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{{Use British English|date=February 2014}}

{{Infobox television episode

| title = Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep

| series = [[Father Ted]]

| image =

Line 8 ⟶ 7:

| series_no = 3

| episode = 2

| airdate = 20 March{{Start date|1998|03|20|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Father Ted: Series 3 -– 2. Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/fqbf/father-ted--series-3---2-chirpy-burpy-cheap-sheep|accessdate=5 October 2015|work=[[Radio Times]]}}</ref>

| production =

| writer = [[Graham Linehan]], [[Arthur Mathews (writer)|Arthur Mathews]]

| director = [[Graham Linehan]]

| guests =

| guests = [[Peadar Lamb]] as Fargo Boyle<br> Peter Dineen as Giant Reid<br> Pat McGrath as Hud Hastings <br>[[Patrick Drury]] as John<br>[[Rynagh O'Grady]] as Mary<br>Eamon Rohan as Judge

* [[Peadar Lamb]] as Fargo Boyle

| episode_list = [[List of Father Ted episodes]]

* Peter Dineen as Giant Reid

* Pat McGrath as Hud Hastings

* [[Patrick Drury]] as John

* [[Rynagh O'Grady]] as Mary

* Eamon Rohan as Judge

| episode_list = [[List of Father Ted episodes]]

| prev = [[Are You Right There, Father Ted?]]

| next = [[Speed 3]]

}}

"'''Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep'''" is the second episode of the third series of the [[Channel 4]] sitcom ''[[Father Ted]]''. The episode's title is a reference to the 1971 song "[[Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep]]," made famous by [[Middle of the Road (band)|Middle of the Road]].

==Synopsis==

[[Father Ted Crilly|Ted]] betswagers the entire year's heating allowance budget for the yearparochial house on the King of the Sheep competition, placing his bet on Chris, a sheep whothat has won the competition several times and is considered a surecertainty thingto triumph again. Unfortunately, Chris has heard rumours about a sheep-eating beast and isn'tis not feeling at all himself. Chris's owner, Fargo Boyle, begs Ted to help return Chris to his old self. AfterWith a week,very Tedcold haswinter successfullyforecast returnedfor Chris'sthe spirit. Howeveryear, Ted findsbecomes outworried that Fargo Boyle arranged for Chris to be frightened byabout the beast (thanks to an albumpossibility of BBC Sound Effects) in order to increaselosing the meagre odds being offered for his victorybet. OnHe the day of the competition, just as Chris is aboutgoes to beJohn declared theand winnerMary, Tedwho makes a dramatic scene and exposesaccepted the whole plot. Fargo begs Chris's forgivenessbet, butto theask sheepfor ishis apparently unforgiving. Ted is then left kicking himself when Dougal points out that by getting Chris disqualified he's lost the bet and the heating allowancestake money. In the endback, thebut residentsthey of the parochial house prepare to [[hibernate]] for the winterrefuse.

Chris's owner, Fargo Boyle, comes to the parochial house and begs Ted to help return Chris to his old self. After a week, Ted has successfully returned Chris's spirit. However, after he and Dougal hear sounds in the night and, upon investigation, discover them coming from a stereo in a tree (courtesy of an album of BBC Sound Effects), Ted finds out that Boyle arranged for Chris to be frightened by the beast to increase the meagre odds being offered for his victory.

On the day of the competition, just as Chris is about to be declared the winner, Ted makes a dramatic entry and exposes the plot, telling the judge his observations, including expensive items being worn by the other contestants (after Fargo paid them to spread rumours about the beast) and Fargo leaving a shop with a BBC Sound Effects record that Dougal had wanted to buy. The judge is appalled to hear about this plot, and Chris is instantly disqualified. Fargo begs Chris's forgiveness, but the sheep is apparently unforgiving.

Although Ted makes a dramatic exit, he is left kicking himself when Dougal points out that because Chris was disqualified, he has lost the bet, and thus all of the heating allowance money. The residents of the parochial house subsequently prepare to [[hibernate]] for the forthcoming extremely cold winter.

===The Beast of Craggy Island===

Ted and Dougal proved that the "Beast" was a hoax created by Giant Reed and Hud Hastings to rig the "King of the Sheep" competition.

Dougal, Mrs. Doyle and Hud all give a description of the Beast:

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* It has a tremendous fear of stamps (Dougal)

* Its yawn sounds like [[Liam Neeson]] chasing a load of hens around inside a barrel (Dougal)

* It has no mouth, but instead has four arses (Dougal){{refn|group=note|This line was ad-libbed by O'Hanlon on set; the line as written was "instead of a mouth it's got two faces."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Linehan |first1=Graham |last2=Mathews |first2=Arthur |title=Father Ted: The Complete Scripts |date=1999 |publisher=Boxtree |isbn=0752272357 |page=275 |edition=2nd}}</ref>}}

* It has no mouth, but instead has four arses (Dougal)

* It only has eyebrows on Saturdays (Dougal)

* It lives "on the place where there should be moors" (Mrs. Doyle)

* It makes a "terrible howling noise" (Mrs. Doyle)

* It is the size of a [[jaguar]] [the cat not the car] (Hud)

* It has got big white teeth, as sharp as knives (Hud)

The "terrible howling noise" wasplayed due tofrom a stereo placed in a tree by Giant and Hud was designed to trick the locals into believing in the existence of the "Beast"beast. The "Beast"beast's other features were just rumours spread by Giant and Hud. The "Beast" has been added to Dougal's "They Don't Exist" list alongside the [[Loch Ness Monster]], [[Frankenstein]], [[Magnum, P.I.]], non-[[Catholic Church|Catholic]] gods, [[Darth Vader]] and the [[Phantom of the Opera]] (which is added at the same time).

==Trivia==

{{trivia|section|date=September 2021}}

* This episode shows that Dougal is forced by Ted to keep a list of things that don't exist. The list (named, appropriately enough, 'They Don't Exist') featuresthat don't exist, which lists the following.:

** [[Loch Ness Monster]]

** [[Frankenstein]]

** [[Frankenstein]] (although presumably Dougal is actually referencing [[Frankenstein's monster]]).

** [[Magnum, P.I.]]

** Non-Catholic Gods

** [[Darth Vader]]

** [[The Phantom of the Opera (novel)|The Phantom of the Opera]]

** The Beast of Craggy Island

* This episode is notable as being the only oneepisode in the entire series to contain the workword 'Fuckfucking' spoken uncensored (it is heard twice, aswhen it"fuckin' hell" is clearlyexclaimed heardoff-camera by Graham Linehan while others express shock at Ted's revelations about the Beast). In other episodes, minced oaths such as "feck" are used instead.

* This episode inspired Australian Sue Dowling in September 2015 to give the name "Chris" to [[Chris (sheep)|a sheep]] she spotted in a [[paddock]] in Canberra that had an unusually large fleece. The fleece was shorn and set a world record for the heaviest fleece.

* The title for this episode is a play on words of the title of the 1971 song "[[Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep]]", made famous by [[Middle of the Road (band)|Middle of the Road]].

==Notes==

{{Reflist|group=note}}

==External links==

{{Wikiquote|Father Ted#Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep|Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep}}

* {{IMDb titleepisode|0578503}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

{{Father Ted episodes}}

[[Category:Father Ted episodes]]

[[Category:1998 British television episodes]]

{{comedy-tv-episode-stub}}