Lissa Evans' Picnic on Craggy Island is a charming but somewhat lightweight look at the making of Father Ted, told from her perspective as a producer on the show's later seasons. There are plenty of fun behind-the-scenes anecdotes, from on-set mishaps to the logistical challenges of filming such a surreal comedy. Evans clearly has a deep affection for the cast and crew, and her insights into the creative process are engaging. However, at just 160 pages, the book feels a little slight-some parts could have gone deeper, especially when it comes to the show's key players.
Fans of Father Ted will enjoy the nostalgia and humor, but those looking for an in-depth account of the series' creation might find it a bit surface-level. Still, it's an enjoyable and affectionate tribute to a classic sitcom.

Father Ted is one of the most popular sitcoms in Britain and Ireland. The hapless, idiot priests and their downtrodden housekeeper struck a chord with people of all religions. It's hard to find an Irish person who can't finish any given punchline, and the catchphrases - "Go on, go on, go on." "Drink! Feck! Arse!" and the 'small, far away' debate - have entered the cultural vernacular. Father Ted is a legend.

Lissa was the producer on Season Two and Three, and a fan before that. Through her loosely organised ramblings, we get an insider's view of how the episodes were strung together. I hadn't realised, for instance, that internal scenes were shot in London, with cast and crew flown over to Ireland weekly to film externals! It's a testament to how well they were put together that I never for a moment doubted Ted and the others really were on a remote island off the west coast.

Lissa herself laments the relative lack of backstage photos, noting that in a pre mobile era they mainly had continuity photos from Hair and Makeup, and a few shots here and there when someone was bored. It would have been nice to have lots of backstage images, but the ones we have are fascinating to examine and show us a new side of our favourite priests.

Any fan of the show will love this. I'll be keeping it close on my next rewatch. Brilliant.

A beautifully nostalgic look back on the masterpiece of a tv show, Father Ted. This was one of my favourite shows as a child and I loved the little nuggets of joy and behind the scenes magic that Lissa shares with us in this book. It makes me want to re-watch the series all over again!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

I’ve recently been watching Father Ted on TV and it’s still better than most modern TV programmes. So I read this in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’re a Father Ted fan you’ll wish this was longer, but it’s fun and unexpected. Thank you to Lissa Evans. The photos are fascinating. Basically I loved it but wished it was twice as long.

I love Lissa Evans’ books and I loved Father Ted so this was always going to be right up my street and it didn’t disappoint. Evans was a producer on Father Ted and has a mass of brilliant stories from behind the scenes. She also has a wonderfully warm style of writing so this feels more like sitting over a coffee or a drink and hearing her tell them and I loved it. Father Ted is such a classic comedy and a conversation about it in my house invariably leads to an endless stream of favourite quotes so it’s great to learn more about the actors and the process of creating the series before I go right back to the start and watch them all again!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Father Ted makes more sense (if it makes any sense) - well, the making of Father Ted makes more sense after reading this book.
I highly recommend this first of all, as a fan/audience member, second of all, a filmmaker.

Hilarious and very insightful look inside the cult TV series Father Ted. As a fan of the show it was brilliant to get an insiders perspective and I genuinely found the book a wonderful read. Thanks Lissa.

What a treat for fans of the wonderful evergreen comedy Father Ted. Lissa Evans, who produced the show from series 2, shares memories and reminiscences. The programme was on a fairly tight budget so there's quite a lot of talk about how it was decided which location shoots should go ahead, versus the studio, and how the very short scenes that gave a descriptive interpretation of a phrase were decided on (for example, two cardinals in Rome deciding whether or not the Holy Stone of Clonrichert should be designated a sacred relic. ("Whatever").

Lissa and the script writers, Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, occasionally got roped in, with all three providing voiceovers as members of the Eurovision song contest judging panel for the unforgettable Irish entry My Little Horse.

I loved reading about Graham Norton's OTT audition to be Father Noel, and how Chris the Sheep, who belonged to the real-life owner of the parochial house, had to have a double for later filming in the studio. Unfortunately the sheep that turned up, although tame, was a different size and colour, and had to go to Make-up, although to Lissa it was obviously not the same sheep. Fortunately none of the eagle eyed viewers noticed.

I'll be watching series 2 with greater vigilance now that I know Ardal O'Hanlon was wearing a wig. He had got married and had his hair cut short during the filming of the series, and this was the only solution for continuity.

Father Jack was a delightful man when out of costume, urbane and charming, although he mischievously returned to character when an opportunity presented itself, such as at a local school or local wedding near to the filming.

I loved how just two dogs turned up for an audition to appear briefly in a scene, and as one had three legs and the other was partially bald, the scene had to be cut.

A request to the Irish crisp company Tayto, to be able to show their packaging in one episode, resulted in masses of boxes full of crisps being delivered to the set.

Written with warmth and humour, it's a must for Father Ted fans.