Father Ted's 25th anniversary, Fr. Stone is still "fine"

25 years on from a watershed moment in Irish comedy, the debut of Father Ted, one of the most entertaining characters from the show, Fr Stone caught up with James Mahon in Glasgow, Scotland before quarantine restrictions began.

Michael Redmond never imagined a show about three Irish priests on a remote island would become a hit, "I had no idea how it was going to end up".

Now based in Glasgow, Redmond has spent 30 years on the comedy circuits of Dublin, London, and Scotland. Growing up in Blackrock in Dublin he explains how he "feared" becoming part of the "middle-class lifestyle" working in a "boring office job".

His way out was a comedy, he helped found a standup scene in Dublin with some of the shows other memorable characters during the late 80s and early 90s. It was during one of these shows that writers Matthews and Linehan saw Redmond perform and created Fr Stone for him to play.

Alongside the stand-up scene he was involved in comic broadcasting in Ireland alongside lead actor Dermot Morgan (Fr Ted) as a comic radio writer but "obviously I couldn't make a living from it".

"I was in the first series, you never know with a sitcom" claims Redmond but he trusted both Dermot Morgan (Father Ted) and Ardal O'Hanlon (Father Maguire) as he had worked alongside both in the stand-up spheres in the limited Irish comic scene in the late 80s and early 1990s.

After the shows, airing, and success Redmond moved to London performing to sell-out crowds throughout the late 90s and early 2000s before moving to Scotland with his now ex-wife and twin boys. He again helped create a stand-up scene in Glasgow with some of the UK's top talents coming through learning their trade from a man they watched growing as children.

Reminiscing of his time on the show Redmond explains that playing Fr Stone "Was easy, I just stood there and hardly said anything". He still finds being recognized a quarter of a century on a little unnerving, detailing how he was spotted in a remote part of Spain by British tourists who were confused as to why he was there.

Redmond still performs regularly in Scotland and Ireland and is an active organizer of comic events and a mentor to young stand-ups.

You can follow Redmond on Twitter

Full video interview with Michael Redmond at the link below:

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