The Linehan Grand Trio:

Graham Linehan’s name has become synonymous with British-Irish television since his massively popular “Father Ted” in 1995. While he did have a slew of writing credits on various produc¬tions up until the show that launched his career, his best work happened early-on with writing partner Arthur Mathews. After a less-than-success¬ful T.V. show “Paris”, the duo began work on a sitcom about the day-to-day struggle of Catholic Priest, Father Ted.
“Father Ted” centers on a dis¬graced Irish priest and his parochial house of fellow priests, Jack, Dougal (played by Frank Kelly and Ardal O’Hanlon, respectively) and their housekeeper, Mrs. Doyle, who is played by Pauline McLynn. “Father Ted” was the first of Linehan’s shows to reach heights his previous projects had never before seen. The show was met with a fair bit of controversy, as a public Atheist, the late Dermot Morgan, was playing the lead role as well as referencing numerous scandals in relation to the Catholic Church. However it was a comedy above all else and also walked the line of satire. What made the show great is the unwillingness of the subject matter to make you cringe in some instances and open up your mind in others. All while delivering some truly laugh-out-loud moments. While there is a laugh track present on Linehan’s shows, it does not take away at all from the show. You will find yourself laughing at all the right times.
His next big hit was found in the messy, dump of a bookstore called “Black Books.” Starring entertain¬ment up-and-comer Dylan Moran (“Shaun of the Dead”) as the epony¬mous Bernard Black, the sitcom used the style of observational humor and more classic situational humor to its advantage. Moran used his observational skills as a stand-up comic to further push the show up onto its own unique pedestal (for example, one scene addressing the ever-increasingly high prices of movie theaters: “Excuse me, there seems to be some sort of mistake. I bought a drink and some popcorn and now I have no money…does it come with some sort of dizzying high?”) The ability of the show to relate to such common, everyday problems was reminiscent of “Seinfeld.” Its sup¬porting cast was that of only two other co-starring roles which would seem insufficient when compared to some American sitcoms, but it worked seamlessly with the varying personalities and excellent writing. Bill Bailey (“Hot Fuzz”) plays Manny and Tamsin Grieg (“Episodes”) plays Fran.
The most recent hit-show of his found the most current trans- Atlantic popularity in his career, and rightfully so. “The IT Crowd” centers on the evolving world of technology and the big-red button we know as the Internet (Just watch and you’ll understand what “truly” controls the Internet). As far as his other shows were concerned, “IT Crowd” was not solely focused on one starring role. Whereas “Father Ted” did have a working dynamic with Fathers Jack and Dougal, as well as Mrs. Doyle; “Black Books” with Bernard and the supporting cast of Fran and Manny, there was less of a main character and more of a supporting-main cast. The two IT assistants in Roy and Moss (Chris O’Dowd, “Bridesmaids” and Richard Ayoade, “The Watch”) as well as Jen, played by Katherine Parkinson (“Pirate Radio”). Added in the finale of season one, and soon to the regular main cast, was Douglas, played by Matt Berry.