Star of hit sitcom Father Ted, Frank Kelly, has defended the programme against accusations it was blasphemous.
Frank Kelly, who played alcoholic, foul-mouthed Father Jack, revealed he won the part of Father Jack by shouting out a series of expletives.
Father Ted producers Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews asked Frank to shout a string of curse words to prove he was suitable for the role of drunken Fr Jack.
Frank, 69, said: "They wanted Jack to have an element of tourettes in his speech.
"They wrote a whole load of expletives on a piece of paper and asked me to read them.
"I grabbed it and said these things at various volumes and intonations.
"They looked at each other and looked at me and said 'Will you do it?'"
Despite being a practicing Catholic, the Irish dad-of-seven says he does not see the show as blasphemous.
Although, he admits feeling a sense of unease when one scene saw Mass conducted by priests on a moving trolley.
Frank added: "The whole ambiance of Father Ted justified that scene because the general thrust of Father Ted was not a blasphemous one.
"I spent three glorious years working on the show."
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