Jump to content

Graham Linehan

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Graham Linehan
Linehan in 2013
Birth nameGraham George Linehan
BornMay 1968 (age 56)
Dublin, Ireland
MediumTelevision
NationalityIrish
EducationCatholic University School
Years active1991–present
GenresObservational comedy, surreal humour
Spouse
Helen Serafinowicz
​
​
(m. 2004; div. 2020)​
Children2
Notable works and rolesFather Ted, Black Books, The IT Crowd

Graham George Linehan (/ˈlɪnəhæn/; born May 1968)[1][2] is an Irish comedy writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms Father Ted (1995–1998), Black Books (2000–2004), and The IT Crowd (2006–2013), and he has written for shows including Count Arthur Strong, Brass Eye and The Fast Show. Early in his career, he partnered with fellow writer, Arthur Mathews. Linehan has won five BAFTA awards, including Best Writer, Comedy, for The IT Crowd in 2014.

After an episode of The IT Crowd was criticised as transphobic, Linehan became involved in anti-transgender activism. He argues that transgender activism endangers women, and he has likened the use of puberty blockers to Nazi eugenics. Linehan says his views have lost him work and ended his marriage.

Early life

Linehan was born in Dublin in 1968.[1] He attended Catholic University School, a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys in Dublin.[3]

Comedy career

In the 1980s, Linehan joined the staff of the Dublin politics and music magazine Hot Press, where he met his future writing partner, Arthur Mathews.[3][4] In their early collaborations, they created segments in sketch shows including Alas Smith and Jones, Harry Enfield & Chums, The All New Alexei Sayle Show, The Day Today and the Ted and Ralph characters in The Fast Show. They continued their collaboration with Paris[5] (one series, 1994), Father Ted (three series, 1995–1998),[6][7][8] and the first series of the sketch show Big Train.[9] They also wrote the "Dearth of a Salesman" episode for the series Coogan's Run, which featured the character Gareth Cheeseman. In late 2003, Linehan and Mathews were named one of the 50 funniest acts to work in television by The Observer.[10] Father Ted won BAFTA awards for Best Comedy in 1996 and 1999.[11]

Graham Linehan with Jon Ronson at TAM London 2010

Linehan wrote for the satirical series Brass Eye (1997), Blue Jam (1997–1999) and Jam (2000).[12] With the actor Dylan Moran, he created the sitcom Black Books (2000–2004).[13] Linehan wrote and directed the 2006 Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd, in which he sought to move away from the British trend towards mockumentary comedies. Unlike many series of the time, it was recorded before a studio audience.[14][15] In November 2008, he was awarded an International Emmy for The IT Crowd.[16] In 2013, he wrote and directed the sitcom The Walshes. He co-wrote the first series of the BBC sitcom Motherland and directed its pilot episode.[17] In 2014, Linehan won his fifth BAFTA, for Best Writer, Comedy, for his work on The IT Crowd. He was also nominated for Count Arthur Strong.[18]

In 2018, Linehan and Mathews announced plans for a Father Ted musical.[9] Linehan said it would finish the series as they had planned it before the death of the lead actor, Dermot Morgan.[19] The musical was cancelled by producers following the controversy over Linehan's views on transgender rights.[20] In December 2024, Linehan announced plans to move to Arizona to work on a sitcom and create a production company with the comedians Rob Schneider and Andrew Doyle.[21]

Television appearances

Both Linehan and Mathews have made cameos in programmes they have written. They also made an appearance in the sitcom I'm Alan Partridge as two Irish TV producers considering Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) for a contract.[12]

Linehan has also appeared in The Day Today and in two episodes of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, and has had cameos in Black Books (series one, episode two, as "I love books" Guy, and series one, episode five as Fast Food Customer), and the Father Ted episodes "Good Luck Father Ted", "Entertaining Father Stone", "Flight Into Terror", "Cigarettes, Alcohol and Rollerblading" and "Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep". He had cameos in four episodes of The IT Crowd: as Messy Joe's Restaurant Musician, in series one, episode three; the blind sorcerer, in series two, episode six; as a member of the audience for Jen's speech, in series three, episode four; and as Beth Gaga Shaggy, in series four, episode three. He appeared in the Identity Parade round of Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He also appeared in the pilot of Little Britain, as well as in series one, episode four, as a bystander who gets in the way of character Kenny Craig when he is attempting to hypnotise, from a distance, a man whose car he has crashed into. He also appeared in series one, episode five, in which he played a journalist called Roy Sloan (from Whizzer and Chips) during a conference with Prime Minister Michael Stevens (Anthony Head).

