Although the show is incredibly well-acted and directed, the crux of Father Ted's genius lay in Linehan and Matthews' writing - a heady mix of surrealism and the everyday, along with a hefty dose of film and TV parodies.
The first series has some time-honoured sitcom staples, such as the ever-present catchphrases and...a slight over-reliance on characters jumping out of windows to button a scene, but it's all funny.
The episode ["The Passion Of St Tibulus"] gets off to a rip-roaring start with the immortal "Those Protestants €“ up to no good as usual." I've never looked at Cluedo the same way again.
