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Father Ted: The Complete Scripts
We're great fans of script books, but too many of them seem to be transcribed from the screen by a third party rather than written by the original authors. With this in mind, we've decided to publish the next-to-last drafts of each episode of "Father Ted," and so provide you with the extra characters and scenes and jokes that didn't make it into the final version for one or another reason. Now, what we've got here doesn't differ too wildly from what ended up on your TV screens, but there's the odd nice surprise. The process of making "Father Ted" was fun - we always had a great crew, and the cast exceeded our wildest expectations - but the process of writing it was even better. We rarely sweated over the scripts contained here - it was more like dropping by the Parochial House, turning on a tape recorder and seeing what happened next. If this book goes some way to illuminating that process, then it'll have done its job. On the other hand, if it just makes you laugh, it'll have done its job too. Enjoy yourselves. We certainly did.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 26, 2012
I LOVE Father Ted, my dad bought me this book and I read it in a day and by the end of it I was in tears through laughing so much. If you have seen the series then read this its like you are watching the episode in your head.
October 7, 2009
The greatest sitcom of all time.
These scripts are like gold dust. There are some nice extras thrown in too.
These scripts are like gold dust. There are some nice extras thrown in too.
September 9, 2015
Scripts, almost by definition, are not the finished article. Reading 'Romeo and Juliet' is not the same as watching the play although, in that particular case, tedium is always the end result*.
So when I read scripts for something I generally like as much as 'Father Ted' the text seem to float off the page and superimpose themselves over the same events as seen on TV. Which means of course it's almost impossible to write an unbiased review of the words alone.
As always with a collection like this, they are of variable quality, ranging from the sublime ('Hell' depicting the most awful caravan holiday in history) to desperate ('The Mainland' where an ill advised Richard Wilson wanders into a cave to say "I don't believe it.")
If you like watching box sets in a day long binge, then by all means read these scripts one after the other. It doesn't work for me. After a while the events become less surreal and running gags loose their freshness. Mrs Doyle insisting someone has a cup of tea only works the third time if in between you've had a break from Craggy Island.
But then, but then, when it works, oh boy, does it work! Dougal being thicker than thick. Ted with his veneer of normality hiding ... what? I really don't know. Jack and Mrs Doyle as grotesques. All living on another planet and subjected to events of no rhyme or reason but joined in a joyous plot.
I love programs/films/whatever where it is clear everyone concerned is enjoying themselves without getting self-indulgent, and this is one such.
Go read. Go enjoy.
*Oh, go on, sue me. I find Shakespeare boring.
So when I read scripts for something I generally like as much as 'Father Ted' the text seem to float off the page and superimpose themselves over the same events as seen on TV. Which means of course it's almost impossible to write an unbiased review of the words alone.
As always with a collection like this, they are of variable quality, ranging from the sublime ('Hell' depicting the most awful caravan holiday in history) to desperate ('The Mainland' where an ill advised Richard Wilson wanders into a cave to say "I don't believe it.")
If you like watching box sets in a day long binge, then by all means read these scripts one after the other. It doesn't work for me. After a while the events become less surreal and running gags loose their freshness. Mrs Doyle insisting someone has a cup of tea only works the third time if in between you've had a break from Craggy Island.
But then, but then, when it works, oh boy, does it work! Dougal being thicker than thick. Ted with his veneer of normality hiding ... what? I really don't know. Jack and Mrs Doyle as grotesques. All living on another planet and subjected to events of no rhyme or reason but joined in a joyous plot.
I love programs/films/whatever where it is clear everyone concerned is enjoying themselves without getting self-indulgent, and this is one such.
Go read. Go enjoy.
*Oh, go on, sue me. I find Shakespeare boring.
November 8, 2011
I have never laughed so much than when I read this for the first time. I received it as a xmas present. It was the first thing I opened and I immediately spent the next few hours howling in laughter, ignoring everything and everyone else around me until I had finished.
July 9, 2015
Must have book for fans of the show. Includes full scripts with deleted scenes, some commentary by the creators, and stills from the episodes. Would have liked to see a few more extras such as interviews and behind the scenes pictures, but I'll take what I can get.
May 18, 2015
A must for any Father Ted fan! Not the final drafts so contains unused scenes, and also an introduction to each episode by the writers. I couldn't stop laughing reading this!
October 4, 2018
Not a lot needs to. be said, about this book, ,,If you loved the series, you will love this, so very very funny,
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews