Ted

Would you look at that, Ted? It's old news and I'm sure it won't be happening.

Anyway I might as well just say how good a comedy it is and a terrible shame that Dermot died. Saying that, I got the impression from the montage of clips of every episode in the last episode (Going to America) that Father Ted was going to finish anyway, regardless of Dermot's death, as it came across as this is everything that's happened and Ted will be stuck with this on Craggy island for ever.

I might as well list my favourites as well, whilst we're talking about the series:

1. A Song For Europe (I can't take Eurovision seriously anymore!)
2. Speed 3 ('Are you sure we can't have another mass? I thought the first one went very well'.
3. Hell (Fantastic role played by Graham Norton)

Correct. The writers had decided to end Father Ted at the end of the third series, and Dermot's death was a surprise and no influence on how the series was written.

The end of the last episode was actually altered. Ted was supposed to commit suicide, but this was replaced with the montage because the suicide was thought unfunny.

I love all episode of FT, but New Jack City and A Song For Europe are slightly ahead of the others.

^ No, it was because the actor who played Ted died shortly after the filiming, so it was disrespectful to show it, so they ended it with a montage of the actor.

It had been decided that the suicide scene would be dropped before Dermot died.

Series 3 would have always been the last series.

To clean up on all of this...

Series 3 was intended to be the last, as Dermot wanted to work on a new series about two retired football players living together in a flat. However, he sadly died whilst hosting a dinner party with friends the following day, because of a heart attack. Because of the tragic news, Channel 4 put the new series on hold, until showing it later in the year.

As mentioned in the thread, Going To America was edited by having it's last scene showing Ted commiting suicide replaced with a montage of clips from previous episodes. It can be seen that he became depressed just before the montage began by his facial expressions. Contrary to popular belief, the ending wasn't changed solely due to his death, although it was a factor, but simply because the writers didn't think it was very funny. Good thinking, Arthur and Graham.

I must admit, it does make me sad when watching the episode, and thinking that was the last day that great man would live.

R.I.P Dermot, you're a legend.

A suicide wouldn't have been funny in the slightest, glad they changed it. I hate it when writers decide to needlessly kill off people at the end of a run, it smacks of laziness and is utterly crude.

The ending as broadcast wasn't funny either. And it didn't work - if anything, it felt rather mawkish, which was very un-Ted.

Has anyone actually seen the original ending? I remember reading in the script book that all he does is say "Move over a bit" to Father Kevin, and it ends there. Do they actually jump off?

I have no idea who wrote this, but if you click on question 28 here there's a brief description.

Interesting, thanks for that link that clears everything up. Personally I think the montage was better, although it wasn't funny it was quite fitting seeing as he had passed on earlier in the year.

Also I remember the "I Love My Brick" quote, what episode was that again, it was Jack who siad it wasn't it?

This was in Speed 3 in the third series, when Jack was walking his pet brick around the living room when Ted walked into it and hurt his knee, and later throwing it at Ted, knocking him out; "Agh feck it! Fed up with briiick!".