In 2007, a documentary about Linehan, his life and his career was produced by Wildfire Films for RTÉ One. This documentary explored the art, craft and deeply competitive business of creating contemporary television comedy. The programme featured interviews with several of the UK's most successful television comedy writers and performers including Steve Coogan, Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Paul Whitehouse, Griff Rhys Jones and Ardal O'Hanlon, all of whom have worked with Linehan. It was directed by Adrian McCarthy and produced by Martha O'Neill and Adam Rynne.

Linehan was one of the writers interviewed by Charlie Brooker in 2008 in a special interview episode of the fifth series of Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe programme, and again on Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe in 2010. In 2011, Linehan appeared with several members of the cast in Channel 4's Father Ted Night, an evening of the writer's favourite episodes and two retrospective documentaries. He also appeared as a guest panellist on Have I Got News for You in 2011 and again in 2012, and he made his debut as a guest on the BBC show QI in the 11th series (K series) in 2013, receiving a score of −19.

Memoir

Linehan's memoir, Tough Crowd: How I Made and Lost a Career in Comedy, was published in October 2023.[22] The month before publication, it had the second-highest number of pre-orders for a book on Amazon.[23][24] It reached number ten on the Sunday Times bestseller list after it was published.[22] Linehan wrote of his childhood, career, and his five years as an anti-transgender activist.[25]

Reviewing Tough Crowd in The Guardian, Fiona Sturges wrote that while Linehan's account of his comedy career has "verve and charm", the memoir "reads less like the story of a man heroically cleaving to his principles than a document of a peculiar and self-defeating obsession, a sad coda to a once towering talent".[25] In a review in The Critic, Ben Sixsmith described Tough Crowd as "very entertaining" with "some valuable insights into comedy", but that Linehan "admits to losing his rag in a way that might not always be productive".[26] In The Irish Times, Houman Barekat wrote that the memoir had "two distinct narratives", concluding that "Tough Crowd is a discomfiting read not because it contains hard-hitting home truths, but because its author clearly hasn’t worked through his issues".[27] For The Spectator Debbie Hayton wrote that "This is a book of two halves" and that it "may well appeal to two completely different audiences", concluding that "if they want to understand the man they need to read it all."[28] Louis Chilton of The Independent described the book as "a strange, sad read ... that crumbles under the slightest scrutiny".[29]

Other work

Linehan's children voiced characters in the 2012 Adventure Time episode "Goliad", with Linehan directing the children while taking the producers' instructions over the phone. He planned to write a sequel episode, and sent versions of the story to the production team.[30] The episode was never made as Adventure Time ended in 2018.[citation needed] In 2023, Linehan performed a stand-up comedy set at the Backyard Comedy Club in London.[20]

Anti-transgender activism

Linehan is involved in anti-transgender activism.[31] He began making anti-trans statements[clarification needed] online after the 2008 episode "The Speech" of The IT Crowd, written by Linehan, was widely criticised as transphobic and sexist.[32][20] Critics[who?] said it used gender stereotypes and trivialised violence against transgender women.[33] The episode features a man who learns that his girlfriend is transgender and gets into a fight with her.[34][35][36] Channel 4 removed the episode from syndication and streaming in 2020.[34] Linehan felt the joke was "harmless" and says he did not understand the "ferocity" of the response, arguing that a transphobic character did not make him or the episode transphobic.[37][36]

Linehan said he was sceptical of gender self-identification, objecting to "privileged white people saying you must accept anyone who says they are a woman". He said that "anyone suffering from gender dysphoria needs to be helped and supported", but he voiced concern over early transgender intervention for children.[36] He used the social network Twitter to criticise "trans ideology", which he believes misrepresents transgender people and lesbians.[38]

