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."
Father Ted Crilly flash his collar and ask for free entry at the cinema. The writers also agree that Ted is the character most like them. Mathews grew up surrounded by priests (including his own uncle), and it was from these priests that Mathews drew Ted's "voice". Linehan is often asked about potential "Father Ted" spin-offs, but believes that Ted himself is the only character complex enough to survive outside the "Father Ted" environment. Mathews has suggested that Ted could even have worked well in a spin-off drama series. The writers agree that Ted should be married to Polly Clarke (played by Gemma