Picnic on Craggy Island: The Surreal Joys of Producing Father Ted
By (Author) Lissa Evans
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Doubleday
20th March 2025
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Television production: technical and background skills
Hardback
160
Width 130mm, Height 204mm, Spine 25mm
500g
A nostalgic, light-hearted memoir from Lissa Evans, depicting her time as a producer on the legendary cult TV show Father Ted. Three decades after it first appeared on screen, Father Ted is still cherished, quoted and endlessly re-watched. Its beloved main characters, unforgettable lines and extraordinary visual jokes have given birth to a thousand gifs and t-shirts and a million catchphrases. Unforgettable to watch, it was also unforgettable to work on. Lissa Evans, as producer of the second and third series, spent three years hovering anxiously over every moment, from the first glimpse of script to the last revolution of a runaway milk-float round a specially-built plywood roundabout. There was no 'average Father Ted episode' - each of them was stuffed with challenges; endless rain, lustful rabbits, clerics crashing through windows, sheep doubles, collapsing crosses and a never-ending stream of eccentric priests - and the work that went into its creation was often nearly as bizarre as what was happening on screen. Picnic on Craggy Island is a hugely affectionate and anecdotal account of what lay behind some of those moments of comic genius - so pull on your kagoule, spread out your blanket, unwrap the sandwiches (they're all egg) and enjoy the picnic...
Lissa Evans has written books for both adults and children, including the bestselling Old Baggage, Their Finest Hour and a Half, longlisted for the Orange Prize, Small Change for Stuart, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Costa Book Awards amongst others, and Crooked Heart, longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction.