Anyone looking for a heartwarming portrait of the Catholic clergy á la Going My Way is advised to bypass this British comedy series, which ran on the U.K.'s Channel 4 from 1995-98, and is now a fixture on BBC America. Father Ted is about three delinquent priests exiled by their bishop to a godforsaken parish on Craggy Island, off the western coast of Ireland. Ted, the most normal of the trio, is a middle-aged rouJ who was apparently caught with his hand in the till; young Dougal is a simpleminded soul involved in some mysterious and embarrassing incident with a group of nuns; and Jack is a violent, foul-mouthed alcoholic who'll take to cleaning fluid when whiskey isn't available. The other priests who visit the rectory aren't much better—even the bishop has a mistress and illegitimate son hidden away somewhere—and the local parishioners are, of course, peculiar in their own ways. The pious will find the acidic humor here shocking (if not downright blasphemous), but many will consider this raucously funny. Compiling all 24 regular episodes from the series, as well as well as a Christmas special from 1996, DVD extras include audio commentaries, interviews with the series creators and writers, a “making of” featurette, a 2007 Father Ted commemorative celebration, a photo gallery, and cast bios. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Father Ted: The Definitive Collection
BBC, 5 discs, 650 min., not rated, DVD: $79.98 May 26, 2008
Father Ted: The Definitive Collection
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