennan
- Don Wycherley as Father Cyril MacDuff
- Gemma Craven as Polly Clarke
- Tommy Duggan as Father Paul Cleary
- Arthur Mathews as Father Billy Kerrigan
- Mark O'Regan as Vatican Priest
- Gerard Murphy as Pilot
- Dermot Crowley as Father Liam Deliverance
Guest cast
- Denys Hawthorne as Bishop Facks
- Declan Mulholland as Shouting Priest
- Clare Grogan as Niamh Connolly
- Richard Wilson as Richard Wilson
- Vernon Dobtcheff as Old Nazi
- Jeff Harding as Father Buzz Cagney
- Maggie Shevlin as Mrs. Collins
- Graham Norton as Father Noel Furlong
- Jim Norton as Bishop Len Brennan
- Don Wycherley as Father Cyril MacDuff
- Gemma Craven as Polly Clarke
- Tommy Duggan as Father Paul Cleary
Episodes
This series spans 4 seasons with 40 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 16 | December 24, 1996 | January 1, 2011 |
| Season 1 | 6 | April 19, 1995 | May 26, 1995 |
| Season 2 | 10 | March 7, 1996 | May 10, 1996 |
| Season 3 | 8 | March 14, 1998 | May 1, 1998 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
A Christmassy Ted Father Ted, Father Dougal and six other priests take a wrong turn while Christmas shopping and end up lost in the lingerie section of a huge department store. |
December 24, 1996 |
| 2 |
Father Ted Series 3 Trailers Ted and Dougal host an hour of Comic Relief. |
June 16, 1997 |
| 3 |
Unintelligent Design A rare opportunity to poke around inside the heads of Father Ted creators Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews and find out who they admire and where they draw their inspiration from. Every comedy writer has been influenced in some way by what came before, and they are certainly no different. By revealing what makes up their own comedy DNA, they show what inspired them to create Father Ted and the rest of the Craggy Islanders. There are clips from some comedy classics that you would expect - such as Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, Seinfeld and The Simpsons - as well as weird stuff from the real world which inspired some of their favourite characters. They discuss the comedians and stand-ups, the priests, politicians and Irish beauty pageants which have directly influenced their comedy world, as well as their obsession with the feature film |
January 1, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Good Luck, Father Ted Ted gets his chance to be on TV when he is to be interviewed by a magazine programme. But 'FunLand', the most pathetic travelling fair ever conceived has come to Craggy Island, and while Ted is distracted with Father Jack, Dougal seizes his moment of glory. |
April 21, 1995 |
| 2 |
Entertaining Father Stone The world's most boring priest comes to stay, and he just won't go away. After his worst ever birthday party, Father Ted prays for deliverance from Father Stone, but a lightning strike wasn't what he expected. |
April 28, 1995 |
| 3 |
The Passion of Saint Tibulus The local cinema is showing a film condemned by the Church for its X-rated and blasphemous depiction of Saint Tibulus. Bishop Brennan is dispatched to the island to ensure that the priests take to the picket line in protest. But their defiant stand only gives more publicity to the film, which becomes an overnight success. It is left to Father Jack to stop the Bishop from sending them packing. |
May 5, 1995 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hell Ted, Dougal and Jack go on an all-expenses-spared holiday to Kilkelly Caravan Park. They meet a young couple, and are soon in trouble with the police. Entertainment comes in the shape of St Kevin's Stump and the Magic Road. Father Jack goes missing; Father Noel Furlong and his youth group turn up to put the final nail in the coffin of the holiday. |
March 8, 1996 |
| 2 |
Think Fast, Father Ted The roof of the Parochial House is leaking, and Ted decides on a raffle to raise the funds, with a car as the prize. Unfortunately, an accident with a cyclist puts something of a dent in the vehicle. A similar car is borrowed from the Dancing Priest in order to save the raffle; however, the priests must then win in order to return the car. Despite this intrigue, the roof does not get repaired. |
March 15, 1996 |
| 3 |
Tentacles of Doom The Holy Stone of Clonrichert is to be upgraded to a class 2 relic, and unfortunately this entails three Bishops visiting the island - Father Jack must be housetrained quickly. Only one of the bishops dies - Ted therefore considers this to have been a relatively successful visit. |
March 21, 1996 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Are You Right There Father Ted? Ted finally escapes to a new posting at Castlelawn Parochial House, Dublin, with civilised company and frequent jaunts to Paris. Unfortunately a slight misunderstanding over some expenses sends Ted back to his old compadres on the island. After a spot of lads' housecleaning results in Ted being mistakenly tarred as a racist, Ted holds a celebration of Chinese culture to clear his name - though 'Kung Fu Fighting' may not have been an inspired choice of soundtrack. Just when it looks like a happy ending might be in store, a mix-up over some soft furnishings and Nazi memorabilia leaves the Chinese community with a sweet 'n' sour taste in the mouth. |
March 15, 1998 |
| 2 |
Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep Ted gets mixed up in a web of intrigue and double-cross when he bets the Parochial House heating budget on Chris, the burping sheep. The lads bring Chris to stay at the house in an attempt to improve his chances at 'King of the Sheep 98', but can Ted quell his burping in time for the great day? |
March 20, 1998 |
| 3 |
Speed 3 Ted and Dougal turn detective to discover who's behind the bumper crop of hairy babies on Craggy Island. However when justice is done on the culprit he takes a terrible revenge. Dougal's moonlighting stint as island milkman is marred by a bomb set to go off if the milk float drops below 4mph. Does 'The Poseidon Adventure' hold the key to his rescue, or would Father Jack's pet brick come in more useful? |
March 27, 1998 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Channel 4 |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 21, 1995 |
| Last aired | May 1, 1998 |
| Runtime | 24 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Friday at 20:00:00 |