This is an episode list for the
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Father Ted
''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three seri ...
'' created by
Arthur Mathews and
Graham Linehan
Graham George Linehan (; born May 1968) is an Irish comedy writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), '' Black Books'' (2000–2004), and ''The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013), and has wri ...
, and was produced by
Hat Trick Productions
Hat Trick Productions Limited is an independent British production company that produces television and radio programmes, mainly specialising in comedy, based in London. The company's logo is depicted as a rabbit pulling a man out of a hat inste ...
for
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
. It stars
Dermot Morgan
Dermot John Morgan (31 March 1952 – 28 February 1998) was an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his role as the title character on the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted''.
Early life
Morgan was born in Dublin, the son of Hilda "Holly" (née ...
,
Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon (; born 8 October 1965) is an Irish comedian, actor, and author. He played Father Dougal McGuire in ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), George Sunday/Thermoman in ''My Hero (British TV series), My Hero'' (2000–2006), and DI Jack Moone ...
,
Frank Kelly
Francis Kelly (28 December 1938 – 28 February 2016) was an Irish actor, singer and writer, whose career covered television, radio, theatre, music, screenwriting and film. He is best remembered for playing Father Jack Hackett in the Channel 4 ...
and
Pauline McLynn
Pauline McLynn (born 11 July 1962) is an Irish character actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Mrs. Doyle in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'', Libby Croker in the Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'', Tip Haddem in the BBC ...
. The series is set on the fictional
Craggy Island
Craggy Island is a fictional island, supposedly off the west coast of Ireland, which serves as the primary setting for the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted''. An isolated, desolate and undesirable place, it is home to three Catholic Church, Catholic ...
off the coast of
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and is about three
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
s and their
housekeeper.
Series overview
Episodes
Series 1 (1995)
Series 2 (1996)
Christmas Special (1996)
Series 3 (1998)
Comic Relief
The annual telethon
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
, aired on 14 March 1997, included a scene in which Ted and Dougal are enlisted to host the telethon. Ted is baffled as to why Comic Relief has selected two unknown Irish priests for the job. Dougal theorises that God planned the event as an opportunity for Ted to atone for stealing money from a charity. Ted decides God may forgive him if they succeed in raising the target sum of eight million pounds.
Best episode
Most popular episodes
A 1999 poll conducted by the popular fansite ''The Craggy Island Examiner'' concluded that the best episodes were:
# "
A Song for Europe
A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''English alphabet#Letter names, a'' (pronounced ), plural ...
" ''(22%)''
# "
Are You Right There Father Ted?" ''(19%)''
# "
Good Luck, Father Ted" and "
Speed 3
"Speed 3" is the third episode of the third series of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'' and the 20th episode overall. The episode parodies the action-thriller film ''Speed'' and the sequel '' Speed 2: Cruise Control''. "Speed 3" was written af ...
" ''(11% each)''
#"
Night of the Nearly Dead" "(10% each)"
followed by:
*"
The Old Grey Whistle Theft
"Old Grey Whistle Theft" is the fourth episode of the second series of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted''. The title is a pun on the BBC TV music show ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''.
Synopsis
Ted prepares for a picnic outing with other priests, ...
"
*"
New Jack City
''New Jack City'' is a 1991 American crime action film directed by Mario Van Peebles (in his feature film directorial debut) and written by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper, based on a story by Wright. The film stars Wesley Snipes, I ...
"
*"
The Plague"
*"
Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse"
*"
Cigarettes and Alcohol and Rollerblading
"Cigarettes and Alcohol and Rollerblading" is the eighth episode of the second series of Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'' and the fourteenth episode overall.
Synopsis
With Lent approaching, Ted receives a phone call from his rival, Father Dick B ...
"
Notably, only one of these ten episodes was from Series 1 ("
Good Luck, Father Ted").
Ted Fest 2007
At the inaugural
Ted Fest
The Friends of Ted Festival, or Ted Fest, is an annual fan convention held on the island of Inishmore, off the coast of County Galway, Ireland for fans of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'', created by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews. The se ...
, "
New Jack City
''New Jack City'' is a 1991 American crime action film directed by Mario Van Peebles (in his feature film directorial debut) and written by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper, based on a story by Wright. The film stars Wesley Snipes, I ...
" was voted best episode.
Father Ted Night 2011 (Channel 4)
Father Ted Night, broadcast on New Year's Day 2011 on Channel 4, named "
Speed 3
"Speed 3" is the third episode of the third series of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'' and the 20th episode overall. The episode parodies the action-thriller film ''Speed'' and the sequel '' Speed 2: Cruise Control''. "Speed 3" was written af ...
" as the fans' favourite episode. "
Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse" is named as the writers' favourite episode.
References
External links
List of episodesat the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
.
Playlist of Episodes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Father Ted Episodes, List of
Father Ted episodes,
Lists of British sitcom episodes