Father Dougal McGuire of nuns' lives were "irreparably damaged". Dougal is also famously known for wearing a Ireland soccer jersey when he is in bed. On the Channel 4 website for Father Ted, the profile for Father Dougal states that 'Dougal was relegated to the island after an unfortunate incident on a SeaLink ferry that put the lives of hundreds of nuns in danger.' In "Old Grey Whistle Theft", Dougal mentions that he is 25 years old. In the 2011 documentary "Unintelligent Design", Linehan said that Dougal had been conceived as a cross between wide-eyed bartender Woody in "Cheers" and roadsweeper Trigger in
Father Ted Crilly of the writers' key influences was Charles Grodin's character in the 1972 film "The Heartbreak Kid". Actor Maurice O'Donoghue auditioned for the role, and Linehan felt that he was the right appearance, age and "lightness" for the character. Mathews wanted to cast comedian Dermot Morgan from an early stage, but Linehan was reluctant; he worried that audiences would confuse Ted with Father Trendy, a character Morgan had previously created for "The Live Mike". Trendy parodied a class of priests including Brian D'Arcy, perceived in the 1970s as wanting to be considered liberal and "cool", whereas Ted was written as a