A Christmassy Ted

The episode opens with a dream sequence as Father Ted Crilly crashes into the cast of Ballykissangel. Father Ted runs away with Assumpta only for Dougal to cruelly wake him up as things are about to get interesting.

It gets a bit a nutty for Father Ted afterwards.

However for saving the other clerics from the lingerie section of a department store, Father Ted receives the Golden Cleric award, something he has long coveted.

Winning such an award can get to your head, as one supposedly long lost friend of Father Ted turns up and has his eye on stealing the award.

This Christmas special is double the length. Although broadcast in 1996 it manages to slip in references to not only Ballykissangel but also the first Mission Impossible film.

The best bit is certainly the department store sequence framed like a war action film.

The Christmas special historically is an extra episode in a show which doesn't fit into the narrative per se, and is deliberately written around Christmas, usually featuring a sense of good will and cheer without being too demanding on an audience trying to stay awake after a day of excess. This episode of Father Ted clearly knows this, and as a result we get a playful moment early on where they ponder on the madcap things that could have happened if the baby they briefly found on the doorstep had really been left for them. From here instead we get a Vietnam flavored adventure in the lingerie section of Dunne Stores, followed by an award being presented for Crilly's heroics in the field.

It terms of narrative it fits really well with every other episode as it is an engagingly absurd plot, with plenty of good laughs and oddity throughout. The extended running time is made to look like no bother at all and it never feels like it is padded out or stretched thin at any point, instead moving well throughout. The small details add to the comedy and generally the episode successfully captures this air of nonsense that is enjoyable and never silly, so it is possible to go with it and find it funnier as a result. A few of the gags have perhaps dated due to them being topical for the time, but it really is the tiny minority.

The cast are strong. This was the final episode to be broadcast before Morgan died at only 45 years old, and here is on great form. While he plays the most "straight" of the characters, he also delivers the weakness and foibles of the characters with great timing. Dougal remain O'Hanlon's best work I think, his delivery and timing is spot on. Kelly's routine is perhaps limited by how simple it is, but still he is funny in small doses – likewise McLynn, who has some great little asides here. The supporting cast throws in some nice surprises (like Kirwan and Tompkinson), but also has good turns from McSorley and others.

Overall a very enjoyable extended episode which stays true to the comedy and tone of the series, and doesn't fall into any of the pitfalls one would often associated with the Christmas special.

I find this Christmas Special of Channel 4's Religious Irish Comedy Series called Father Ted in A Christmassy Ted very Hilarious, Because of the Shopping Centre incident with the other catholic priests, the religious priest awards, Father Dougal's loveable naïveté, Father Jack's non-stop profanity and Mrs. Doyle, Who is very jealous and upset of the Tea making machine, Which is replacing her tea making duties, Like The Vicar Of Dibley, Father Ted is very Religious based sitcom, But for this case is Roman Catholicism, the story is amazing, the humour is hilarious, the characters are likeable in their own way, So, I'm giving this a 10/10 and Merry Christmas.

I agree with other reviews, that 'A Christmassy Ted' does not fall flat of the typical problems that can sometimes be associated with a Christmas special. Double the length, but not half the quality, this longer episode does not suffer from any fillers to pad out what was an hour long special, instead it remains the absolute top quality of the remainder of the series. A typical surreal start, Ted's dream of Ballykissangel (which must have only just aired back in 96, is crudely interrupted by Dougal offering him a peanut, soon turns into another surreal nightmare. The whole episode is full of major belly laughs, they keep on coming. The funniest possibly being Jack's line (Ted 'What's behind tomorrow's window father Jack?) 'a pair of fe**in women's knickers,' and the instant look of real hilarity on Dermot's face, or Mrs Doyle's ungracious dismount from the window ledge. The episode continues in the same excellent way when Ted and co visit a department store, Ted, Dougall and the priests stuck in the ladies secret things department and Mrs Doyle's misery. A total joy to watch, it is so distressing to imagine the episodes we could have had, how cruel Dermot was taken at 45. 10/10