It's kind of funny in bits but I can't stomach Richard Curtis's wet dream fantasy about an England that doesn't and never did exist. It seems that many people are comparing it to Father Ted and for obvious reasons. Both centre on the flawed religious leader at the centre of a rural community and their respective half-witted sidekicks. I have to say I'm very much on the Father Ted side. The Vicar of Dibley is for sure far slicker and more professional than Father Ted but it always stops short of saying anything of any substance about the church. At the heart of it The Vicar of Dibley is respectful of the Church of England and the whole myth of English village life that goes with it. The Church of England may not be as obvious a target as the Roman Catholic Church whose evils are plain to see but it has its dark side and questionable business interests just like any religion. Where The Vicar of Dibley is irreverent Father Ted is subversive. There isn't a single moment in the three series of Father Ted where they show an ounce of respect for the church and that is why for me it is superior. However I know others will find The Vicar of Dibley superior for exactly the same reason.
If Richard Curtis had written The Vicar of Dibley with the same biting cynicism with which he wrote Blackadder it could have a great comedy.
If Richard Curtis had written The Vicar of Dibley with the same biting cynicism with which he wrote Blackadder it could have a great comedy.