Old Grey Whistle Theft

Last updated

"Old Grey Whistle Theft"
Father Ted episode
Episode no.Series 2
Episode 4
Directed by Declan Lowney
Written by
Produced by Lissa Evans
Featured music The Divine Comedy
Cinematography byChris Owen
Editing by
Original air date29 March 1996 (1996-03-29)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Tentacles of Doom"		Next →
"A Song for Europe"
List of episodes

"Old Grey Whistle Theft" is the fourth episode of the second series of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted . The title is a pun on the BBC TV music show The Old Grey Whistle Test .

Contents

Synopsis

Ted prepares for a picnic outing with other priests, but find they have been waylayed, while Dougal makes an excuse not to go so he can spend more time with a rebellious new priest, Father Damien "Damo" Lennon, who behaves like an insolent teenager. Ted expresses his concerns about Damien to Dougal, but Dougal continues to hang out with him. Ted decides to go to the desolate picnic area by himself. However, he is forced to take Jack with him, after Jack recognised a bottle of Jacob's Creek Chardonnay from 1991 that Ted was taking, just by hearing the bottle clinking (despite Ted trying to convince him that it is just fizzy water), and demanded a drink; Jack very quickly drinks the whole bottle when Ted's back is turned. Despite no one else being there, a couple of aggressive regulars accost Ted, demanding they move, and the overzealous groundskeeper Benson intercedes, blowing his whistle frequently. Ted, disgusted, leaves with Jack.

That night, an unknown person steals Benson's whistle, and the next day the whole of Craggy Island is in arms about the theft; Benson is so traumatised about the theft that he has lost the use of his leg and is forced to use a wheelchair. Ted discovers the whistle in a pack of cigarettes in Dougal's coat, and starts to get Dougal to confess. Just then, Benson and Sergeant Hodgkins arrive at the parochial house, with news that a witness to the crime said it was done by a priest. Dougal, having misinterpreted what Ted was telling him, states Ted stole the whistle. Shocked, Ted leaves to come up with an explanation. While he is out of the room, Father Frost arrives, dragging Damien with him, having discovered he was the actual thief and that he tried to frame Dougal. Ted returns, and starts a long fabrication of the reasons for stealing the whistle until he realises the case has been solved. After the others leave, Ted gives Dougal a lecture about trusting those who are "cool". He explains that there is no place in the Roman Catholic Church for bad apples such as Father Damien, the Bishop of Galway (a priest who lived with his housekeeper), and a priest who was running guns into Iraq – "the list goes on and on". He then asks Dougal if he has learned anything from this, to which Dougal replies, "No".

Production

Arthur Mathews plays the irate man who – strictly observing the picnic area's no-swearing rule – tells Ted to, "Fup off, you grasshole!"

Legacy

In 2015, Joe Rooney said that he would be interested in making a Father Damo spin-off, and suggested that Damo would probably be working in The Projects in New York City, living with "a girl and a gay fella" and rapping Mass. [1] In 2016, Rooney reprised the role of Damo for an Over The Top wrestling match alongside Patrick McDonnell and Michael Redmond as Eoin McLove and Father Stone. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Father Ted</i> British sitcom set in Ireland (1995–1998)

Father Ted is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May 1998, including a Christmas special, for a total of 25 episodes. It aired on Nine Network and ABC Television in Australia, and on TV2 in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Father Dougal McGuire</span> Character in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted

Father Dougal McGuire is a character in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. Created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, Dougal was portrayed by comedian Ardal O'Hanlon for the programme's three series. The character is a childlike, simple-minded Roman Catholic curate exiled to Craggy Island, a small island off the coast of Galway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Father Ted Crilly</span> Television situation comedy character

Father Ted Crilly is the eponymous main character of the British Channel 4 situation comedy Father Ted. Created by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, Ted was portrayed by comedian Dermot Morgan for the programme's three series. The character is a morally dubious Roman Catholic priest exiled to Craggy Island, a small island off the coast of Galway in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Luck, Father Ted</span> 1st episode of the 1st series of Father Ted

"Good Luck, Father Ted" is the first episode to be aired of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. It first aired in the United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland on 21 April 1995.

"The Passion of Saint Tibulus" is the third episode of the first series of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. Originally airing in 1995, the episode was rebroadcast on BBC2 in 2008 in tribute to Geoffrey Perkins.

"Competition Time" is the fourth episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock a Hula Ted</span> 7th episode of the 2nd series of Father Ted

"Rock a Hula Ted" is the seventh episode of the second series of Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, and the thirteenth episode overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escape from Victory</span> 5th episode of the 3rd series of Father Ted

"Escape from Victory" is the fifth episode of the third series of Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and the 22nd episode overall. It is the first of two episodes that form a linked narrative, ending with "Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse".

"Flight Into Terror" is the 10th episode of the second series of Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and the 16th episode overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Going to America</span> 8th episode of the 3rd series of Father Ted

"Going to America" is the series finale of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. It is the eighth episode of the third series, and the 25th episode overall. Dermot Morgan, who played the show's title character, died the day after filming was completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Christmassy Ted</span> Episode of Father Ted

"A Christmassy Ted" is both the 17th episode overall of and a Christmas special for the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. This episode was broadcast on Christmas Eve 1996, between the second and third series, with a runtime of 55 minutes. Due to the popularity of this episode, it still gets repeated on Channel 4, RTÉ2 and More4 around Christmas every year. This was the last episode of Father Ted to be broadcast during the lifetime of Dermot Morgan, who played the series' titular priest, Father Ted Crilly. Morgan died suddenly of a heart attack in February 1998, the day after filming of the third series had been completed.

Grant Unto Him Eternal Rest is the sixth episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and the season one finale. It was the first episode to be scripted and submitted by the writers.

New Jack City (<i>Father Ted</i>) 9th episode of the 2nd series of Father Ted

"New Jack City" is the ninth episode of the second series of the Channel 4 television sitcom Father Ted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Rooney</span>

Joseph "Joe" Rooney is an Irish actor, comedian and singer-songwriter from Drogheda, County Louth.

"Hell" is the first episode of the second series of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, and the seventh episode overall.

"A Song for Europe" is the fifth episode of the second series of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and the 11th episode overall. It originally aired on 5 April 1996 and has since been recognised as one of the most popular episodes of the show.

"The Mainland" is the fourth episode of the third series of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and the 21st episode overall. It was first broadcast on 3 April 1998.

"Think Fast, Father Ted" is the second episode of the second series of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. The title is a play on the novel Think Fast, Mr. Moto by John P. Marquand, and the film of the same title starring Peter Lorre.

References

  1. ↑ Rooney, Joe (16 July 2015). Pod-a-Rooney Episode 15 – Katherine Lynch (Podcast). Ireland: Castaway Media.
  2. ↑ Kelly, Daniel (1 March 2016). "Eoin McLove, Father Damo and Father Stone all turned up at a Dublin wrestling event". Newstalk . Retrieved 1 March 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.