Ardal O'Hanlon has revealed that he was attacked in a church carpack by an angry Church of England vicar, who accused him of making a fool of priests on screen.
READ MORE: RTE Claire Byrne Live viewers let their thoughts be known as Father Dougal joins panel discussion on 'The Slap' at the Oscars“He actually grabbed me by the lapels, and pinned me against the wall, and he had a real go at me for ridiculing clerics generally because of Father Ted and shows like that were making fools of people like him, and people weren't taking him seriously".
With many questioning whether or not the incident was a set up, O'Hanlon told Claire Byrne Live that this wouldn't be it, "It is bizarre wouldn't it be the worst idea of all time, particularly when we talk about violence all the time, why would you choose that as a gag". “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," Smith said in the statement, which was posted to Instagram.