Don’t Panic it’s Kushty Ted

[Tony Tony Tony]

Hearing and reading some of the publicity that David Jason is currently doing to flog his book (Del of a Life if you are interested) he tells of a couple of roles he narrowly missed out on.

It seems he was given the role of Corporal Jones in Dads Army. Though it was snatched away after two hours after the director discovered the Head of Light Entertainment had already given it to Clive Dunn. I may well have heard that one before and I can visualise him in the role, but the next one is a bit more of a stretch. He tells that he was first choice for the part of Father Ted in, well Father Ted. Would have been a very different show surely?

[Utter Shit]

Given how shit his attempt at an American accent is in Miami Twice, I can't imagine he'd have been a good Father Ted. I know it's an obvious thing to say, but Father Ted really doesn't feel like it could have been played by anyone other than Dermot Morgan.

On a related note, would anyone be interested in an OFAH equivalent of Lemming's brilliant Red Dwarf rewatch thread?

[Phil_A]

Surely that "Delboy was nearly Ted" story is bollocks. Wasn't the character created specifically with Dermot Morgan in mind, as an extension of the "Father Trendy" character he used to play?

[Tony Tony Tony]

Surely that "Delboy was nearly Ted" story is bollocks. Wasn't the character created specifically with Dermot Morgan in mind, as an extension of the "Father Trendy" character he used to play?

Well he has got a book to flog, and you do hear of actor luvvies holding forth on the parts they cruelly missed out on.

I am sure there are plenty of previous threads where this sort of thing is mentioned.

I recall seeing on here and elsewhere that the part of Del Boy was originally destined for Jim Broadbent.

Edit: Here is Father Trendy himself https://youtu.be/ttgBMtNdChs

[JamesTC]

He was also first choice to star in The Lenny Henry Show.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Surely that "Delboy was nearly Ted" story is bollocks. Wasn't the character created specifically with Dermot Morgan in mind, as an extension of the "Father Trendy" character he used to play?

Yes, but I can imagine the Channel 4 big wigs would have wanted a recognisable name to to help sell the show. I can't imagine Jason actually playing the role though.

[wosl]

It seems he was given the role of Corporal Jones in Dads Army. Though it was snatched away after two hours after the director discovered the Head of Light Entertainment had already given it to Clive Dunn.

Just been reading about this in Graham McCann's Dad's Army book. The sign-up of Arthur Lowe for DA had been a smooth process, but apparently both Dunn and John Le Mesurier (both of whom David Croft had had specifically in mind for the respective roles of Jones and Wilson) stalled in cahoots, to try and increase what was on the table (Le Mesurier's idea), and in his growing frustration, Croft had gone to his second choice for Jones: Jason.  Apparently Robert Dorning was in the frame for Wilson before Le Mesurier developed into the natural choice (which could've been curious, since Dorning and Lowe resembled each other quite closely.  Also interesting that Jon Pertwee was briefly considered for the role of Mainwaring).

[magval]

Someone go in til Tesco and photograph the pages where he talks about it in detail instead of listening to the headline bait shit he's having to say in interviews to promote the book which is probably very good (as his last one was).

I'm sure it's more a case the channel or production company or someone at some stage who might have had some stroke suggested rather than the 'Graham or Arthur wanted it' people are challenging.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Dougal, you plonker cunt!

[The Lurker]

Surely that "Delboy was nearly Ted" story is bollocks. Wasn't the character created specifically with Dermot Morgan in mind, as an extension of the "Father Trendy" character he used to play?

Wasn't the actor who played Fr Dick Byrne second choice for Ted?

[buzby]

Do you know if he mentions anything in the book about the activities of three of his friends from his flying club in his house while he was away filming in 1991?

[Cold Meat Platter]

We talked about this before when he said it in an interview earlier this year and decided it was bollocks. He claimed to have turned it down because Ted was "too pious".
Folk thought he was talking about Father Brown, the Mark Williams show.
Basically he should just start doing fucking laps of his garden and stop dribbling a load of shite, the decrepit cabbage cunt.

