"Flight Into Terror" is the 10th episode of the second series of
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''
Father Ted
''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until ...
'' and the 16th episode overall.
Synopsis
The three
Craggy Island
Craggy Island is a fictional island, supposedly off the west coast of Ireland, which serves as the primary setting for the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted''. Craggy Island Parochial House is located on the island, which is the home of three Catholic ...
priests are on a plane with a party of other priests and nuns, returning to Ireland from a pilgrimage to a golf course where the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
has appeared. Ted and Dougal share their tacky souvenirs, which include a talking tape dispenser that tells one how much tape they used. As the plane takes off, Ted notes his fear of flying.
Dougal is invited to come to see the cockpit with Father Noel Furlong and Father Fintan Fay, who behaves as a monkey. In the cockpit, Dougal is enticed by the a big red button that says "Do Not Press", and only accidentally presses it when instructed to press the adjacent one when Noel is trying to calm down Fintan. This causes the plane to start dumping fuel. Dougal tells Ted there's a problem with the plane and that it is going to crash, and that there are only two parachutes aboard. Ted talks to the pilot, who agrees they shouldn't tell the other passengers this and take calm steps to resolve the situation. They press the "emergency" button which causes sirens and warnings about the pending crash in the passenger cabin.
Ted takes control, and tells the priests that they should all write a 200-word essay on why they should get one of the two parachutes. As they are all distracted by writing, Jack takes the parachutes, using one for himself and another for a drink cart and jumps out of the plane. As Ted evaluates the essays, the pilot discovers the parachutes are gone. He believes the only way to prevent the crash is for someone to fix the line between the plane's reserve fuel tank and engines, but does not believe there are any repair materials on board. Ted proudly shows the tape dispenser that Dougal got, and with his nerves steadied by the emergency, climbs out of the landing gear opening to tape up the line. The pilot announces that the plane is saved, and the situation is normal, at which point Ted's nerves immediately come back and he realises he is hanging precariously outside the plane by the landing gear.
Later, at the Craggy Island parochial house, there is still no sign of Jack, and Dougal and Mrs Doyle are worried about Ted's condition - he has yet to give up his grip on the landing gear, which has been brought to the house. Elsewhere, Jack is shown hanging from a tree by the parachute traps, the drink cart hanging nearby and just out of Jack's reach. He shouts and wails loudly in frustration as he struggles to reach the alcohol.
Appearances
*
Pauline McLynn
Pauline McLynn (born 11 July 1962) is an Irish character actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Mrs Doyle in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'', Libby Croker in the Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'', Tip Haddem in the BBC ...
(Mrs. Doyle) is one of the two raucous and unruly nuns who throw paper balls at Ted on the plane.
*
Kevin Sharkey
Kevin Sharkey (born 3 June 1961) is an Irish artist, political activist, and former television presenter and actor. He sought a nomination to run in the 2018 Irish presidential election, but withdrew his bid on 17 September 2018.
Early life
Sha ...
makes his second appearance, albeit without any dialogue, as the priest from Donegal.
*
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...
makes his second appearance as
Father Noel Furlong
''Father Ted'' is a sitcom produced by independent production company Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Its three series, comprising 25 episodes and a special, originally aired from 21 April 1995 to 1 May 1998. Its main c ...
.
*
Graham Linehan
Graham Linehan () (born 22 May 1968) is an Irish television writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), ''Black Books'' (2000–2004) and '' The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013). He has also ...
, the show's co-writer, makes an appearance as Father Gallagher.
*
Lissa Evans
Felicity Kenvyn (known as Lissa Evans) is a British television director, producer, novelist and children's author.
After qualifying as a doctor in 1983, Evans worked in medicine in Newcastle for four years before a brief period in stand-up, be ...
, the show's producer, is the voice of the sticky-tape dispenser.
*
Liam O'Carroll, plays the blind priest on board the plane.
*
Joe Rooney, makes his second appearance, albeit without any dialogue, as Father Damien "Damo" Lennon.
References to other works
* The blind priest on the plane is listening to ''
Mr. Bean
''Mr. Bean'' is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside Curtis and R ...
'', which humours the fact that it hardly has any dialogue whatsoever.
* The location "Killybashangel" is mentioned, a reference to the Ireland-based BBC series ''
Ballykissangel
''Ballykissangel'' is a BBC television drama created by Kieran Prendiville and set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural comm ...
''.
* Ted says he feels "fearless, like
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
in that movie," a reference to the 1993 film ''
Fearless
Fearless or The Fearless may refer to:
Psychology
* Lack of fear
* Courage or bravery
Film, television and audio Film
* ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi
* ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...
''.
External links
*
{{Father Ted
1996 British television episodes
Aviation fiction
Father Ted episodes