Father Ted: Series 3

BAFTA Awards:
Best Comedy 1999
Dermot Morgan Best Comedy Performance 1999

Before Graham Norton rose to fame and outrageous fortune as a talk show host, he played the irrepressible Father Noel Furlong in three episodes of Father Ted

ARE YOU RIGHT THERE, FATHER TED? - Ted faces accusations of prejudice when he inadvertently offends the Chinese community of Craggy Island. Dougal seems to come up with the perfect solution to restore Ted's reputation - a special event to celebrate all the cultural diversity of Craggy Island. Meanwhile, Mrs. Doyle is suffering from a bad back since falling off the roof and Dougal is the proud owner of a new hamster.

CHIRPY BURPY CHEAP SHEEP - There's a beast terrorizing Craggy Island and Chris the Sheep, hot favorite for the annual "King of the Sheep" Festival, has a bad case of nerves. A "shadow of a sheep", Chris is off his food, he's not sleeping and he's even started to burp. Having bet the entire annual heating allowance on Chris to win the competition, Ted is determined to nurture the sheep back to health. As the big day draws near all is not what it seems in this high profile sheep competition and it doesn't take Ted too long to figure out what's going on.

ESCAPE FROM VICTORY - It's the annual "All Priests Over-75s Soccer Challenge Match" against Rugged Island, and Ted suspects that Father Dick Byrne will stop at nothing to win. With Craggy Island's ace center forward Father Jack sound asleep after drinking an entire bottle of Dreamy Sleepy Nighty Snoozy Snooze (an alcoholic chocolate sleeping aid banned in most of Europe), Ted is in deep trouble.

KICKING BISHOP BRENNAN UP THE ARSE - Having lost his bet on the "All Priests Over-75s Soccer Challenge Match", Father Ted has to pay a forfeit and kick Bishop Brennan up the arse. It's a matter of pride and Ted is determined to honor the bet. But the consequences of committing such a sacrilegious act weigh heavily on his mind as Ted nervously awaits a visit from the intimidating Bishop and his assistant, Father Jessup - the most sarcastic priest in Ireland.

SPEED 3 - The sacking of Craggy Island's playboy milkman, Pat Mustard, leads to Dougal taking on the local milkrun. A jealous Pat plants a bomb on the milktruck, and from then on it's a race against time for Ted to avert disaster. Move over Sandra Bullock - Dougal is at the wheel and must (somehow) stay above four miles an hour.

THE MAINLAND – A trip to the mainland always leads to trouble, and Ted is deeply nervous at the prospect. Ted’s misgivings are justified, as he has to bail Mrs. Doyle, Mrs. Dineen and Father Jack out of prison and Dougal and Ted go on a tour of ‘The Very Dark Caves’.

NIGHT OF THE NEARLY DEAD - Singing sensation Eoin McLove (at #1 for 27 weeks in the charts with My Lovely Mayo Mammy) secretly visits Mrs. Doyle for tea after she wins a poetry competition on his TV show. Unfortunately, the secret leaks out and the house is besieged by Eoin's devoted elderly fans...

GOING TO AMERICA - An act of uncharacteristic heroism by Ted leads to a job offer in America - his very own parish in Beverly Hills! With his lifetime's ambition about to be realized, Ted has only one problem - how to tell Father Jack, Father Dougal and Mrs. Doyle that they're not invited.

A CHRISTMASSY TED - All Father Ted wants is “a nice quiet Christmas with no unusual incidents or strange people turning up.” It's unimaginable, of course, that Ted's prayer will be heard above the pandemonium of the Parochial House.

Who said religion is no laughing matter? On windswept Craggy Island, somewhere off the coast of West Ireland, Father Ted Crilly (Dermot Morgan) is charged with the unenviable task of looking after the affairs of the local parish and its inimitable residents.

There's Father Dougal McGuire (Ardal O'Hanlon), a blissfully unaware young priest, whose blinding optimism and short-term memory are recurring instruments for the humiliation of Ted. And of course, there's the perpetually-drunk Father Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly). When not sleeping in his chair, Father Jack is usually screaming abuse, dreaming of past exploits or shouting for more "Drink!" Rounding out the household is Mrs. Doyle (Pauline McLynn), the omnipresent housekeeper who keeps a vigilant eye on the Parochial House and its guests, ever-ready with a hot cup o' tea.

And, as if they're not enough for poor Father Ted, he also has the residents of Craggy Island to shepherd. What with its crazed geriatric footballers, rakish milkmen on the make and even a burping sheep, it's enough to drive even the level-headed Ted beyond the brink of sanity!

In a perfect world, Ted Crilly would be relaxing alongside glamorous, bikini-clad women at his own parish in sun-kissed L.A. But in reality, Ted is stuck on this weather-worn island, forced to spend the majority of his time attempting to remove himself and his colleagues from embarrassing and increasingly bizarre situations.

Go on and pay a visit with Fathers Ted, Dougal and Jack, three Irish priests exiled to Craggy Island as penance for their personal peccadilloes.

Includes the episodes:

Are You Right There, Father Ted?: When Ted inadvertently offends the Chinese community of Craggy Island, Dougal suggests a special event to restore his reputation and celebrate the island's diversity.

Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep: Chris the Sheep is off his food, he's not sleeping and now he's started to burp. Having bet the entire annual heating allowance that Chris will win the annual "King of the Sheep" competition, Ted is determined to nurse him back to health.

Escape From Victory: Rugged Island's Father Dick Byrne will stop at nothing to beat Ted in the annual All Priests Over-Seventy Football Match. And Craggy Island's ace center forward, Father Jack, has drunk an entire bottle of an alcoholic sleeping aid banned in most of Europe.

Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse: Having lost his bet on the football match, Father Ted has to pay his forfeit...by kicking Bishop Brennan up the arse. The intimidating Bishop soon arrives on Craggy Island with his assistant, the most sarcastic priest in Ireland.

Night of the Nearly Dead: Singing sensation Eoin McLove secretly visits Mrs. Doyle for tea after she wins a poetry competition on his TV show. When the secret leaks out, his devoted elderly fans besiege the Parochial House.

Going to America: An act of uncharacteristic heroism by Ted leads to a job offer in Beverly Hills! With his lifetime's ambition about to be realized, Ted has only one problem...how will he tell Father Jack, Father Dougal and Mrs. Doyle that they're not invited?

Speed 3: When Craggy Island's playboy milkman, Pat Mustard, is fired, Dougal takes over his route. But a jealous Pat has planted a bomb on the milk truck, and it will go off if Dougal doesn't keep driving—at over four miles an hour!

The Mainland A trip to the mainland always leads to trouble, and Father Ted is deeply nervous at the prospect. His misgivings are justified, during a tour of the Very Dark Caves...and afterwards when he has to bail Mrs. Doyle out of jail.

BONUS EPISODE!
A Christmassy Ted All Father Ted wants is "a nice quiet Christmas with no unusual incidents or strange people turning up." But no one can hear Ted's prayer above the pandemonium of the Parochial House.

BAFTA Awards:
Best Comedy 1999
Dermot Morgan Best Comedy Performance 1999

Cast
Father Ted Crilly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dermot Morgan
Father Dougal Maguire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ardal O'Hanlon
Father Jack Hackett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Kelly
Mrs Doyle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pauline McLynn
Bishop Len Brennan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jim Norton Production Credits
Written by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews Directed by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Declan Lowney Produced by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geoffrey Perkins and Lissa Evans