Father Dougal McGuire Ted, "an idiot who thinks he knows something but actually knows nothing." As testament to the character's enduring popularity, Irish bookmakers humorously began collecting bets on whether Dougal would succeed Pope John Paul II upon his death. The odds were 1,000-1 (better odds than some genuine candidates), and some small stakes were actually received. In 2001, O'Hanlon reprised the role of Dougal for a series of PBS advertisements to coincide with "Father Ted"s American broadcast; these segments were included on later DVD releases as "Fundraising with Father Dougal". Father Dougal McGuire Father Dougal McGuire is a character in the Channel
A Song for Europe (Father Ted) A Song for Europe (Father Ted) "A Song for Europe" is the fifth episode of the second series of the Channel 4 sitcom "Father Ted" and the 11th episode overall. It originally aired in April 1996 and has since been recognised as one of the most popular episodes of the show. The episode is based on Ireland's winning streak at the Eurovision Song Contest during the 1990s. The plot centres around Ted and Dougal trying to write a song for it (though the episode does not refer to that name directly) in order to settle a rivalry with Dick Byrne.