Graham Linehan ‘considering legal action’ after Edinburgh show cancelled

‘Father Ted’ writer has been criticised for his repeated anti-trans comments

Father Ted writer Graham Linehan has said he will be “looking at legal action” after an Edinburgh venue cancelled a scheduled appearance by him.

Leith Arches announced on Tuesday (15 August) that Linehan’s show was cancelled following complaints from “outraged members of our community”. Linehan, a self-described “gender critical” activist, has been accused of transphobia and hate speech for his comments about transgender people.

In a social media post, Leith Arches wrote: “We are an inclusive venue and this does not align with our overall values. We were not made aware of the lineup of this show in advance.”

Speaking to Talk TV, Linehan stated: “I would suggest that Leith Arches reverses course because they’ve said enough online for an easy win in the courts.

“If they apologise and put the gig back on, I’ll say no more about it, but otherwise I’m going to be looking at legal action.”

The gig, which also featured four other comedians, was ultimately rescheduled elsewhere, with ticketholders being contacted about the new venue on Thursday afternoon (17 August) by event organiser Comedy Unleashed.

According to The Guardian, Andy Shaw, the co-founder of Comedy Unleashed, claimed that legal action would not be pursued if Leith Arches issued a public apology to the company and Linehan.

The Independent has contacted Leith Arches for comment.

Linehan has repeatedly described the trans “movement” as being “paedophilic”, and in 2020 was banned from X/Twitter for a “hateful conduct rules breach”. His profile was reinstated – alongside a number of other controversial figures, including former US president Donald Trump and rapper Kanye West – when Elon Musk took over the social media platform late last year.

In April 2023, he was temporarily suspended from Twitter again after making a joke about killing protesters at an anti-trans rally in Belfast.

Graham Linehan (PA)

Linehan was also involved in a controversy in 2021 when he created a fake female profile on Her, a dating app designed for lesbians and other queer women. In a post on his personal blog, Linehan then shared screenshots of women’s profiles on the app.

In 2020, the comedian received a warning from police following a row with trans activist Stephanie Hayden on Twitter. “The police asked me to stop contacting someone I had no intention of contacting,” he later wrote.

Disputing the suggestion that he “does not like” trans people in an interview with The Times this year, Linehan said: “Trans is so loosely defined. It seems to cover both Eddie Izzard and a 16-year-old girl who’s got dysphoria. There’s got to be an understanding of the difference between a transsexual who has been through something immense in their lives and someone who’s putting on black fingernail polish and trying to get into the ladies’.

“As we keep pointing out, we are only talking about places where conflict arises. My point has never changed. It’s about women in prison, women in rape crisis centres, women in changing rooms. It’s about children. It’s about homophobia. It’s about an incredible new form of sexism that I think is the worst ever. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never seen this kind of hate and aggression towards women.”

Last October, it was revealed that the number of transphobic hate crimes in the UK had risen by 56 per cent compared to the previous year, with a Home Office report linking the increase to discussion on social media.

The report stated: “Transgender identity hate crimes rose by 56 per cent (from 2,799 to 4,355) over the same period, the largest percentage annual increase in these offences since the series began.

“Transgender issues have been heavily discussed on social media over the last year, which may have led to an increase in related hate crimes.”