Episode 16

Father Ted first aired in the mid 1990s and it quickly became a cult classic - not just in Ireland, but across the UK and all over the English speaking world. It’s funny, it’s ridiculous, but behind the laughter, there is a sharp satire of Irish society, religion and small town life.

The show tells the story of three Catholic priests who live together in a house on Craggy Island. They are supposed to be serving the local community, but in truth, they are not there because they want to be; their boss, Bishop Brennan, sent them to Craggy Island to keep them out of trouble.

At the centre of it all is the title character, Father Ted Crilly. He is supposed to be the respectable one, but Ted is not exactly a hero. He’s ambitious, vain, and often dishonest - not in a cruel way, but in a hapless way.

After he is accused of stealing money from the church, he famously and repeatedly insists, “that money was just resting in my account”. Ted wants success and respect, but he’s not intelligent or brave enough to earn it and that is where a lot of comedy in this show comes from – Ted is not evil, he’s just vulnerable to human weakness.

Ted’s sidekick is Father Dougal McGuire, played by Ardal O’Hanlon. Dougal is not the brightest man in the world. He lives in a dream world where logic does not exist. He doesn’t understand religion, he doesn’t really understand the world - but he’s cheerful, innocent, and he’s genuinely kind. In a strange way, he is the moral heart of the show. Dougal’s confusion often highlights how absurd and corrupt the world around him really is.

And finally, we have Father Jack Hackett; the third priest in the house and easily the least vocal of the three. Jack is old, angry and permanently drunk. Jack is a cartoon version of the old-fashioned Irish priest, the kind who holds onto archaic ideas on religion and gender equality. Through Jack, the show pokes fun at the Church’s decline in authority, their outdated rules and older generations clinging to the past, afraid of change.

The three priests live with Mrs Doyle. She represents a well meaning, traditional Irish woman, trapped in her routine and a life of servitude.

Why is Father Ted so funny? It is a mix of surrealism and character driven humour. Often, it’s not what the character does which is funny, the funny part is who is doing it and why they are doing it. Father Ted is personality driven show. Characters from other sitcoms doing the same thing probably would not be very funny. The writers, Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, were masters at taking something completely ordinary - like a Christmas shopping trip or a visit from the bishop - and turning it into total chaos.

The humour often comes from contrast and irony. Ted thinks he’s clever and sophisticated, but he’s surrounded by idiots, yet often, he’s the biggest fool in the room. He is willing to lie and cheat to get what he wants, but he rarely succeeds.

The dialogue is fast, with repetition and exaggeration which make it perfect for learners of English to study. The show’s language is simple on the surface, but rich with irony and double meanings.

It is important to say, while Father Ted mocks Catholic traditions and Irish society, it does so with warmth rather than cruelty. The writers grew up in Ireland themselves, and the humour for them is an inside joke; they are laughing at a culture they know, but also questioning this culture. There is honesty in the comedy.

In the 1990s, Ireland was going through huge social change. The Catholic Church was losing power, scandals were emerging left and right, and people were questioning old values. Father Ted reflected this change, not by preaching to the audience, but by joking about the societal change. Craggy Island became symbol of isolation in thew show; a place stuck in the past, cut off from modern life. The priests are relics of older generation, trying to keep up as the world moves on.

There are lots of small “digs” at old fashioned Catholic thinking. For example, there’s an episode where the priests attend and judge a beauty competition. The women are judged on their ability to make sandwiches and how pretty they sound when they laugh. At no point do the priests treat the women like humans. Now this is not sexist comedy; this was a scathing critique from the writers over the lack of gender equality women were subjected to in the past for generations because of the attitudes in Irish society. Another episode involves the priests being told to protest against an adult film, but the objections accidentally draw the wrong kind of attention and lead the film to huge success. The intention of the writers was to show that the opinion of the Catholic Church held less power in society than it did before.

The show’s final episode was filmed in 1998, but the ending of the story is bittersweet. Dermot Morgan, the actor who played Father Ted Crilly, died only a few days after production ended. Fans of all ages still quote the lines he made immortal. I still hear people say when they read about a story of corruption in government “that money was just resting in my account!”. These lines were funny then and they are funny now.

The show was also hugely influential for British and Irish comedy writers. Without Father Ted, we may not have seen The IT Crowd, Friday Night Dinner or Fleabag. Classic British comedies. These shows all share the same ethos: comedy comes from small, specific places and can connect with everyone.

For learners of English, Father Ted is a brilliant way to explore Irish English, the idioms they use, and the Irish accents. It’s also a great reminder that humour reflects culture. By laughing at Ted, Dougal, and Jack, we’re really laughing at human weakness, our confusion about faith, our ambitions, our fear of change and on some levels, we can all relate to that.

Episode 16 vocabulary

Satire - The use of comedy to highlight social or cultural problems.

The novel contains wonderful satire of modern consumer culture.

Hapless - Unlucky or unsuccessful, usually due to a lack of skill or intelligence.

She had never worked with anybody as hapless as her new boss.

Absurd - Without logic or reason.

Why would you say something so absurd when you know it makes no sense?

Vocal - Able or willing to speak out loud.

I wish I had no been so vocal about my opinions on their marriage!

Archaic - Very old fashioned.

The museum has a large collection of archaic pottery.

To cling - To attach very closely, physically or emotionally.

I am sweating so much that my clothes are clinging to my body!

Servitude - A state of being trapped in a subordinate role.

After the war, thousands of people were forced into a life of servitude by the conquering army.

Inside joke - A joke only understood by some individuals.

The audience were not laughing during the comedy show. The performer was telling inside jokes which not many people understood!

Scathing - Extremely critical. This is a negative word.

The critic wrote a scathing review of the new movie.

Bittersweet - A mix of sadness and happiness.

There was a bittersweet feeling in her heart. She was sad to leave her freinds, but she was excited to begin a new life adventure.