Ted Crilly is the title character and one of the main characters of the Irish sitcom Father Ted. He was played by the late Irish comedian Dermot Morgan .
Biography
Early life
Ted was born sometime around the mid-20th century in Ireland. Not much is known about his childhood, however he did study theology at the seminary, St. Colm's. He seemed to be bullied by the other priests there, being teased for wetting the bed and being given the nickname Father Fluffybottom due to some downy fluff growing around his posterior. He eventually graduated and entered into the priesthood. Ted was banished to Craggy Island as punishment from Bishop Brennan for stealing a child's Lourdes money so he could go to Las Vegas, he escaped charges but was still punished by Brennan, Ted always maintains the money was just resting in his account, he was to remain on the island til all the money had been accounted for.
In Are You Right There Father Ted? he is sent to a Parish in Castlelawn, Dublin this suggests the money had been accounted for but due to irregularities discovered in his expenses he was then taken back to Craggy Island
Before being taken to Craggy island he was stationed in a Wexford Parish
Life on Craggy Island
When Ted arrived on the island, he met Father Jack Hackett, an elderly, drunken priest, Father Dougal McGuire, an incredibly dim-witted idiot and Mrs. Doyle, the tea-obsessed housekeeper. Ted was always unhappy on the island, surrounded by eccentrics and people he didn't respect. He has been told that he will only leave the island if all the money that he stole has been accounted for, however, this is unlikely to ever happen. He and Dougal slowly grew towards each other, and, despite their bickering, Ted admitted that he and Dougal were friends. Ted stayed on the island for at least three years, and possibly over nine years (Father Crilly claims that Father Stone has been visiting Craggy Island Parochial House for 6 years in Season One)
Physical description
Ted has a mane of Silver Grey hair and often wears a Black suit with a white shirt though sometimes he wears a Grey top
Although never seen, Ted has some 'downy fluff' growing around his posterior, which causes him great embarrassment and was teased about it whilst at St. Colm's. When asked of he ever shaved it off, Ted said that he couldn't get a razor that reaches far enough.
Character Biography
Ted is a cunning and disingenuous character, Ted is always willing to help out when trouble arises but on occasion will also think of a way to get himself or others out of trouble when the times comes, Ted fears Bishop Brennan for reasons unknown, in Flight Into Terror its revealed he has a fear of flying. Ted's family is rarely or hardly referenced though he has mentioned of his brother he went on to become a Doctor and was considered the favorite son of the two whilst he (Ted) went on to become a priest
He has a rivalry with Dick Byrne the the Rugged Island Priest, the two at times take part in competitions to compete against each other these include entering Eurosong 1996, the over 75s football match, the giving things up competition (Dick tricked Ted into giving things up for Lent) he also speaks of a darts tournament which Dick lost and was told to say Bollocks very loudly in front of Mary Ann Robinson, its unclear how the feud between Ted and Dick started but Dougal once mentioned a Scrabble fiasco where Father Byrne manages to get all of his words to spell "useless priest, can't say Mass which Ted believes that he must have cheated
Ted at times will go into a state of panic usually when something goes awry and so will think of a plan to get him or others out of trouble one occasion was in Think Fast Father Ted where he suggests to Dougal they rig a raffle so they can win the prize (a new car that Ted had destroyed whilst trying to get rid of a dent)
In A Christmassy Ted he is awarded with a Golden Cleric after getting himself, Dougal and some of the other priests out of trouble in a lingerie store, he feels this is where he can stand out and be recognized for his achievements however at the end he learns that he is becoming overly obsessed with awards and resolves himself to become a better priest and realizing Dougal deserves the award as much as he does he decides to share the award with Dougal
In Flight into Terror Ted admits that he and Dougal are friends even though Dougal at first doesn't realize who Ted is even referring to, Ted on occasion goes to Dougal for help or suggestions on ideas and though on occasion at first is reluctant he soon realizes these ideas could indeed work, more often than not though he does squabble with Dougal especially when he tries to explain something to or tries to correct him on something, Ted also shares a room with Dougal, Ted frequently hangs out with Dougal or gets Dougal to tag along with him, in Speed 3 Ted rescues Dougal from trouble of which Dougal now a milk man is on a milk float that has a bomb on it and will detonate if he travels at 4mph
Although he can be a caring and helpful person he can also become easily annoyed, full of himself and thinking he is on top and superior to everyone else, in Grant Unto Him Eternal Rest whilst spending the night with Dougal and Jack (now believed to be dead) Dougal asks Ted what he'll do with his share of the money Jack left him and Dougal with, Ted says he will give it to charity but instead has visions which sees him surrounded by women and lots of money, possibly in Les Vegas, at the end of the episode Ted concludes its only a matter of time before Jack passes on concluding he isn't a young man and the money will be of some comfort to them
In the final episode, "Going to America", Ted persuades the suicidal Father Kevin not to jump off a ledge at the "It's Great Being a Priest! '98" conference. Impressed, an American priest offers Ted a place at his Los Angeles parish. Ted, unable to tell the others that they cannot come with him, is wracked with guilt; he cancels the move at the last minute, then tells them that he has realised he belongs on Craggy Island. Dougal says that they will live together on the island forever, and a montage of clips from all previous episodes is shown before the episode ends.