[SpiderChrist]

Do you know if he mentions anything in the book about the activities of three of his friends from his flying club in his house while he was away filming in 1991?

Just googled that. Fuck my hat.

[Tony Tony Tony]

Just googled that. Fuck my hat.

Looks like Del Boy could well have gone down Barrymore route?

[idunnosomename]

I tried to get a refund from Paedoair this week, refused, outrageous

[SpiderChrist]

I tried to get a refund from Paedoair this week, refused, outrageous

They're awful. Even worse than 911 Airlines.

[Cold Meat Platter]

They're awful. Even worse than 911 Airlines.

That reminds me of that tragedy.

[petril]

That reminds me of that tragedy.

yeah GMTV had those cunts do a gig at our school one morning

[Malcy]

I have 2 David Jason books on the shelf part read. A 3rd?!

[magval]

Wrestler Mick Foley made reference in his third volume of memoirs that he was tied with Churchill, then wrote a fourth awful volume. His first book was really great, too.

The parts in Jason's second book (the only one I've read) where he talks about building characters and how acting works, for him, are really excellent. I enjoyed it immensely.

[Huxleys Babkins]

"I hear you drop casual racist slurs about the Asian community when referring to their places of business now, father."

[Fr.Bigley]

Surely that "Delboy was nearly Ted" story is bollocks. Wasn't the character created specifically with Dermot Morgan in mind, as an extension of the "Father Trendy" character he used to play?

Was most definitely written with Morgan in mind. Father trendy might have been a million miles away from ted but Without doubt the inspiration. I think it's mentioned in "Small, far away"- the c4 doc on the process of creating Ted.

[magval]

Was most definitely written with Morgan in mind. Father trendy might have been a million miles away from ted but Without doubt the inspiration. I think it's mentioned in "Small, far away"- the c4 doc on the process of creating Ted.

Again, sorry for harping on at this, but I've seen no evidence yet that David Jason said Father Ted was written for him, or with him in mind.

There must be tons of examples of times an actor has been wanted for a role by a studio exec because they were a proven quantity in something else, despite the creators' wishes, intentions, and the eventual actual casting.

We're speculating about the wrong details on this story, but because no fucker's read the book to check, we're just a load of Internet wankers, self included. Someone read the fucking story to see what he actually says so we can avoid accusing David Jason of claiming to have inspired Linehan and Mathews to create Father Ted for him to star in, which it doesn't sound at all to me like what he's saying.

Edit: I love youse all and sorry for swearing, I just feel there's an element of reacting to the story that's being pushed by the typically incensed internet outrage lot rather than the story being told by the man we're discussing.

[BeardFaceMan]

Wasnt it more that Morgan got the part becauae he was doing a similar character to Ted and would be a good fit, rather than Ted actually being written for him? Not a huge stretch to believe that other actors were considered as well.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

There must be tons of examples of times an actor has been wanted for a role by a studio exec because they were a proven quantity in something else, despite the creators' wishes, intentions, and the eventual actual casting.

Yeah, I imagine it's standard practice when developing telly series.

I never even considered that anyone would think Jason was claiming the role was actually written for him.

[JaDanketies]

Several years ago, I heard David Jason was gonna get Yewtreed from a Twitter post that led me to the David Icke forum. Never forgot it although it's literally the worst possible example of a source.

[Tony Tony Tony]

Again, sorry for harping on at this, but I've seen no evidence yet that David Jason said Father Ted was written for him, or with him in mind.

My OP came about as a result of listening to David Jason on BBC R4 Saturday Live.

Failing a full perusal of his book here's a second hand source...

https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2020/03/08/45574/david_jason:_i_could_have_played_father_ted

and if you can stomach reading the Sun on Sunday the 'source' story (also linked in the article above)...

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/11122968/sir-david-jason-was-first-choice-to-play-father-ted/

Who are we to question as reliable a source as the Sun on Sunday?

 

[magval]

I had a flick through the index at the back in Tesco last night and there's no page listed for either Father Ted, Fr Ted or Crilly, Ted [character].

Mightn't even be in there!

I supposed to be fair the books not called "Men I Have Not Been".