Irish TV to show Father Ted instead of the last Eurovision in opposition to the inclusion of Israel | Eurovision

It is considered one of the funniest episodes of the beloved sitcom, but Father Ted The issue of Eurovision was put on hold because of Israel’s participation in this week’s song contest.

The Irish broadcaster, RTÉ, which is on strike campaign against the annexation of Israel, will instead broadcast the 1996 episode of European Song, in which the characters Mr. Ted and Mr. Dougal sing their song Dear Horse and earn money. zero points.

The decision drew criticism on Tuesday from Graham Linehan, one of the show’s producers, who accused RTÉ of using the show as a “tool to harass people” and said it was “a blatant, salacious act”. He called for the resignation of the station’s CEO, Kevin Bakhurst.

Irish news site Additional.iehowever, he hailed the move as “genius trolling” and called it “my favorite strike”.

Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland also refused to send contestants to Austria, where singers and groups from 35 countries will compete under the slogan “musical harmony”. Instead of the finale, the Slovenian broadcaster will broadcast the documentary under the title Voices of Palestine. The Spanish broadcaster will host a music program called The House of Music.

The strike follows calls from the European Broadcasting Union to change rules to prevent countries from organizing voting campaigns after complaints that Israeli singer Yuval Raphael received the most votes from the public last year and came second.

The Father Ted Eurovision satire is one of the most popular episodes of the series, a show about the priests and their housekeeper on the fictional island of Craggy. It ran on Channel 4 from 1995 to 1998 and won several awards.

In the Song of Europe, Ted and Dougal represent Ireland with a horse without a song – a song chosen because it is considered so dangerous that it will prevent the threat of Irish victory and provide a guarantee for the next edition. Eurovision.

The plot reflects the common myth that, after winning in 1992 and 1993, Ireland chose a weak entry, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids, in 1994 with the intention of losing. However, it won. In Father Ted the story, the fraud grows – the priests get zero.

Ireland’s Eurovision Song Contest peaked in 1996 with its seventh win, a record equaled only by Sweden. Some observers attribute Ireland’s defeat to the 2008 accession election. Dustin from TurkeyA children’s doll that sang Irelande Douze Pointe from a shopping cart.