A NEW podcast based around hit Irish comedy series Father Ted is set to feature behind-the-scenes stories and interviews with former cast members.
Talking Ted will be presented by Joe Rooney, who played trainee priest Fr Damo, and Patrick McDonnell, who played TV personality Eoin McLove.
In addition Co Fermanagh's Neil Hannon – who wrote the original Fr Ted theme tune and the novelty song My Lovely Horse for an episode about the cleric's Eurovision capers – has composed music for the new show.
Set on the fictional Craggy Island, the hit Channel 4 series, which starred comedian Dermot Morgan as Fr Ted Crilly, Ardal O'Hanlon as Fr Dougal McGuire, Frank Kelly as Fr Jack Hackett and Pauline McLynn as housekeeper Mrs Doyle, ran from 1995 and 1998.
Dublin-born Morgan died suddenly of a heart attack in 1998 at the age of 45.
The first episode of the new podcast has already been recorded and it has been reported that there are plans to invite Pauline McGlynn and Graham Norton, who played anarchic priest Fr Noel Furlong, to also take part.
The actors who played many of the characters such as Sister Assumpta, Bishop Brennan, Todd Unctious and Fr Dick Byrne will also appear in future episodes of Talking Ted.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, Joe Rooney said: "We recorded a good bit of it during the pandemic.
"We talked about each episode as we watched it and interspersed it with interviews with the actors from individual episodes and of course Ardal O’Hanlon and Arthur Matthews as well.
"It’s like the extras that you used to get on DVDs, the actors talking as they watch".
Joe said making the Fr Ted podcast was "funny as ever and there’s lots of details.
"I think that’s why Ted quizzes are so popular because there are so many little details that you see after repeated viewings," he said.
"There are so many things that aren’t really part of the plot but they’re just little insights and brilliant details."
News about the Talking Ted podcast, which is produced by the HeadStuff Podcast Network, comes after Ted Fest returned to Inis Mór last week after it was cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