The episode originally ended by flashing forward a year to the next conference. Ted sees Father Kevin standing on the ledge again; instead of helping, he joins him on the ledge, preparing to jump himself. The scene was cut and replaced with the montage following Morgan's death and poor reaction from audiences. Mathews later noted that the original ending still left Ted's fate ambiguous, and would have suggested the possibility of future episodes Linehan stated, "It's nice to think of them all in the house having adventures, but when you think about it, it's really cruel to Ted. It's just an awful future for him... He's not watching a sitcom, he's living this awful life.
Ted has much respect for the resident islanders however on occasion behind closed doors he appears to show little respect for them at all. Despite this he is a much respected priest by many on the island
Abilities and skills
- Leadership Skills: Ted is a natural born leader, and many people come to him looking for advice and support. He showed his leadership skills when he led a group of seven other priests out of the biggest lingerie store in Ireland without being seen, for which he recieved a Golden Cleric Award.
- Musical Talent: Ted is capable of playing a guitar, and has an adequate knowledge of musical notes. He has been described as having a beautiful voice, and had mediocre songwriting skill, though on his one attempt he ended up stealing the tune from an existing song.
- Intelligence: Ted is quite clever, and is usually the one who comes up with plans and schemes that work quite well. He is also very pursuasive, and usually talks people into doing something.
- Impersonator: Ted, along with Jack and Dougal, have won the All Priests Stars in Their Eyes Lookalike Competition, and is famous for his portrayal as Mother Teresa.
- Ludo Champion: Ted and Dougal are champion ludo players, however, ludo does not aquire much talent or skills.
- Footballer: Ted has been known to play football while he was in St. Colm's, and coached his team to victory in the All Priests 5-a-Side Over 75s' Indoor Football Challenge Match. However he did cheat to obtain this victory.
Relationships
Father Dougal McGuire
Ted has always seen himself as superior to Dougal, and he finds him incredibly annoying and irritating, especially when Dougal makes an idiotic comment. However, Ted does have a certain level of affection for Dougal, as seen when they sleep in the same room every night, and Ted admitted to Dougal that the pair were friends.
Ted also has a certain father-like relationship with Dougal, and was in tears when Dougal became a milkman and had to think for himself.
Ted also acts as a mentor for Dougal, and often corrects him and puts him back on the right track. Occasionally Ted may lose it with Dougal and start shouting and being aggresive towards him, however, this doesn't happen very often, and Ted is usually quite patient with Dougal.
Father Jack Hackett
Ted is shown to dislike Jack, as Jack is often very rude, violent and disrespectful towards him, (as well as everyone else). However, Ted does tend to Jack's needs and cares for him, despite the fact that he is risking injury. However, it seems that Ted wants Jack to die, as when he does, Ted and Dougal will recieve half a million pounds each. Ted has always made sure that Jack gets a daily walk, and is usually the only member of the house to care for Jack.
