The character of Father Ted originated in the late 1980s when Arthur Mathews created him as a stand-up routine to perform between sets of The Joshua Trio, a comedic U2 tribute band he formed with Paul and Kieran Woodfull.

The show began as an idea for a mockumentary series called Irish Lives, featuring six episodes each focusing on a different character; producer Geoffrey Perkins suggested turning the Father Ted episode into a traditional sitcom instead.

Arthur Mathews originally intended to play Father Ted himself but decided he lacked the acting ability required for the role.

Graham Linehan was initially reluctant to cast Dermot Morgan as Ted, fearing audiences would confuse him with Father Trendy, a similar priest character Morgan had played years earlier on The Live Mike; Morgan's persistent lobbying eventually won Linehan over.

Maurice O'Donoghue, originally considered as a backup choice to play Ted, was later given the specially created role of Father Dick Byrne, Ted's rival.

American remakes of the show were attempted multiple times but never materialized, including a 2004 version reportedly starring Steve Martin as Ted and Graham Norton as Dougal, and a 2007 version with John Michael Higgins cast as Ted.

Dermot Morgan died of a heart attack at age 45 just one day after filming for series three wrapped; as a mark of respect, the broadcast of the third series was delayed by a week.

The theme music was originally offered to the band Pulp, who declined; Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy then composed it, recording it at The Jesus and Mary Chain's private studio using one of William Reid's guitars.

Neil Hannon's rejected jaunty theme tune was later reworked into the song 'A Woman of the World', while the accepted theme became 'Songs of Love', both appearing on The Divine Comedy's 1996 album Casanova.

Exterior filming took place mainly in County Clare, Ireland, with the Parochial House being McCormack's house at Glenquin near Kilnaboy, while the opening sequence featuring the Plassy shipwreck was filmed on Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands.

A 2007 dispute between the islands of Inisheer and Inishmore over which could claim to be the real 'Craggy Island' for hosting the Friends of Ted Festival was settled by a five-a-side football match, which Inishmore won 2-0.

Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees was buried with a copy of the Father Ted DVD box set, reflecting the show's cult following among celebrities including Steven Spielberg, Madonna, and Jim Carrey.

Graham Linehan spent years trying to develop a Father Ted stage musical, tentatively titled Pope Ted, with music by Neil Hannon, but the project was ultimately cancelled in 2022 following controversy over Linehan's public statements on transgender rights.