Father Ted legend Ardal O’Hanlon has said that he disagrees with modern cancel culture and believes that audiences should be treated like adults.
He also said that Father Ted could still be made in today’s environment because ‘priest bashing doesn’t date’.
The star, who played loveable Fr Dougal Maguire on thinks putting warnings ahead of an episode is a better idea than refusing to show the episode entirely.
O’Hanlon said: “I don’t agree with it because I’m of the generation I trust people to make up their own minds.
“I think viewers should be treated like adults but I recognise it is a thing. I don’t have a problem with it.
“I wouldn’t be campaigning for or against it. I personally think viewers are robust and they can make up their own minds very quickly.
“They’ll turn it off if they don’t like it.
“There are a few episodes of Father Ted that do have warnings. It’s fair enough. I don’t really have a problem with that as long as they don’t take down shows completely if it means putting a warning on it to the way that you’ve a sticker for bad language (on music).”
While many stars and writers of hit shows of the post have voiced opinions that their series might not be made today, O’Hanlon has no such worries about 1990s classic Father Ted.
One aspect of its humour will never go out of date.
He added: “I don’t know. I think it probably would. I mean you’d probably change a few things.
“I actually just read an essay the other day – it was about Seinfeld – and that was a very progressive show at the time.
“But the essay was pointing out that you couldn’t make a show like that today and that a lot of people have real problems with minorities on that show and the way gay people are represented on that show, even though it would’ve been considered progressive in terms of the writing at the time. But yeah, comedy dates.
“The only thing about Father Ted is the priest bashing doesn’t date.”
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Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling