Ecumenical Matters The Father Ted Podcast

LIVE EPISODE! We broadcast live from the Fenderesky Gallery on Belfast's North Street during Culture Night Belfast 2016 in front of an adorning audience and streamed to Facebook Live. All with the obligatory Craggy Island production values! After losing the bet to Dick Byrne in the Over 75s Football Challenge in the last episode, Ted has to kick Bishop Brennan up the arse to satisfy his forfeit. Dougal is on hand to document the kicking with photographic evidence, while Jack and Mrs Doyle have their own way of dealing with the world's most sarcastic priest.

I don't believe it! Twenty episodes, so celebrate with actor Glenn  Hamill and Vince! The Islanders take a day trip to the Mainland, despite  Mrs Doyle's misgivings. Ted and Dougal spot Victor Meldrew from One Foot in the Grave, but learn  very quickly that you should never meet your heroes. A hasty exit sends  them to a sojourn into the Very Dark Caves, where they run into Noel  Furlong. Mrs Doyle argues over a cheque and Jack's eyesight deceives  him. We discuss the etiquette of Irish fighting, what made Bruce Willis a  miserable scrote and we have a very deep (and controversial) discussion  about the nature of offensive humour

Actor, writer and improv artist Michael Keane is at the Edinburgh Fringe  Festival, cowering from the menace of the Beast in this terrifying  mystery episode. Ted's got in over his head, betting the entire heating allowance on  Chris winning the King of the Sheep 1998, but Chris artistic temperament  has been put askew by the howling of the beast. Everything is a bit  askew as Mrs Doyle finally gets to use the sheep tea, Dougal takes up  shoplifting and Jack temporarily feels the serenity of a leap year. We also delve into running the numbers at weddings, extreme artistic  temperament, Yeats quotes and Tropical Birds in South East London.  Fuckin' 'ell.

Gerry Norman of rock band A Plastic Rose and his wife, street artist  Friz (Marian Noone), board a flight with us where everything goes wrong -  what is it with rock stars and planes? Ted's fear of flying is justified after Dougal is given access to the  cockpit and dooms the plane that they are on. Along with all the other  priests on board, Ted must devise a way to distribute the two parachutes  on board. Jack devises his own way, along with the drinks cart! We also talk about maverick pilots and their handbrake turns, people's  fake smiles, the influence of The Simpsons on the series and honeymoons  to the Father Ted house! You're making a noise!

Lifelong Ted fan Eamonn Turbett joins in the giving things up  competition, or sorry, the sacrifice to Our Lord (Arnold, who's  Arnold?). After Father Dick Byrne lays down the challenge, Ted  volunteers himself, Dougal and Jack to give up their vices, while Mrs  Doyle has a good miserable time on St Patrick's Hill. Also  in the sermon, we discuss the scourge of airhorns from the 90s, Opus  Dei and their pain-is-the-cleanser ethos, and Pulp Fiction gimps

Composer and musician Marty Devine serenades us through Craggy Island's melodious tribute to Eurovision. Ted and  Dougal go through some creative differences, but emerge with the classic  My Lovely Horse (well, the lyrics at least). Jack's drinks cabinet has  got a very expensive new addition and Mrs Doyle's brutally honest  critiques would do well on the Judges panel of X Factor. We  speak about the lasting impact of having a gay couple on TV not doing  anything gay, try to translate Fred Rickwood's gibberish, contemplate World War 4: Celebrity Superfans and LSD Communion. Dick Byrne is at his conniving best, and we pay tribute to Caroline Ahearne, who had died earlier on the day we were recording.  Marty takes us through some of his songwriting process (Don't play the  f**king first note - the f**king first note is already f**king down!)

London  Comedy Writers Olly Allsop and Jordan Birch attend the upgrading of the  Holy Stone of Clonrickert to a Class 2 Relic. Hosting three bishops on  the island is going to be the highlight of Mrs Doyle's career, but  unfortunately she's lost her contact lenses. Dougal philosophises on the nature of Heaven and Hell and all that, while Ted has to bring Jack  through a few elocution lessons (Th-th-th-that...). We  also share our own Gary Lineker Ghost Stories, the mechanics of  Buckaroo (The Sport of Kings), and Dougal's Bjork obsession. It's a Priest thing, you wouldn't understand.

Colin  Hassard joins us again to discuss Graham Norton's bow on the show as  the relentless Father Noel Furlong. Father LARRY DUFF! He's tremendous  fun, I'll give him a call. And Dougal's spatial awareness causes concern  ("These cows are very small...") It's  July 19th, so to celebrate Galway's liberation from India, Jack reminds  the Islanders to go on holidays - unfortunately they run into their own  version of Ugly Naked Guy. Mrs Doyle has been baking with a different  kind of white powder, which sets us talking about caravan holidays in  Bundoran, Subbuteo collections, the curse of Fairy Trees, bonnet slides and an eyewitness account of Hurricane Sandy in New York.

Actors Glenn Hamill and Christian Jackson discuss Ted's desires as he tries to woo superstar author Polly Clark. Mrs Doyle turns the air blue, and Dougal is even more confused by all the women around. Nuns! Nuns! Reverse Reverse! We also ask why people fake reading books, Ted's hipster phase, Jack's smuggling techniques and Christian reveals how odd it was seeing people with ashes on their forehead for the first time. Stray Observations Polly Clarke was played by Gemma Craven

#FatherTed #CarefulNow   Streamer Derm McGuigan (#PasticheofSkin) joins us to protest The Passion of St Tibulus in our rundown of this classic episode. Careful now!   Bishop Brennan is introduced and details the reasons why the priests are  on the island - let us never speak of The Blackrock Incident. Ted and  Dougal enjoy a game of Cluedo and some gifts from the mysterious Father Hernandez, Jack puts his bodily fluids to practical use with the  parish candles, and Mrs Doyle is disgusted by the filth on show down at the local cinema!   Stray Observations       Jim Norton played Bishop Brennan      Down With This Sort of Thing. Careful Now!      RIP Eamon Casey: Bishop of Galway  Board Games: Cluedo      Fillum Club: Flatliners, The Crying Game      'Ah Go On' count: 1      Dougal's record collection: Magnificent Seven theme     #CraggyVision #Channel4Comedy #JamesMcAnespy

In the first episode of Ecumenical Matters The Father Ted Podcast we escort Jack and Dougal to  Funland, where the rides are deadly, Mrs Doyle offers her first cup of  tea so we can start the 'Ah Go On' count, and Ted ditches the lot of  them to hit stardom on Faith of Our Fathers. We also discuss the majesty that is The Divine Comedy's  theme tune, and we are introduced to the marital bliss of John and Mary  and Tom's murderous confessions. It's got a Spider Baby! Stray Observations 'Ah Go On' count: 2 Dougal's record collection: Tina Turner - Simply the Best; Deliverance theme tune Dougal's Reality/Dreams diagram looks like the TED Talks logo Meet Your Maker: Arthur Mathews is the PA voice, calling out about the child caught in the tunnel of goats.