An Post celebrates 25 years of Father Ted with commemorative stamps

Irish postal service An Post has released a set of four commemorative stamps to mark the 25th anniversary of Irish sitcom Father Ted, one of the most popular shows ever set on the island of Ireland.

The four stamps feature one-liners from the show's main characters - Father Ted, Father Dougal, Father Jack, and Mrs. Doyle - and include some of the most iconic lines from the show.

Father Ted's stamp includes the famous refrain "that money was just resting in my account", a running joke in the sitcom, while Father Dougal's stamp includes the line, that's mad Ted."

Meanwhile, Mrs. Doyle's stamp features one of her famous sayings; "Will you have a cup of tea Father?"; while Father Jack is represented by the hilarious "that would be an ecumenical matter".

Each stamp features retro wallpaper in the background that matches different rooms in the Craggy Island Parochial House.

Pauline McGlynn, who played Mrs. Doyle in the iconic sitcom, said that she was delighted by the new stamps and believes that they capture the show's humor.

"The stamps are comical, colorful and capture the humor of Father Ted, which all of us knew was so special at the time, irreverent, farcical and fun," McGlynn said.

Julie Gill, Marketing Director at An Post, called the stamps a "good dose of humor" and said that the postal service wanted to give its customers a laugh.

The stamps are available as part of a special booklet designed by Dublin’s Detail Design Studio. The booklet, which costs €5.70, features five stamps, including four stamps for Irish mail and one stamp for international post, and is the perfect souvenir for any Father Ted fanatics wishing to mark the show's silver anniversary.

The iconic sitcom first aired in April 1995 and rarely has a show transcended all levels of Irish society.

Almost every Irish person is aware of some of the show's most famous lines and sayings, as indicated by a survey carried out by An Post.

The survey found that 37% of Irish people claim to reference the sitcom at least once a week while more than 20% of people reference it on a daily basis despite the fact that it's over 20 years old and only consists of 25 episodes.

The survey also found Irish people's Father Ted's favorite episode, with 21% of those surveyed picking "Hell" as their all-time favorite episode.

Season Three's "Speed 3" came in a close second with 18% of the vote, while "Kicking Bishop Brennan Up The Arse" (17%) and "A Song For Europe" (16%) also proved extremely popular.