Hit TV companion podcast Talking Ted will be recording a special episode in front of a live audience this December, production company HeadStuff Podcasts has announced, along with a showing of the Father Ted Christmas special.
The podcast, which recaps and discusses iconic Irish sitcom Father Ted, is hosted by actors Joe Rooney and Patrick McDonnell, both of whom had guest appearances on the show more than 25 years ago. Season one of Talking Ted launched in March 2022 and ran for six episodes, featuring interviews with a number of their fellow guest actors on the show, as well as Ardal O’Hanlon, who played Father Dougal McGuire.
The live recording is set to take place on 13 December at The Podcast Studios in Dublin, Ireland with tickets available for purchase for €20. Ahead of the recording, The Podcast Studios will hold a screening of the episode ‘A Christmassy Ted’ to commemorate the event.
The new series of the podcast will cover season two of the sitcom and features Rooney and McDonnell interviewing a number of creators who contributed to Father Ted, including Irish comedy writer and actor Arthur Mathews, television and film director Declan Lowney and O’Hanlon.
“I’m so excited for this new series to come out,” said McDonnell. “It’s one of the greatest seasons of a sitcom ever to be made, and it was such a joy to watch and comment on each episode as well as interview many of those involved.”
“Working on season 2 has given me a fresh appreciation of the brilliance of the writing, acting and set design of Father Ted,” said Rooney. “This combination has ensured its timelessness. It’s why everyone involved, no matter what they have done since, will always be known for their role in Father Ted.”
HeadStuff is one of the largest podcast networks in Ireland and has received seven nominations for this year’s upcoming Irish Podcast Awards, which are taking place in Dublin on 21 November. Categories that HeadStuff podcasts were nominated in include Best Branded Podcast, Best Climate Podcast, Best Comedy Podcast, Best Factual Podcast, Best Interview Podcast, and Best Network or Publisher.
In addition to producing and hosting its own podcasts, HeadStuff launched an incubator programme in October this year which gives creators a chance to win a €50,000 (£43,000) recording deal to create and publish an original podcast series. The deadline to submit applications is this week on 19 November and all entries will be analysed by the competition’s panel of judges.