Before first Twitter ban

In 2018, Linehan praised anti-transgender protesters at that year's London Pride event who had carried banners and flyers saying that "transactivism erases lesbians", calling them "heroes".[39][40][41] Later that year, Stephanie Hayden, a transgender woman, sued Linehan for harassment. Hayden alleged that Linehan had shared photos on Twitter of Hayden's family and her life before transition, suggested she was a criminal, and repeatedly misgendered and deadnamed her.[42][43] Linehan in turn alleged that Hayden publicised several private addresses linked to his family to silence him.[44] Police issued Linehan a verbal warning not to contact Hayden.[45]

In a December 2018 interview with Derrick Jensen, Linehan said: "I'm now in a position where I can answer the question honestly of 'if you were around at the time of something terrible happening like Nazism, or whatever it happened to be, would you be one of the people who said "no, this is wrong", despite being opposed?'" He also said the trans movement provides "cover" for "fetishists, con men, and simply abusive misogynists".[46][47][48] In an interview with the BBC television programme Newsnight in February 2020, Linehan said that the Tavistock Centre's practice of treating children with puberty blockers such as Lupron was comparable to Nazi eugenics and experiments on children.[49] Following this interview, Eric Pickles, the United Kingdom Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues, accused Linehan of trivialising the Holocaust.[50]

In January 2019, Linehan expressed concern over the news that Mermaids, a charitable advocacy organisation for transgender children and teenagers, was to receive a £500,000 lottery grant to open clinics around the United Kingdom. He posted to the blogging website Mumsnet encouraging its users to lobby the National Lottery Community Fund to reverse its decision.[51][52] The grant was reviewed and went ahead.[51][53] In response to Linehan, YouTuber Hbomberguy held a 57-hour fundraising livestream that raised £270,000 more for Mermaids.[54][55] The same year, British journalist Dawn Foster accused Linehan and others of targeting a National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) employee who had been responsible for hiring model and activist Munroe Bergdorf, a transgender woman. Foster called the online abuse "transphobic" and "flatly homophobic". Journalist Chris Godfrey called the treatment of the employee "insidious homophobia".[56]

In June 2020, Linehan criticised comments about author J. K. Rowling after she made comments that were called transphobic. He linked to a blog post featuring screenshots of abuse Rowling had received, describing those who wrote them as "ignoring the abuse received by women who speak out against gender ideology" and "literally useless".[57] Hozier, tagged in Linehan's tweets due to his trans-rights advocacy, responded by saying Linehan was conducting an "obsessive little culture war".[57]

Twitter ban and evasions

On 27 June 2020, Linehan's Twitter account was permanently suspended after what Twitter called "repeated violations of our rules against hateful conduct and platform manipulation".[38] In December, Linehan evaded the suspension with an account posing as a transgender man. He used the account to call Colm O'Gorman "a traitor to women, gay people and yourself" for signing an open letter published by the Transgender Equality Network of Ireland.[58] The account was banned but Linehan said he had created another.[59]

In February 2021, Linehan created a fake account on the lesbian dating app Her and publicly posted screenshots of non-binary people and trans women using it. The developers of Her clarified that transgender women are welcome on the app.[60] In March 2021, Linehan gave oral evidence to the Communications and Digital Committee of the House of Lords on the subject of freedom of expression online, discussing his Twitter ban.[19][61]

In an interview in the Irish Independent that month, Linehan ruled out working with Channel 4 again as they would not return the controversial IT Crowd episode to broadcast, and he said he would not work with the BBC as they had depicted a transgender lesbian couple, which Linehan described as "a heterosexual couple", in a CBeebies video.[19] Ahead of the 2022 Australian federal election in May, Linehan used his online platforms to rally international support for the Liberal Party candidate Katherine Deves, who had attracted controversy for anti-trans comments.[62] In September 2022, Linehan said that his anti-transgender activism had led him to question the safety of COVID-19 vaccinations and the scientific consensus on climate change "because I've been lied to so conclusively by all the people I used to trust".[63]

