Fr Ted and friends get the stamp of approval
THEY’RE probably the best-known phrases from beloved TV comedy Father Ted – apart from one.
A new set of stamps from An Post features, ‘That’s mad, Ted’ from Fr Dougal; ‘That would be an ecumenical matter’ from Fr Jack; ‘Will you have a cup of tea, Father?’ from Mrs Doyle; and the infamous, ‘That money was just resting in my account’ from Fr Ted himself.
But the one that is surely the most repeated from the show is nowhere to be found. Foulmouthed Fr Jack’s ‘Drink! Feck! Arse! Girls!’ likely missed the cut because it’s not really suitable to repeat on a stamp.
Sadly, Fr Ted (Dermot Morgan) and Fr Jack (Frank Kelly) are no longer with us to share their thoughts on the stamps but Mrs Doyle, aka Pauline McLynn, 58, said yesterday: ‘I’m delighted with the recognition Father Ted is receiving through these gorgeous stamps from An Post.
‘The stamps are comical, colourful and capture the humour of Father Ted, which all of us knew was so special at the time: irreverent, farcical and fun!
‘The legacy of the show and everyone involved with it lives on with Father Ted’s influence on language, on comedy writing and on generations of fans.’
An Post released the set of four fun stamps to mark 25 years since the legendary sitcom started.
Professional stamp dealer Pádraig O’Shea, from Cork, said: ‘There’s no doubt they will be popular. They’ll be of interest to collectors but they would be of interest more to what are called thematic collectors, who would collect something relating to TV stars or actors, things like that.
‘They wouldn’t be of huge interest to the traditional collector; they look for the more classic type of material from the 1920s.’
A handful of scenes, catchphrases and characters from the show are forever etched on the public psyche. In a recent An Post survey, customers had some fun sharing their favourite Father Ted moments, and best-loved episodes included ‘Hell’ (21%), ‘Speed 3’ (18%) and ‘Kicking Bishop Brennan up the Arse’ (17%).
It’s in direct conversation that ‘Ted-isms’ most often pop up, with 37% of respondents claiming Father Ted creeps into their speech on a weekly basis.