Good Luck, Father Ted

"Good Luck, Father Ted" is the first episode to be aired of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted.

Synopsis

A producer from a Telly Éireann television programme, Faith of our Fathers, phones the parochial house offering to interview Ted for an episode about priests who work in remote areas. Ted is only too happy to be interviewed, but doesn't want either of the other priests to also have the privilege (also fearing embarrassment), and tells the producer that he is the only priest living on Craggy Island.

Dougal is set on going to 'Fun Land,' a funfair taking place in 'The Field' - which isn't actually a field, but merely a place containing fewer rocks than any other place on the island. Ted discourages this, as priests are expected to demonstrate restraint, ironic given his fixation on his upcoming television appearance. However, as Ted is trying desperately to get to 'The Field' where he is about to be interviewed, he forgets that 'Fun Land' is also there.

When they arrive at 'Fun Land' it is shown in reality to be an extremely boring place with highly peculiar attractions. These include A Spider-Baby, Tarot Reading, The Ladder, Freak Pointing, Whirly Go Round, The Pond Of Terror, Goad The Fierce Man, Car Rides, Spinning Cat, The Crane Of Death, Duck Startling, and last but not least, The Tunnel Of Goats.

Ted is spotted by Dougal, who calls him over. Ted at first asks why Dougal is here instead of taking Jack for his walk to the cliffs; Dougal initially replies "they were closed", and then upon hearing Ted's scepticism changes to "they were gone" due to erosion. Ted tries his best to usher the pair away, so that he can be interviewed in peace.

Whilst Ted takes Dougal away to tell him how seriously Catholicism should be taken, Father Jack runs off. They split up to try to find him; Ted sees Jack sitting on a bench, asleep, and sits down with him for a moment. The bench, however, is actually the "Crane of Death" (so called because a young man was killed on it the year before), which is lifted high off the ground by a crane. Ted stands up to take Father Jack back to his wheelchair, but suddenly realizes he is in the air, and sits back down.

As all of this has been taking place, Dougal has met the television crew, and, as Ted has stated he is the island's only priest, they assume he is Father Ted. On seeing this, Ted, still sitting on the bench in mid-air, decides he has to do something, so throws himself to the ground, severely injuring himself.

The episode ends with Ted, Jack, Dougal and Mrs Doyle watching Dougal's interview, in which he expresses his doubts about Christianity and says that he does not know whether he believes in organised religion, as well as relating elements of a nonsensical dream he has confused with reality. As he is seen on the TV, the on-screen caption reads "Father Ted Crilly". However, Jack takes offence at Dougal's on-screen self, and destroys the device with a hurled liquor bottle.

External links

• "Good Luck, Father Ted" at the IMDB