In interviews in 2022 and 2023, Linehan said the debate over transgender issues had "consumed his life": it had lost him work, made him financially destitute, and ended his marriage.[19][20][64] He said the Father Ted musical, on which he had been depending financially, was cancelled when the production company decided his involvement would make it impossible to stage.[20] He had previously called for all people working on the musical to sign a declaration agreeing with some of his views on trans people while describing clashes he was having with colleagues over their views on trans rights,[65] and read out a letter he had written to collaborators saying: "I don’t think you all have my back as collaborators or as business partners or as friends. Far from being on the wrong side of history, JK Rowling and I have been proved right over and over again that this is a poisonous ideology that is destroying lives."[66]

Linehan blamed cancel culture for his situation, and said: "Every comedian at the moment is living under a kind of state of permanent blackmail ... There's a few hot-button issues where you have to follow a certain line, and if you don't, you'll be destroyed."[67] In 2023, he denied disliking transgender people, but said using their preferred pronouns was "immoral". He said he did not have a problem with "men calling themselves women" and that "as we keep pointing out, we are only talking about places where conflict arises".[20]

Post-Twitter reinstatement

Linehan's Twitter account was restored in December 2022, following the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk, who relaxed many of Twitter's content policies and announced an amnesty to restore suspended accounts.[68][69] He also attacked Ian "H" Watkins of Steps, tweeting: "What may connect him to a man serving 22 years for raping and torturing a 10-year-old girl?", on the basis that Watkins had used a tool to block transphobes.[68]

In April 2023, Linehan was again banned from Twitter, following his appearance at an anti-trans event called Let Women Speak in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He had tweeted the words "Durr imm gonna kill em" in response to a Twitter user who referenced counter-protestors at the Belfast event.[70][71] Linehan's account was reinstated days later.[72]

In July 2023, Linehan tweeted that David Tennant was an "abusive groomer" after Tennant wore a T-shirt saying "Leave Trans Kids Alone You Absolute Freaks".[73] In August, during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Linehan and other comedians performed a stand-up comedy show outside the Scottish Parliament after his original venues cancelled his booking over his views. Some supporters of Linehan attended the show and criticised the Edinburgh Fringe as oversensitive. Linehan also threatened to sue the first venue that cancelled his gig.[74] On 1 October, he attended the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, stating in a speech that he was "the most cancelled person in this room". On 3 October, he said he had been dropped by his television agent, Independent Talent, which also represented Tennant.[75] On 12 November 2023, he appeared on This Week on Ireland's national radio station, RTÉ, to talk about his claim of being cancelled, defend his anti-trans activism, and to promote his memoir Tough Crowd.[76]

Personal life

Linehan married English writer Helen Serafinowicz, the sister of the actor Peter Serafinowicz, in 2004.[20] They have two children[77][78][79] and lived in Norwich.[20] In October 2015, the couple worked with Amnesty International on a campaign film calling on the Irish government to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which "acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right". The couple revealed their decision for Helen to abort a foetus with acrania while living in England in 2004, and their discovery that undergoing the procedure in Ireland would have been an offence carrying a maximum 14-year prison sentence.[80]

Linehan's marriage to Serafinowicz ended in 2020 as a result of his anti-transgender activism, and he moved to London.[20] He said the relationship had suffered because of his legal and financial problems and visits from the police.[20][19][81] In 2023, Linehan said he had been on anti-anxiety medication for "five or six years" since having first received legal threats from trans rights activists.[20] He said he had contemplated suicide in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns, as he had lost work and relationships and was "completely alone".[82]

Linehan is an atheist.[83] In January 2009, he helped to publicise the Atheist Bus Campaign.[84] He is also an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.[85] In 2018, Linehan underwent successful surgery for testicular cancer.[20]

Linehan has been an active Twitter user, calling it "part of [his] nervous system" in a 2015 interview.[79] On 13 February 2009, Linehan hosted the first BadMovieClub on Twitter[86] which repeated the next day at midnight, hosted by Phill Jupitus. In August 2009, in response to criticism of the National Health Service by the US Republican Party, Linehan created the #welovetheNHS campaign on Twitter.[87][88] In 2011, he perpetrated a Twitter hoax that Osama bin Laden was a fan of The IT Crowd.[89]

Credits

Television writer

Linehan was also an executive producer of the first series of The IT Crowd, and an associate producer of one episode of Father Ted.

