"Father Ted" A Christmassy Ted (1996)

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Director:

Declan Lowney

Writers:

Graham Linehan (written by) &
Arthur Mathews (written by)

TV Series:

"Father Ted" (1995)

Original Air Date:

24 December 1996 (Season 2, Episode 11)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Father Ted wins the "Golden Cleric", for saving a fellow group of priests from an embarrassing situation.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas Special | Christmas | Pre Credit Scene | Island | Ireland

Cast

Dermot Morgan	...	Father Ted Crilly
Ardal O'Hanlon	...	Father Dougal McGuire
Frank Kelly	...	Father Jack Hackett
Pauline McLynn	...	Mrs. Doyle
Gerard McSorley	...	Father Todd Unctious
Dervla Kirwan	...	Assumpta Fitzgerald
Stephen Tompkinson	...	Father Peter Clifford
Tony Guilfoyle	...	Father Larry Duff
Anne Gildea	...	Woman with Baby
Caoilinn McCormack	...	Baby
Barry Murphy	...	Salesman
Sean Barrett	...	Father Fitzgerald
Donncha Crowley	...	Father Billy
Colum Gallivan	...	Father Reilly
Neil McCaul	...	Father Terry

Trivia:

This episode marks the final appearance of Father Larry Duff (Tony Guilfoyle) on the series.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: There is a visit to a department store which boasts (we're told) the largest lingerie department in Ireland. However, the establishing shot of the store is of Oxford Street in London. It even features a bus stop with the easily recognisable London Transport logo.

Quotes:

Father Dougal: TED!
[wakes up Ted in bed]
Father Dougal: ... would you like a peanut?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Father Ted: Going to America (#3.8)" (1998)

Outstanding!

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Christmas specials of comedy series, usually being longer, can be a curate's egg - good in parts etc... This episode, however, despite being double the length of a typical Ted, maintains the series' stratospherically high standards throughout! Right from the introductory absurdity of the Ted household's visit to The Mainland for Christmas shopping, to the (un)dynamic duo's incarceration in Ireland's Largest Lingerie Department, through Ted's elevation to Priest of the Year and Mrs Doyle's adventures with the Teamatic, this is a total gem of a show.

The Vietnamesque escape from said Lingerie Department, Father Jack's being parked in a creche (spelling 'Arse, Feck, Girls' with the ABC wooden spelling blocks and corrupting the other infants into crying those very words later), the sleazy flashback of the old priest talking about Ted to Father Unctious, every scene is perfect.

Watch out for a young Kevin McKidd, of 'Rome' fame, as a callow priest losing it in the Lingerie Department, and the lovely Ed Byrne as a scoffing youth on a gay-chatline spoof...

Sheer perfection.

P.S. Dermot Morgan is so painfully missed...