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Does anyone think Father Ted is overrated?

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 986 ✭✭✭psicic


    Not overrated. When it came out, it certainly was one of the best comedies around - however, I do have to say that for me personally, it certainly has lost something over the past decade. That doesn't make it any less of a seminal piece of work.

    It produced a lot of memorable one-liners, it was the first of a great batch of 'Irish' British comedies, and it helped the word 'feck' take off in Britain. It used some innovative staples of modern comedies - including meta jokes like 'Father Ben', film take offs like the episode with Father Dougal as a milkman - as well as being able to fall back on both slapstick (e.g. all the preist-on-preist violence from Father Jack) and surrealism (e.g taking in the roads on the island when it rains).

    Certainly, I do think it will be looked at with scholarly eyes in years to come.

    But, for me, time has dulled it. Part of the joy was not knowing what was coming next. Now, more than decade on, all we have are repeats. Another part of the joy was contemporary issues being raised or even serving as background to the jokes (e.g. the whole Eurovision episode was a lot more relevant and ponted when Ireland was winning the Eurovision every year). And pop-culture references (e.g. the Ballykissangel stuff) are often badly dated.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 49 OKeeffer


    No!
    Corkfeen wrote: »
    That's just not true. I know plenty of English people that love Father Ted. It also got 11th in Britain's Best Sitcom which would have been voted for by the public. So clearly they do they rank it rather highly.

    Horse****.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11 Angelina Long Quota


    OKeeffer wrote: »
    They don't.

    I live here. A lot of people have barely heard of it.

    It's on the same level as Rab C Nesbitt....the "Scottish fella". Father Ted, the "Irish priest".

    It is overrated, and you've proved why by thinking everyone, who is not Irish, loves it.

    They don't.

    I have to disagree with you on this. I'm English and I absolutely love Father Ted. I think being raised a Catholic helps get some of the jokes but the quality of the comedy overall was superb. My family all love it including my staunchly Catholic Grandmother who would chuckle along when it was on.

    There are so many classic bits that spring to mind: Father Noel and Riverdance, Pat Mustard (the priests saying mass alongside the milk float!) Bishop Len Brennan, my lovely horse and Fr Dougal's general cluelessness about what the Catholic faith involves.

    I've lurked on boards for ages because I like reading an Irish perspective on things but reading this I had to register and share the love for Ted and especially the genius Dermot Morgan (RIP) from the other side of the Irish Sea.smile.gif


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,492 ✭✭✭Sir Oxman


    fryup wrote: »
    i thought the last series was a wee bit forced/tired esp that episode with the over 65 football team > was stupid

    and its repeated way too often now, nearly know all the lines off by heart

    (but it sure beats mass)

    "Wait a minute...they're not REAL hands!"

    and these can feck off...;-)

    applehunter, Bodhisopha, Chad ghostal, Dutchie, exaisle, Fighting Irish, mlumley, OKeeffer, Red Right Hand, Richard Dower, shockwave, Teclo


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 21,634 ✭✭✭✭Richard Dower


    No!
    gambiaman wrote: »
    "Wait a minute...they're not REAL hands!"

    and these can feck off...;-)

    applehunter, Bodhisopha, Chad ghostal, Dutchie, exaisle, Fighting Irish, mlumley, OKeeffer, Red Right Hand, Richard Dower, shockwave, Teclo

    Were the names revealed of the No vote????? :eek:

    Btw...i voted NO just for a laugh, i really do like it.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 776 ✭✭✭Tomk1


    I
    Donnn't
    Believe
    It.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,492 ✭✭✭Sir Oxman


    Were the names revealed of the No vote????? :eek:

    Btw...i voted NO just for a laugh, i really do like it.


    Yeah, just click on the amount of votes in the poll and you're there in all your unglory!;)


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 21,634 ✭✭✭✭Richard Dower


    No!
    gambiaman wrote: »
    Yeah, just click on the amount of votes in the poll and you're there in all your unglory!;)

    :o


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 29,476 ✭✭✭✭Our man in Havana


    Just getting the ban hammer ready.


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,337 ✭✭✭✭monkey9


    Does anyone have the photo of Fr Dick Byrne giving the Ted the middle finger with a smile on his face in the Song For Europe episode. That always cracks me up!!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 11,569 ✭✭✭✭ProudDUB


    Down with this sort of thing !

    While I do think it was brilliant for its time, I can see the pov that it may seem a bit dated now. We have been so battered by years of sex abuse scandals and bishops fathering kids, taking the piss out of the clergy is the norm now, and has been for a long time. But by jazus, when it first came out, it was ground breaking stuff.