Television director

Film director

Film writer

Book writer

Awards and nominations

Year Nominated for Award Category Result
1996 Father Ted BAFTAs Best Comedy (Programme or Series) Won
1996 Father Ted Writers' Guild of Great Britain TV – Situation Comedy Won
1997 Father Ted BAFTAs Best Comedy (Programme or Series) Nominated
1997 Harry Enfield & Chums Writers' Guild of Great Britain TV – Light Entertainment Won
1999 Big Train BAFTAs Best Light Entertainment (Programme or Series) Nominated
1999 Father Ted BAFTAs Best Comedy (Programme or Series) Won
2001 Black Books BAFTAs Situation Comedy Award Won
2007 The IT Crowd BAFTAs Best Situation Comedy Nominated
2008 The IT Crowd BAFTAs Best Situation Comedy Nominated
2009 The IT Crowd BAFTAs Best Situation Comedy Won
2009 The IT Crowd IFTAs Best Script for Television Won
2014 The IT Crowd BAFTAs Television Craft Writer Comedy Won
2014 Count Arthur Strong BAFTAs Television Craft Writer Comedy Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b Lewis, Helen (10 August 2011). "'My sympathies have always been with the bullied rather than the bully.'". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Paisley v Linehan". Caseboard.
  3. ^ a b Gilbert, Gerard (22 June 2013). "Graham Linehan: 'I've come to hate the church'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  4. ^ Thompson, Ben (2010). Sunshine on Putty: The Golden Age of British Comedy from Vic Reeves to The Office (eBook). Harper Collins. p. 289. ISBN 9780007375530. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Paris". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  6. ^ Mary Cummins (4 April 1996). "Daftness should be mandatory in Irish politics". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  7. ^ Deirdre Falvey (5 May 1998). "Life after Ted". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  8. ^ "Aran Islands in Father Ted row". RTÉ. 21 January 2007. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
  9. ^ a b "Big Train at 20 – interview with Arthur Matthews". The Digital Fix. 23 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  10. ^ "The A–Z of laughter (part two)". The Observer. 7 December 2003. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  11. ^ "British Academy of Film and Television Arts Past Nominations 1995". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2010.; "British Academy of Film and Television Arts Past Nominations 1998". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  12. ^ a b Guide, British Comedy. "Graham Linehan". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  13. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Black Books - C4 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  14. ^ "The IT Crowd Interviews". British Comedy Guide. 2006. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  15. ^ "Brian Boyd: Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again?". The Irish Times. 21 January 2006. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  16. ^ Shane Hegarty (26 November 2008). "Linehan wins an Emmy for sitcom on the IT set". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
  17. ^ Dowell, Ben. "BBC orders a full series of middle-class mum sitcom Motherland". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  18. ^ Post, Irish. "Graham Linehan wins at BAFTA TV Craft Awards". The Irish Post. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Graham Linehan: how my transgender views cost me my marriage". Irish Independent. 14 March 2021. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Andrew Billen (17 March 2023). "Graham Linehan: the trans debate left me cancelled and broke". The Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023.
  21. ^ Steerpike (13 December 2024). "Graham Linehan: I'm leaving Britain". The Spectator. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  22. ^ a b "The Sunday Times Bestsellers List". The Sunday Times. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  23. ^ Freeman, Hadley (23 September 2023). "Graham Linehan: comedy genius whose trans views cost him everything". The Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  24. ^ "The problems with Graham Linehan's memoir Tough Crowd". The Independent. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  25. ^ a b Sturges, Fiona (1 November 2023). "Tough Crowd by Graham Linehan review – all joking aside". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  26. ^ Sixsmith, Ben (12 October 2023). "Tough crowd, tough man". The Critic. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  27. ^ Barekat, Houman (25 October 2023). "Tough Crowd by Graham Linehan: comic writer to culture warrior". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  28. ^ Hayton, Debbie (11 November 2023). "No laughing matter: accusations of transphobia wrecked Graham Linehan's life". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  29. ^ "The problems with Graham Linehan's memoir Tough Crowd". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  30. ^ Ward, Pendleton (Series creator). 2014. "Goliad" [Commentary track], Adventure Time Season Four [DVD], Los Angeles: Cartoon Network.
  31. ^ Sources covering Linehan's anti-transgender views:
  32. ^ Horbury & Yao 2020.
