Arthur Mathews (born c1959) is an Irish writer who, often with writing partner Graham Linehan, has either written - or contributed to - a number of popular British comedies.

As a partnership, the two have quietly been inserting their combination of overt daftness and gently unsettling queerness into all manner of places only the most dedicated viewer would detect.

He has contributed to many sketch shows, including Harry Enfield and Chums , The All New Alexei Sayle Show and, notably, the Ted & Ralph segments of The Fast Show.

However, it was with Father Ted (3 series, 1995-1998) that Linehan & Mathews (as the pair are often referred to) made their biggest splash on the public imagination.

Both Linehan and Mathews worked on the first series of sketch show Big Train but only Mathews had a hand in the, less fondly remembered, second series.

Nevertheless, Mathews has continued to provide material for many of the shows respected by hard core, thirty-something, comedy junkies, particularly Brass Eye and Jam.

The pair made a rare appearance in the hugely accomplished sitcom I'm Alan Partridge as two Irish men considering Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) for a contract. Typically, they went away with a strong urge to employ somebody else (Partridge: "Sunday Bloody Sunday. Really captures the frustration of a Sunday, doesn't it? Nothing to do but go to Ikea" Note: Not the exact quote, can anyone provide a transcripted version?)

In the absence of a picture, Mathews is the fairer haired of the two in the scene mentioned. Those looking for another point of distinction between the two should note that Mathews contributed to only one episode of the first two series of Black Books, whereas Linehan had a hand in six.

In late 2003, the writing duo were named one of the 50 Funniest acts In Britain by The Guardian. [1]

Further reading

• Well Remembered Days: Eoin O'Cellaigh's Memoirs of a Twentieth-century Irish Catholic -- Arthur Mathews (Paperback - Macmillan - March 9, 2001) ISBN 0333901630

A comic novel

• "Father Ted": The Complete Scripts -- Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews. (Paperback - Boxtree - October 20, 2000) ISBN 0752272357

External links

The Guardian Newspaper's 50 Funniest People In Britain