The one thing we never noticed about Father Ted… until now

We'll never unsee this.

Father Ted is one of the most beloved of Irish television shows from years gone by. Any chance we get to enjoy a rerun, we most certainly do and with the same delighted reaction as someone who’s only seeing it for the first time. Yes, we’re loyal viewers, however, there is one thing about the show that we had never noticed before. The man behind our favourite Fr Dougal McGuire has been revealing some of the hidden secrets from the popular show and they’ve taken fans totally by surprise. Ardal O’Hanlon says there was a state of panic that took hold of the Father Ted set when the actors returned to film season two. ‘Why?’ you ask – his hair. Yes, Dougal was known for quite a few things – his simple outlook on life, his intricately decorated jumpers and that haircut. However, when Ardal returned to film for season two, he had undergone a haircut that didn’t sit well with the show’s producers. What ensued next? A whole lot of madness, that’s what.

“We had shot the video inserts, so all the location stuff for the second series of Father Ted, just before Christmas. And then just after Christmas, I got married,” he told the Irish Examiner. “I went back into the studios but I’d no hair. It was really short, unrecognisable. “I remember just the look of horror when I went back into the studio and they had to film for eight weeks and it didn’t match, it couldn’t have been more different.”

The producers quickly scrambled to get a wig to suit the character but it didn’t come cheap.

“So, they had to manufacture a wig at very short notice. I think it cost pretty much the budget for the second series to make this wig. "So during the entire second season, that’s a wig to match my own hair.”

Well, we don’t think we’ll ever unsee that.