  33. ^ Moore, Sam (25 October 2021). "Matt Berry comments on 'transphobic' IT Crowd episode". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  34. ^ a b Krol, Charlotte (9 October 2020). "Channel 4 pulls IT Crowd episode over transphobic content". NME. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  35. ^ Clute, Emily (18 April 2021). "The IT Crowd: The Controversial Episode that Killed the Hit Comedy Series". Screenrant. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  36. ^ a b c Falvey, Deirdre (21 January 2019). "Graham Linehan: Trans activists 'don't realise the damage' they do". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  37. ^ Haugh, Ben (18 December 2019). "Father Ted creator Linehan creates own social network to defy Twitter after transgender row". The Times. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  38. ^ a b Blackall, Molly (27 June 2020). "Twitter closes Graham Linehan account after trans comment". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  39. ^ @glinner (23 August 2018). "Those women who disrupted Pride in London and New Zealand are fucking heroes. This is a land grab and standing up to it took real guts. If you can't be as brave as them, then just find a way to support them or at least hear them out" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 6 October 2019 – via Twitter.
  40. ^ Gabbatiss, Josh (7 July 2018). "London Pride: Anti-trans activists disrupt parade by lying down in the street to protest 'lesbian erasure'". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  41. ^ Murphy, Sandra (22 January 2019). "How Graham Linehan went from national treasure to divisive figure for trans community". extra.ie. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  42. ^ Lyons, Izzy (7 October 2018). "Transgender lawyer launches UK's first 'deadnaming' case against Father Ted writer Graham Linehan". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  43. ^ Coyle, Colin (7 October 2018). "Father Ted writer Graham Linehan warned by police after 'trolling' transgender activist". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.(subscription required)
  44. ^ Halliday, Josh (7 October 2018). "Graham Linehan given police warning after complaint by transgender activist". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  45. ^ "Father Ted writer given harassment warning". 7 October 2018. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  46. ^ Derrick Jensen and Graham Linehan (9 December 2018). Resistance Radio – Guest: Graham Linehan (Podcast). Podbean. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019. The opposition is so extreme and so frightening that eventually everyone is asking you to stop. My feeling is that I can't, because it's too important. It's too important to the women in my life and it's too important to me. I'm now in a position where I can answer the question honestly of, if you were around at the time of something terrible happening like Nazism, or whatever it happened to be, would you be one of the people who said "no, this is wrong", despite being opposed? I feel happy in myself that I've been one of the people standing up and saying "no, this is wrong", despite everyone telling me not to do it.
  47. ^ "Father Ted writer Graham Linehan compares the trans movement to Nazism". iNews. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  48. ^ "Graham Linehan Under Fire for Comparing Trans Activism to Nazism". Attitude. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  49. ^ "Father Ted creator Graham Linehan on trans rights". Newsnight. BBC. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  50. ^ "The UK's Holocaust memorial boss condemns Graham Linehan for comparing trans healthcare to Nazi experiments". MSN. 14 February 2020. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  51. ^ a b "David Davies 'welcomes' Big Lottery Fund's 'review' of grant to transgender charity". Talkradio. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  52. ^ "Statement: Outcome of our review into Mermaids UK grant". National Lottery Community Fund. 19 February 2019. Archived from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  53. ^ "Statement: Outcome of our review into Mermaids UK grant". National Lottery Community Fund. 19 February 2019. Archived from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  54. ^ Asarch, Steven (20 January 2019). "Twitch stream pulls in $250,000 for Mermaids charity featuring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Owen Jones and more". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  55. ^ "Gamer Hbomberguy hands funding row charity Donkey Kong boost". BBC News. 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  56. ^ "NSPCC employee who hired Munroe Bergdorf gets homophobic abuse". PinkNews. 12 June 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  57. ^ a b "Hozier and Father Ted creator Graham Linehan join Twitter row over JK Rowling comments". Irish Independent. Dublin. 10 June 2020. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  58. ^ Wakefield, Lily (1 December 2020). "Disgraced comedy writer Graham Linehan, booted from Twitter for hateful conduct, returns with fake 'trans guy' account". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  59. ^ Wakefield, Lily (3 December 2020). "Disgraced comedy writer Graham Linehan boasts he's back on Twitter with a 'new sim card' after being kicked off for a second time". