'Graham Linehan told us even if he drops dead, we can't do the Father Ted musical,' says Jimmy Mulville

Following the passing of both Morgan (in 1998) and Kelly (in 2016), co-creator Linehan decided against pursuing any more Father Ted in film or television, but did pen a stage musical version that came very close to reality.

However, following the screenwriter's move into activism and his outspoken views on transgender issues, Mulville suggested the controversy would be a hindrance to getting the Father Ted musical into theatres.

"The book and the songs were written, and we were ready to go but that’s when it all turned very sour," he said on Insiders: The TV Podcast, which he co-hosts with former executive Peter Fincham.

"I had a conversation with Graham in which I said, 'Look, this show isn't going to get made with your name on it, there's no reputable theatre that will make it'."

Mulville added: "The truth is that Graham and Arthur [Matthews] share the rights with Hat Trick, and I offered to buy him out.

"I said, 'The only way that your brainchild can see the light of day is if you do the very difficult thing of absenting yourself from the production', which, of course I understand is incredibly difficult for him and I didn't expect him to jump at it."

He concluded: "Things went from bad to worse... He even said that if he drops dead, it’s in his will that we can’t do the musical. I feel sad for the fans; it would have been such a brilliant show."

The Father Ted musical would have seen the titular priest promoted to the role of Pope, with comedic material to be mined from how severely under-qualified he is for the role.

Writing in his book, Tough Crowd, on the shelved Father Ted musical, Linehan said: "I thought at least that Jimmy Mulville of Hat Trick was on my side.

"Having been generous to me while my career stalled, and as the original producer of Father Ted, the company had a big stake in this new venture, but now the Hat Trick people began to go the other way."

Linehan wrote: "Hat Trick were suggesting an up-front payment of £200,000 as an advance on my royalties – on the presumption, I'm guessing, that I was too broke to refuse.

"I said I was prepared to minimise my involvement, just coming along to the odd rehearsal to see how it was going. No, I was told; they wanted a 'clean break'."

Linehan ultimately rejected the proposed deal, describing it as an "insult" for the theatre show that he originally hoped might serve as his "pension".

In the same podcast, Mulville suggested that Hat Trick was open to attempting a musical version of one of the other TV comedies it has produced, naming Derry Girls as an "iconic show" that could be a suitable fit.

"Maybe in years to come, there'll be a moment there," he added.

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