Father Jack Hackett
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| Father Jack Hackett | |
|---|---|
| Frank Kelly as Father Jack Hackett | |
| First appearance | "Good Luck, Father Ted" |
| Last appearance | "Going to America" |
| Cause/reason | Series Ended |
| Portrayed by | Frank Kelly |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Priest |
| Address | The Parochial House, Craggy Island |
Father Jack Hackett was a fictional character on the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. He was played by Frank Kelly.
[edit] Character
Jack is an elderly, foul-mouthed, alcoholic priest who frequently lapses into violent psychosis, particularly when his fellow clergy deny him drink or try removing him from his armchair, where he can usually be found sleeping (or, more likely, passed out). Left irrevocably damaged by his life of sloth, lechery and alcohol abuse, he rarely (if ever) speaks in a coherent manner, instead expressing himself through a series of random shouted words (i.e., "feck!", "arse!", "drink!", "gobshite!" and "girls!").
While it is never explicitly stated just why Bishop Brennan has doomed Jack to Craggy Island, it seemingly has something to do with a wedding ceremony he performed in Athlone.
[edit] Alcoholism
A recurring theme in the series, Jack's alcoholism has almost rendered him a human vegetable (although he had the presence of mind to find a bag containing an incriminating tape of Bishop Len Brennan when the latter threatened posting Jack, Dougal, and Ted to places even less desirable than Craggy Island). He is constantly intoxicated and therefore permanently unaware of the people around him, except when they interfere with his 'daily routine' of sleep and drink.
In one episode, Ted observes that Jack hasn't been properly sober for twelve years, and when he does finally leave his inebriated state for a moment, realises to his horror that he's still on "that feckin' island". The drink has also left him with scant regard for his personal hygiene; he is always depicted with a ring of scabs around his mouth, an unkempt stubble and stains down his clerical dog collar and smock.
[edit] Quirks
Despite his sheer degeneracy, Jack has incredible skills in certain areas. For instance, he can tell the vintage and variety of different wines just by hearing the bottle clink, and has a great proficiency with cars and firearms. Jack also has a rare physical trait known as heterochromia, whereby each of his eyes is a different colour; his right eye is brown and his left is light blue (although sometimes shown as milky white).
Despite his profession, he suffers from a fear of nuns. Dougal also mentions that he no longer seems to believe in God, though in his (comparative) youth he is shown to have taught a somewhat strict and dogmatic form of Catholicism in his career as a teacher.
In one episode we discover that he has a habit of sleep-walking around the island naked during the night, so before bed Ted forces him into a straitjacket and seals him inside a monstrous kind of cot, surrounded by high metallic bars and barbed wire. The seasons also affect him, so that for a brief time in a year, he becomes temporarily more active and friendlier before returning to his usual drunken lifestyle.
He is also known for shouting odd and out of place comments at times he interacts with the other characters. In the season 2 episode 'Hell,' when Ted talks to him, he starts asking random questions and asks "Are those my feet?" In another episode, Dougal and Ted lift Father Jack's chair and he wakes up from his sleep and shouts "I'm a happy camper" and falls back to sleep.
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