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  60. ^ Kelleher, Patrick (21 February 2021). "Graham Linehan joined a queer women's dating app to share trans people's profiles. It backfired, badly". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  61. ^ "Subject: Freedom of expression online". Communications and Digital Committee. 9 March 2021. parliamentlive.tv. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  62. ^ Crellin, Zac (19 April 2022). "Father Ted creator rallies global support for Katherine Deves and her anti-trans comments". The New Daily. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  63. ^ Wakefield, Lily (1 October 2022). "Anti-trans activist Graham Linehan says he's no longer sure about COVID vaccines or climate change". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  64. ^ Graham Linehan: My interview with Stephen Nolan on YouTube
  65. ^ "Graham Linehan - Father Ted musical workers must sign declaration of women's sex-based rights". YouTube. 3 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  66. ^ "Father Ted musical scrapped while disgraced writer Graham Linehan still attached". Pink News. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  67. ^ "'Father Ted' musical axed following Graham Linehan's controversial views". NME. 25 March 2022. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  68. ^ a b Burrows, Marc (30 December 2022). "Opinion: Why do people like Graham Linehan keep choosing this hill to die on?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  69. ^ Milmo, Dan (24 November 2022). "Elon Musk offers general amnesty to suspended Twitter accounts". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  70. ^ "Graham Linehan, AKA Glinner, banned from Twitter...Again". Cityam.com. City AM. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  71. ^ "Anti-trans mouthpiece Graham Linehan suspended from Twitter...again". Thepinknews.com. Pink News. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  72. ^ "Graham Linehan – AKA Glinner – back on Twitter after latest ban". Cityam.com. City AM. 18 April 2023. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  73. ^ Barrett, Sarah (12 July 2023). "Can David Tennant Please Sue Graham Linehan For All He's Worth?". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  74. ^ Hay, Katharine (17 August 2023). "Graham Linehan stages gig outside the Scottish Parliament after venues cancel". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  75. ^ Lewis, Isobel (3 October 2023). "Graham Linehan 'dropped by his agent' after attacking David Tennant". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  76. ^ "Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan on being 'cancelled' over transgender views (podcast)". This Week (radio series), RTÉ. 12 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  77. ^ Jones, Alice (30 May 2015). "Inside the comic world of Peter Serafinowicz: The spoof video master is heading to Hollywood". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  78. ^ Edemariam, Aida (11 June 2011). "The Saturday Interview: Graham Linehan". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  79. ^ a b Kelly, Guy (16 January 2015). "Graham Linehan interview: 'On the streets, Twitter trolls would be considered sociopaths'". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  80. ^ Gentleman, Amelia (19 October 2015). "How heartbreak led Helen and Graham Linehan to campaign for abortion in Ireland". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  81. ^ "TV writer Graham Linehan: How my transgender views cost me my marriage". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  82. ^ Tominey, Camilla (2 October 2023). "Graham Linehan interview: 'I didn't realise how terrified everyone was of trans activists'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  83. ^ "A bad day for atheism". 18 September 2008. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  84. ^ "Launch of the Atheist Bus Campaign". The Guardian. 6 January 2009. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  85. ^ "Honorary Associates". secularism.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  86. ^ "BadMovieClub website". Badmovieclub.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  87. ^ "Linehan attacks American 'lies' over NHS". Channel 4. 14 August 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  88. ^ Jacobson, Seth (12 August 2009). "How Father Ted creator Graham Linehan sparked NHS backlash on Twitter". The First Post. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  89. ^ Graham Linehan (23 May 2011). "Bin Laden and The IT Crowd: Anatomy of a Twitter hoax". BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  90. ^ a b "BBC Two – Motherland, Pilot". BBC.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  91. ^ "Never Mind the Horrocks". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  92. ^ McCarthy, Todd (29 September 1997). "The Matchmaker". Variety. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Graham Linehan.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Graham Linehan.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Graham_Linehan&oldid=1263124232"