The Mainland (Father Ted) The Mainland (Father Ted) "The Mainland" is the fourth episode of the third series of the Channel 4 sitcom "Father Ted" and the 21st episode overall. It was first broadcast on 3 April 1998. Ted, Dougal, Jack, and Mrs. Doyle depart Craggy Island for the mainland for various reasons; Ted plans to collect £200 he won in a bet, and then visit the Very Dark Caves with Dougal, Mrs. Doyle plans to meet with her friend Mrs. Dineen to have tea, and Jack needs a new set of glasses as his last pair were taken by a bird. After dropping
Father Dougal McGuire and very, very strange. I saw Dougal as very doglike, very puppyish and lovable, and really loyal to Ted." After the first episode aired, Ben Thompson of "The Independent" singled out O'Hanlon as "the real star of the show", and said that Dougal's "holy-fool innocence" as "worthy of James Stewart". Writing for the "Irish Examiner", Ed Power said that while the "meme-worthy" Dougal and Jack received the most attention at the time of broadcast, Morgan's straight-man performance was the highlight in retrospect. Morgan attributed the show's success to the appealing double-act formed by Dougal, "an idiot who knows nothing", and