However, Jack has often displayed extreme physical aggression towards Ted, to the extent that Ted sometimes has to wear protective clothing just to be around him. Ted once managed to teach Jack a few basic sentences ('Yes!' and 'That would be an ecumenical matter') in preparation for a visit for three Bishops. Out of both he and Dougal, Ted is most often subjected to Jack's drunkenly violent behaviour. There has also been occasions, where Ted himself has displayed some aggression toward Jack, such as telling him to feck off while drunk, tying him up, cheering when he found out that Jack had to be sent to St Clabbert's hospital for elderly priests and even trying to murder him, by putting out many bottles of very harmful floorpolish, hoping Jack would drink them and be fatally poisoned so he and Dougal could inherit half a million pounds each from his will. Jack's drunken antics are also a continuing source of problems for Ted.
Mrs. Doyle
Ted is usually fairly friendly to Mrs. Doyle, although has gotten very annoyed with her, particularly about her presistant nagging. Ted, along with Dougal, usually ask a lot from Mrs. Doyle, and usually don't appreciate all the work she does for them.
Mrs. Doyle, however, thinks very highly of Ted, and once said that he is the second-best priest. Ted, however, took offense from this comment, and stormed off in a frenzy.
Bishop Leonard Brennan
Bishop Leonard Brennan is Ted's superior and the one who appointed him at Craggy Island. Ted and Bishop Brennan both have a very difficult relationship, and only ever see each other if absolutely necessary. Ted has always shown the bishop a lot of respect, however, he has blackmailed Brennan in the past with a VHS tape of him, his partner and his son playing at the seaside. Using this tape as evidence, Ted forced Brennan into allowing him, Dougal and Jack to stay on the island, and recant his threat of sending them to an even worse parish.
Ted had to put his respect for the bishop aside when he was forced to 'kick him up the arse' by Father Dick Byrne, as a forfeit for cheating at a football game. Ted thought up a plan and decided to 'kick him up the arse' and then act as if nothing had happened. This scheme succeeded somewhat, however, the bishop came back and returned Ted the favour by kicking him 'up the arse'.
Etymology
- Ted, the abbreviation of Theodore, is a masculine name of English origin. It originates from the Greek name Θεόδωρος (Theodōros) meaning "gift of God". Theodore was popular among the early Christians and was borne by many saints.
- Crilly, is a common surname of Irish/Gaelic origin. It originates from the medieval name Mac Raghallaigh, and loosely translates to t'he son of the descendant of the rakish one'. Variations of 'Crilly' include Crilley, Crielly, Crelly, or Crolly.
- Father Fluffybottom, Ted's nickname, is in reference to some 'downy fluff' growing around his posterior.
Behind the scenes
- Ted is portrayed by Dermot Morgan throughout all three series of Father Ted.
- The character of Ted was first thought up by Arthur Mathews, co-writer of Father Ted, who would come out in between songs at gigs performed by the Joshua Trio, a spoof band. However, this version of Ted was very different from the one that appears in the show.
- Dermot Morgan was cast as Ted due to a character he used to play during his stand-up routine, Father Trendy. Because of this, many people believe that Dermot came up with the idea of Ted, when it was really Arthur Mathews.
- Ted is famous for his catchphrase, 'The money was just resting in the account', which he uses whenever questioned about the irregularities in his accounts.
- Dermot Morgan, along with Ardal O'Hanlon, appeared in character to present Comic Relief '97. Pauline McLynn and Frank Kelly make brief appearances as Mrs. Doyle and Father Jack.
Appearances
- Good Luck, Father Ted
- Entertaining Father Stone
- The Passion of Saint Tibulus
- Competition Time
- Grant Unto Him Eternal Rest'
- Hell
- Think Fast, Father Ted
- Tentacles of Doom
- Old Grey Whistle Theft
- A Song for Europe
- A Christmassy Ted'
- The Plague
- Rock-a-Hula Ted
- Cigarettes and Alcohol and Rollerblading'
- New Jack City
- Flight into Terror
- Are You Right There, Father Ted?
- Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep'
- Speed 3
- The Mainland
- Escape from Victory
- Kicking Bishop Brennan Up The Arse
- Night of the Nearly Dead
- Going to America
- Comic Relief '97'