Ardal still a Father figure

COMIC Ardal O’Hanlon is still bombarded with Father Ted catchphrases 20 years after it finished.

He revealed fans regularly chant, “Have a cup of tea…go on, go on, go on!” just like Mrs Doyle did in the hit Channel 4 show.

Ardal, 52, now starring in Death In Paradise, said: “I get recognised in the most unusual places.

“I remember I was paragliding in Colombia and when I landed someone goes, ‘Oh, you’re the guy from Father Ted’. “I can’t have a cup of tea without someone saying, ‘Go on, go on, go on’. In a cafe or anything they can’t resist. I jokingly say, ‘Oh, that’s amazing’.”

But he added: “There are worse things to be remembered for. It’s a show I have a lot of affection for and I have fond memories.”

Playing Father Dougal McGuire, inset, on the show in the 90s made Ardal a household name.

He added: “On the one hand I’m very lucky to be part of a show like Father Ted, which means people instantly know who you are and where you’re coming from.

“On the other hand, because people are still talking about it decades later, that’s the only thing they know you for. It’s possible the success of that show holds me back in other ways.”

Since Father Ted finished in 1998 Ardal has carved out a career as a stand-up comedian. And he said of his new starring role in the hit drama Death In Paradise, which pulls in nine million viewers: “It’s because I’m remembered for Father Ted so much that I jumped at the opportunity to do a show like this. “It’s a departure in some ways. But I can still bring comedy to the role.” Death In Paradise continues on Thursday at 9pm on BBC One.