    Saw the Brendan Grace tribute (yes I know, I have no life) on the Late Late last month. Best thing he ever did was his stint on Fr Ted. Shame it got no mention & all that Bottler shyte did.


  • Registered Users Posts: 272 ✭✭MRPRO03


    monkey9 wrote: »
    Does anyone have the photo of Fr Dick Byrne giving the Ted the middle finger with a smile on his face in the Song For Europe episode. That always cracks me up!!

    149268505a1778824775b889583476l.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,533 ✭✭✭don ramo


    Listen, i get all the love for it here and i personally think it's great....but, one must at least allow for an opposing view to be aired. So if you're of the persuasion that Fr. Ted is not the bees knees chime in a state your case.

    :)




    :o
    TrollHunter+2.jpg


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,395 ✭✭✭✭mikemac1


    No!
    deccurley wrote: »
    Father Ted was years ahead of it's time. RTE sure missed out on that but it goes to show how reluctant they were to support something satirical where the Catholic church was concerned as late as the mid-nineties.

    Myth


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,048 ✭✭✭Da Shins Kelly


    Not a chance. It's got to be one of the most quotable shows ever, and the jokes just never get old. It's just so well written and is a very sharp piece of satire. Any show that can churn out so many one-liners that are funny no matter how many times you quote them is a great show. Such a great, great show.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,628 ✭✭✭darkdubh


    I wouldent really say FT is overrated but what I will say is I never really found Mr's Doyle all that funny.i think it's down to Pauline Mcglynn, she was probably too young to play the part and somehow she never really convinced the way the rest of the cast did in their parts.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,545 ✭✭✭tunguska


    Im glad somebody finally came out and said it because I always thought Father Ted was massively overrated. As a comedy its not even in the same league as shows like seinfeld, Larry sanders and 30 rock. The humour is weak and unsophisticated, an 8 year old could've written those episodes.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 9,698 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tenger


    Malice wrote: »
    Fr Ted is an absolute classic of a television show. I can't imagine anyone thinking it's overrated. Sure if you're not a born and bred Paddy you mightn't get some of the humour but even the visual gags stand up by themselves.

    It does indeed stand up to repeat viewing, I would compare it to Fawlty Towers. Another show with great longevity. Both were very short lived so never had to suffer a decline in material which would spoil their reputation.

    No saying that I can see how some people would not warm to it as much, many of the gags are 'in jokes' and hard to spot immediately. The setting as well may be unrecognisable to a guy who lives in a UK city, may instantly placeable by an Irish person.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,048 ✭✭✭Da Shins Kelly


    tunguska wrote: »
    Im glad somebody finally came out and said it because I always thought Father Ted was massively overrated. As a comedy its not even in the same league as shows like seinfeld, Larry sanders and 30 rock. The humour is weak and unsophisticated, an 8 year old could've written those episodes.

    30 Rock is very hit and miss for me. Sometimes I laugh out loud, sometimes I don't laugh at all. Tina Fey acting in it is the biggest problem for me. Alec Baldwin is a legend, I could watch his character all day, but Fey can f*ck off.

    Also, I think Father Ted is very culture specific. A lot of the humour is based on rural Irish society and Catholicism, which is not something that everyone in the world is going to get. I don't think it was unsophisticated at all though. Like someone here was saying before, it's become so common to bash the Church these days, but people forget that when Father Ted came out it just was not the done thing at all to make fun of the Church. Sure, I remember when we were in school in TY and we asked the teacher could we watch an episode of Father Ted because we had an hour of doing nothing. The teacher had to go and ask the principal who then refused, saying that it was against the Catholic ethos of the school. I think that's a fairly good indication of how offensive some people found it at the time. It was part of a sea change in Irish society, it's bigger than just a television show. That's more than can be said for Seinfeld, 30 Rock or Larry Saunders. Sure, those shows are funny, and maybe more universal and influential on comedy as a whole, particularly American comedy, but Father Ted was part of a transition in a culture, and that transition has been and continues to be a big deal in Ireland. I honestly believe that Father Ted will be remembered as a cultural milestone and a symbol of what was beginning to happen in Ireland.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 90 ✭✭windingo


    I think there are parts of it that are funny but I also think that it can become boring/monotonous sometime. Though I do think that Christmas Special is Funniest Father Ted by far!


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    i can not believe someone said 30 rock was funnier than father ted
    just..
    what


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,551 ✭✭✭Goldstein


    Father Ted cannot be over-rated.


  • Registered Users Posts: 289 ✭✭noel farrell


    father ted was great tv for its time, and in light of what came to light in the roman church was not far off the mark


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