Father Ted's Hero? (My Hero)

Member Name: Feefo

Product:	My Hero
Date:	28/03/05 (283 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lightweight, harmless and fun, Doesn't require a lot of brainwork, relaxing, innovative and creative

Disadvantages: storylines limited , bit silly sometimes, can be slightly dull

My Hero

Creator: Paul Mendleson.

Stars

Ardal O'Hanlon - George Sunday (Father Ted)
Emily Joyce - Janet (Dawkins) Sunday
Mum Ella Dawkins
Dad Stanley Dawkins
Arnie
Dr Piers Crispin -Hugh Dennis
Mrs Raven

Plot

Thermoman aka George Sunday is a Superhero who has married a mere mortal because he loves her so much. They have two children and George works (and owns) in a health food shop. His wife Janet is a nurse at the local Doctor's, constantly trying to persuade her snobbish mother that George is an intelligent, ideal husband for her.

George and Janet's love story began when she slipped and fell into the Grand Canyon while holidaying in America only to be rescued by Thermoman. The couple live together in Northolt, North West London, where Janet used to live a normal existence prior to George appearing in her life. George doesn't court her as Thermoman but as George.

George has a couple of friends his cousin Arnie who works in the Health Food Store and Tyler his mortal next door neighbour who is totally off his rocker and hence fits into the equation nicely. George's real identity of Superhero Thermoman is kept secret from everyone except for his wife Janet, Arnie and Tyler. George and Arnie are from the planet Ultron.

Thermoman will suddenly sometimes sniff the air and realise that there is a fire in for example Japan or a volcano erupting somewhere and he disappears to sort things out and save people's lives. As a Superhero he is able to travel very far very quickly. A lot of humour arises from different cultures and ways of doing things on Earth and Otron. One fine example is giving birth. It takes Otronian women about a week from conception to birth!. This leads to difficulties with the explanations to people the couple know.

A bit like Third Rock from the Sun, there is great scope for humour where Aliens do things differently to Earthlings or misunderstand something. George is a very simplistic and direct alien and thus comes across to his wife's parents as disappointingly stupid.

Other characters in the programme are splendid. There is the Egotistical and money grabbing Tv Dr who is not terribly good at his profession and frankly should have been suspended for malpractice at some point. He is always making a play for George's wife and naturally this is encouraged by Janet's mother. Her mother would prefer if her daughter married Piers and this storyline is played out in different ways and at different times. Janet loathes Piers and all he stands for.

Ella's husband Stanley makes it clear that he is not enamoured with still being married to Janet's mother and there are plenty of jokes reflecting this. The joke is on Ella, who is unaware of her husband's real feelings or does not want to address it.

The programme is obviously influenced also by Superman where he has a day job and is an alien hiding his true identity from nearly everyone.

The children of George and have supernatural powers also. The first child Ollie can fly and speak as soon as he is born and the little girl turns out to be fairly psychic with degrees of success. These powers mean that the Grandparents can't spend too much time with the kids because the kids won't be able to cope with the Grandparents being the way they are and also because their superpowers might be revealed.

Arnie's function is to be George's confidante and also reveal to the audience Otonian customs and the culture and he has to advise George when he forgets a custom or breaks it somehow. Arnie also has romantic feelings for Mrs Ravern and vice versa, the sadistic and hillarious receptionist at Dr Crispin's Surgery.

Mrs Ravern is my favourite character. She is vile, wicked, has no principles and enjoys tormenting and hurting people. Of course this is all done in a rather subtle and comic way and it is very funny. She has triplets who seem to get her in dreadful trouble and be in dreadful trouble themselves.

All in all, the programme is very sweet and innocent and has old fashioned mother in law jokes and some very funny plot lines. It is not particularly challenging tv and is a bit puerile and childish but it is gentle and family orientated.

When it seems the cat is out of the bag and things have got way out of control, there are good devices to get things back in order such as George's ability to wipe peoples' memories clean if they discover his identity as Thermoman. That technique was used in a sci-fi film Men in Black also about Aliens.

One of the main storylines revolves around the fact that George is keeping his real identity a secret from everyone, an idea which runs and runs in different directions and tangents.

Utterly harmless, principled and simple. I am sorry to say that the last episode of the current series was screened last Friday 25th March 2005.

About the Cast

******************************************
Emily Joyce - Janet Dawkins Sunday
******************************************
Last Sitcom was in 1998, Channel 4 Series In Exile. Emily is the youngest of three girls. Her father is an Architect, and her mother is a college inspector but all three sisters are in “show business”. Her sister Rachel is the eldest and an actress and is with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Amy produces Channel 4's the Real Holiday Show.

Emily went to Drama School. She has worked for Vogue and even been in a rock band called In Spite of All that.

Her first break was with the Royal Shakespeare Company and first tv role was in ITV's Cracker. In 1999 she starred in the first series of Grafters.

************************************************* ***
Ardal O'Hanlon - George Thermoman Sunday
************************************************* ****
He was born October 8th 1965 in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland
He began his career while at Dublin University by hiring himself out as an after dinner speaker. Also with friends he formed the comedy troupe Mr Trellis which led to the establishment of the Comedy Cellar which was Ireland's first alternative comedy club.
He won Comedy Newcomer of the Year in 1994 at Hackney Empire and whilst doing stand up was chosen for the role of Father Dougal Maguire in Father Ted.
He also has starred in Big Bad World and hosted and guest starred in numerous shows including Whose Line is it Anyway and Shooting Stars.
In 2002 he opened the play called See You next Tuesday in Dublin which has been very successful and it is hoped it will transfer to London.
************************************
Hugh Dennis - Dr Piers Crispin
************************************
Mostly known for Mary Whitehouse Experience and Canned Carrot and Carrot Confidential (Jasper Carrot) prior to My Hero. He is a writer and performer and his comedy partner is Steve Punt.

Summary: