Father Ted – Series 1, 2 & 3 Review

• 4th Mar 2013

What a joy it is to watch Father Ted again, despite being on almost constant repeat on various satellite channels, there is nothing better to cheer oneself up than to be able to settle down with a Mrs. Doyle sized pot of tea and have a good old binge on your favourite episodes of Ted. Still as fresh and knock-out funny as all those years ago, it is a delight to see single issue DVD’s of each series bursting with extras and lovely Tony Millionaire illustrations. This is exactly the same edition as the recent reissue box set, just packaged individually (and at an awesome price I might add, – £9.99 each!!!) with the extras spread out across each series disc.

Series one is a must have, particularly if you are new to the surreal world of Father Ted and his fellow priests, the impossibly drunk-on-whatever-Father Jack and naive and innocent Father Dougal. Add over friendly and ever so slightly batty housekeeper Mrs Doyle to the mix, along with a vibrant cast of Craggy Island locals, visiting priests and bishops and some confusingly ‘small’ cows you have the beginnings of a full-on comedy classic. The newly recorded commentaries by writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews (alongside a very insightful interview) make up the extras on this disc.

Series two is by far my favourite, and full of some of the weirdest and most unpredictable events ever to be found in a sitcom! Ted has to deal with an assault of irate protest singers, hairy hands, stolen whistles, nude sleepwalkers (three guesses as to the culprit) and in my favourite episode ‘A Song for Europe’ ends up disastrously representing Ireland in Eurovision with Father Dougal singing ‘My lovely horse’. The extras are very impressive on this two disc affair, ranging from a very funny short documentary about the first ever Tedfest from 2007 (held on the island of Inis Mor and including such delights as Priests and Nuns 5- a-side, ‘Lovely girls’ competition and midnight crazy golf) newly recorded commentary by the writers and Ted and Dougals appearance on Comic Relief. The Father Ted episode of the Comedy Connections series which is also included was fascinating, covering the birth of Father Ted and its later influence on both the future work of its writers (Black Books, The I.T. Crowd) and others. I was amazed to discover that Linehan and Matthews wrote the Ted & Ralph sketches for The Fast Show and was glued to the set for the entire programme.

Series three, sadly the last (as planned, but for definite after the poignant death of star Dermot Morgan the day after filming completed) has another set of newly recorded commentary by the writers as its only extra. The quality of the final episodes more than makes up for this however, as the sitcom really goes out with a bang (and that’s not just Ted’s foot up Bishop Brennan’s ar….!) I defy you not to be ever-so-slightly suspicious of your milkman (if you are lucky enough to still have one) and the rest of your neighbours!

For me, nothing, I repeat NOTHING, is as funny as Father Ted. If you disagree with me then clearly you are a big fat eejit!!

Should you buy them? That would be an ecumenical matter.

Claire Hyypiä