How Cartman, Kenny, Stan, Kyle, Big Gay Al and Mr Hankey the Christmas Poo will fare when their voices have been Irishified remains to be seen. But translating such phrases as "shut up, fat ass, " "you're breaking my balls" and "dude, this is pretty f***ed up right here" into Gaeilge will surely be the greatest challenge for the chosen production company.

"We're always on the look-out for any programmes that are available to be dubbed into Irish and we were very lucky to get South Park, " said Padhraic O' Ciardha of TG4. "Like every other TV station we're always looking for new ways to attract a young audience and we think this should be a big hit. It will be very interesting to see how the action works out in Irish."

Since buying the rights, TG4 has given the project to a Dublin-based production company to translate.

"They'll make all the necessary changes and chase the talent who will do the voiceovers, " said O' Ciardha. "We're hoping that it should be ready for our screens by the autumn."

Since it first arrived on Irish screens in 1997, the comedy series about four ten-year-old boys in the backwards town of South Park, Colorado has been a massive success, with seven Emmy award nominations and one win in 2005.

It has also been at the centre of several controversies: the Catholic Church denounced an episode that showed the Virgin Mary bleeding from her anus, while Tom Cruise famously took umbrage at an episode which involved several exhortations for him to "come out of the closet."

For TG4, this is just the latest in a string of popular programmes it has dubbed into Irish. The Dukes of Hazzard, Spongebob Squarepants and the Harry Potter movies have all been given the Irish treatment, and now Sesame Street is going the same way.

"There are auditions going on at the moment for Sesame Street and we think it will be a great success, " said O' Ciardha. Anyone who fancies themselves as the next Big Bird or Ernie is advised to put their impressions on tape and send them to Telegael Productions in Spiddal.