Have you heard the one about the three Irish priests living together on a tiny island? Ripe with lovable, memorable, and ceaselessly entertaining characters, Father Ted ran from 1995 until 1998, when it was cut short with the tragic early death of its star, Dermot Morgan. Its premise was centered around three Roman Catholic priests who were assigned to live together in the parochial house on the remote Craggy Island and tend to the small church there. Sadly, for the priests, there was little to do on the island and entertaining themselves or visitors was often an adventure in itself. However, they were accompanied in their modest home by their housekeeper, Mrs. Doyle (Pauline McLynn), a well-meaning but irritating and rather homely woman who could insist you have a cup of tea until she’s blue in the face. Morgan played Father Ted Crilly, a level-headed and kind man with a high tolerance for the exasperating company he’d been forced to keep. Father Dougal McGuire (Ardal O'Hanlon ) was a relatively young and very dim-witted (good-hearted but stupid) priest with a childlike demeanor in constant need of clarification. The other priest, Father Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly) was one by title only, as he did little more than sleep, drink, watch TV, and swear. Although he looked decrepit, he was not a typical elderly man. In fact, he was a vicious, volatile, and mean-spirited demonic old curmudgeon whose speaking voice was often unintelligible, save for the frequent outbursts of four-letter words. He also had a violent fear of nuns and would leap out of a window following a cry of “NUNS!” if he thought one was approaching. Ted was often scheming and would use his excellent lying abilities to further his plans. Many included his attempts to be re-assigned elsewhere and leave Craggy Island far behind. His arch enemy was his smug, self-righteous superior, Bishop Brennan, who got a kick out of seeing Ted suffer. One of the show’s episodes involved a bet, and was titled “Kicking Bishop Brennan Up The Arse”. Morgan died aged just 45 years old after suffering a heart attack at the party celebrating the wrapping of the season’s shooting. During its relatively short run, it garnered many awards and nominations, including the BAFTA TV awards for Best Comedy and Best Comedic Performance (for Morgan) in 1999, Best Programme or Series in 1996, and a slew of British Comedy Awards between 1995 and 1997.
