Father Dougal McGuire Linehan and Mathews to discard the mockumentary format and expand the Father Ted episode to a traditional sitcom, Father Dougal became one of the main characters. When writing Dougal, Linehan and Mathews drew on Stan Laurel, incorporating some of Linehan's own behaviour during moments of confusion. Linehan and Mathews saw O'Hanlon in a modernised Shakespeare play broadcast by RTÉ, and were impressed by the "weird, gormless" face he could pull. Linehan later said, "That was Dougal right there. He was just spot-on and he became our secret weapon. The show took off so quickly because Ardal was so instantly funny."
The Mainland (Father Ted) their fees of £200, or they would have to stay in jail overnight. Ted is initially ready to let them stay, but mis-interpretes Dougal's sign that his trousers' zipper was undone as directing him to the winnings he collected earlier, and Ted pays for their release. They return to Craggy Island, with Ted announcing they will never go to the mainland again. Sometime later, Wilson is bike-riding across Craggy Island, and gets lost. He goes to the parish house to get directions, and when Ted answers the door, he utters "I don't believe it!" The Mainland (Father Ted) "The Mainland"