Kicking Bishop Brennan up the Arse
Encyclopedia
"Kicking Bishop Brennan up the Arse" is the 6th episode of the third series of Channel 4
sitcom Father Ted
and the 23rd episode overall.
The story continues from the previous episode, "Escape from Victory
".
, one much worse than Craggy Island (in his mind, some tropical islands where the locals, disapproving of John Paul II's opinion on contraception, sacrifice him to their 'Volcano God'), where Bishop Brennan will inevitably send Ted after he kicks him up the arse. Dougal will have to take a photograph of the act as proof for Dick, and Dick also calls Bishop Brennan, telling him that the perfect outline of the bishop's face has miraculously
appeared in the skirting board of the Craggy Island parochial house, so the bishop arranges to visit Ted as soon as possible.
After Ted nervously talks (to himself) all night, he and Dougal are surprised by Bishop Brennan's early arrival, with his assistant, Father Jessup, the most sarcastic
priest in Ireland
. The bishop cannot stay for long, because he is attending an audience with the Pope the following day (which Dougal believes is an episode of the TV show An Audience with...
). Ted's efforts to do the forfeit first time round end up with him hurling himself out of the upper floor window after seeing Jessup watching him, while Father Jack manages to annoy Brennan and Jessup to no end. Mrs. Doyle is shown not to understand sarcasm at all, and is advised by Ted to just do the opposite of whatever Jessup says, which ends up being rather problematic when Jack imprisons Jessup in his underpants hamper. Mrs. Doyle misunderstands Jessup's request to be let out, and leaves him there for the rest of the episode.
Ted eventually manages to carry out the forfeit, acting on Dougal's suggestion to kick Bishop Brennan and then act like he hadn't done so, the reasoning being that Ted's fear of the Bishop is so well-known that Brennan would never believe Ted would do such a thing. After the kick, however, Bishop Brennan is shocked into a catatonic state that lasts well beyond the duration of his visit, until around halfway through a trip to the Vatican
for an audience with the Pope. In the meantime, Ted gets drunk and orders Dougal to take the film down to the local chemists and get prints made, along with an enlarged ten by ten inch version for himself.
Brennan snaps out of his catatonic state just as he is due to greet the pontiff, exclaiming "He did kick me up the arse!", shoving the Holy Father aside and flying back to Craggy Island in utmost anger. Ted wakes to find the furious Bishop charging towards his house, breaking the door down and running up to his room. Ted eventually manages to convince a raging Brennan that he didn't kick him in the arse, but on his way out, Brennan sees a massive ten by ten foot version of the photo that Dougal had made (having misunderstood Ted's request), which is now propped up on the side of the parochial house that shows Ted kicking him up the arse. Once again enraged, Bishop Brennan gets his revenge on Ted by kicking him in the arse, sending him flying across the field outside the house with Ted falling on his arse. Jessup meanwhile is still in the hamper and says 'I'm really enjoying this.'
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
sitcom Father Ted
Father Ted
Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
and the 23rd episode overall.
The story continues from the previous episode, "Escape from Victory
Escape from Victory
"Escape from Victory" is the 5th episode of the third series of Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and the 22nd episode overall.-Synopsis:Dougal returns home to find Ted searching the parochial house frantically, because he believed they've been bugged by Dick Byrne, ahead of the annual "All-Priests...
".
Synopsis
Ted is extremely worried about the forfeit that Father Dick Byrne has set him; in fact, Ted is already resigned to thinking about his next parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, one much worse than Craggy Island (in his mind, some tropical islands where the locals, disapproving of John Paul II's opinion on contraception, sacrifice him to their 'Volcano God'), where Bishop Brennan will inevitably send Ted after he kicks him up the arse. Dougal will have to take a photograph of the act as proof for Dick, and Dick also calls Bishop Brennan, telling him that the perfect outline of the bishop's face has miraculously
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
appeared in the skirting board of the Craggy Island parochial house, so the bishop arranges to visit Ted as soon as possible.
After Ted nervously talks (to himself) all night, he and Dougal are surprised by Bishop Brennan's early arrival, with his assistant, Father Jessup, the most sarcastic
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt.” Though irony and understatement is usually the immediate context, most authorities distinguish sarcasm from irony; however, others argue that sarcasm may or often does involve irony or employs...
priest in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The bishop cannot stay for long, because he is attending an audience with the Pope the following day (which Dougal believes is an episode of the TV show An Audience with...
An Audience with...
An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by ITV Studios, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.The show began as An...
). Ted's efforts to do the forfeit first time round end up with him hurling himself out of the upper floor window after seeing Jessup watching him, while Father Jack manages to annoy Brennan and Jessup to no end. Mrs. Doyle is shown not to understand sarcasm at all, and is advised by Ted to just do the opposite of whatever Jessup says, which ends up being rather problematic when Jack imprisons Jessup in his underpants hamper. Mrs. Doyle misunderstands Jessup's request to be let out, and leaves him there for the rest of the episode.
Ted eventually manages to carry out the forfeit, acting on Dougal's suggestion to kick Bishop Brennan and then act like he hadn't done so, the reasoning being that Ted's fear of the Bishop is so well-known that Brennan would never believe Ted would do such a thing. After the kick, however, Bishop Brennan is shocked into a catatonic state that lasts well beyond the duration of his visit, until around halfway through a trip to the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
for an audience with the Pope. In the meantime, Ted gets drunk and orders Dougal to take the film down to the local chemists and get prints made, along with an enlarged ten by ten inch version for himself.
Brennan snaps out of his catatonic state just as he is due to greet the pontiff, exclaiming "He did kick me up the arse!", shoving the Holy Father aside and flying back to Craggy Island in utmost anger. Ted wakes to find the furious Bishop charging towards his house, breaking the door down and running up to his room. Ted eventually manages to convince a raging Brennan that he didn't kick him in the arse, but on his way out, Brennan sees a massive ten by ten foot version of the photo that Dougal had made (having misunderstood Ted's request), which is now propped up on the side of the parochial house that shows Ted kicking him up the arse. Once again enraged, Bishop Brennan gets his revenge on Ted by kicking him in the arse, sending him flying across the field outside the house with Ted falling on his arse. Jessup meanwhile is still in the hamper and says 'I'm really enjoying this.'
Trivia
- When Jack stirs from his sleep, Bishop Brennan says "Ah, the KrakenKrakenKraken are legendary sea monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.In modern German, Krake means octopus but can also refer to the legendary Kraken...
awakes!". The Kraken is a mythological sea monster, and the subject of a TennysonAlfred Tennyson, 1st Baron TennysonAlfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
poem. - Ted claims Dick Byrne had to say "Bollocks!" in front of President Mary RobinsonMary RobinsonMary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
as a forfeit for losing a dartsDartsDarts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
tournament, as proof Dick won't let him get out of his forfeit. Dick Bryne in fact said arse biscuits - This episode opens up with an NYPD BlueNYPD BlueNYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
styled recap segment with the trademark shaky camera technique.