Bless Me, Father

No, this isn’t a post about Confession; rather, that’s the title of this excellent Britcom I ran across on Netflix!  The show does have some pretty funny Confession-related scenes though–gotta love that!

This show is about life in a suburban English parish in 1950, pastored by Father Duddleswell (the wonderful Arthur Lowe), an Irish priest who is sometimes stern, sometimes roguish, but overall a good man who cares about his parish.  Father D is joined by a fresh new curate, Father Boyd (Daniel Abineri), a pleasant young man who is naive, but also pretty smart and eager to learn the ropes.  They have a housekeeper, Mrs. Pring (Gabrielle Daye), who is never afraid to speak her mind and is constantly bickering back and forth with Father D–but you can tell that they really get along.  The actors really created a wonderful and very realistic chemistry among these three characters.  There are lots of colorful supporting characters who fill out the ensemble.

The comedy is gentle and clean, with lots of verbal wit. The show has a good-natured and rather affectionate attitude toward Catholics and Catholicism, and toward the good old days when it takes place.  Though the show was made in the late 70s/early 80s, you feel like you really are seeing life in 1950.  There’s a sense of authenticity about it

From what I’ve read, the show’s writer, Peter de Rosa, actually served as a Catholic curate at some point, and published some autobiographical novels based on his experiences (under the pseudonym of Neil Boyd–the name of the curate in the show).

I would recommend Bless Me, Father to anybody who enjoys classic British Comedy.  I don’t think you have to be Catholic to enjoy it, though I think it will be especially enjoyable for Catholics.

I look forward to seeing the next 2 discs!  :D