Father Ted Mathews first met while working at "Hot Press". In the late 1980s, Mathews, Paul Woodfull and Kieran Woodfull formed The Joshua Trio, a U2 tribute band. The trio began writing comedy sketches to accompany their act. Mathews created the Father Ted character for his short-lived stand-up routine. Before The Joshua Trio played at gigs, Mathews would occasionally come on-stage as Father Ted and tell jokes involving his great friend, Father Dougal McGuire. In 1991, Mathews left his job at "Hot Press" and moved into Linehan's London home. Over the next three to four years, they worked on rough ideas for
Hell (Father Ted) couple and the gardaí, Ted recognises that their caravan is a compact, squalid model, with barely enough room for the three of them. Only then does Ted realise that Dougal forgot to hitch the trailer containing all of their games and entertainment back at the parochial house. After putting a box over Jack's head to cause him to fall asleep, Ted and Dougal quickly exhaust all of the activities within the caravan. Pushing Jack in a wheelchair, they later explore the only two attractions nearby, St. Kevin's Stump, and the Magic Road, where the laws of gravity seemingly disappear. While