Graham Linehan's Edinburgh Fringe gig axed
Venue pulls the plug following complaints
Graham Linehan’s Edinburgh Fringe gig has been cancelled after the venue received complaints about his appearance.
The venue where he had been due to perform – Leith Arches – posted on Instagram: ‘We would like to thank members of the public and our community for bringing to our attention a comedy act billed to be performing at our venue this Thursday.
‘We were not made aware of this line-up in advance. We have made the decision to cancel this show as we are an inclusive venue and this does not align with our overall values.’
The Father Ted co-creator – whose views on transgender issues have made him a pariah across much of the comedy industry – had been due to appear as part of a gig staged by Comedy Unleashed, the London club night that prides itself on not bowing to ‘woke’ censorship
Andrew Doyle, one of the comedians behind the night tweeted: ‘Our Comedy Unleashed gig at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been CANCELLED by our venue following online pressure.
‘It is astonishing that a comedy night at the largest arts festival in the world should be prevented from going ahead, simply because activists are offended.
‘The comedy industry is in a dire state. It’s about time that promoters, venues, comedy critics and comedians made a concerted effort to support free expression in the arts.’
However, Linehan said on Twitter, that he would be going to Edinburgh anyway, saying: ‘We’ll find a venue and we'll sue the Leith Arches if we don't. In all conscience, I cannot withhold from the world my fifteen minutes of under-rehearsed stand-up comedy about pizzas.’
He also shared what appeared to be an earlier draft of the Arches statement no longer on Instagram which said people were right to be outraged by his appearance, adding: ‘We do not support this comedian or his views and he will not be allowed to perform at our venue… We will not allow such views to violate our space.’
Don't worry, guys, I don't think anyone saw the first one. pic.twitter.com/o6oQNu6Re6
— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) August 15, 2023
The news follows last year’s controversy after the second night of Jerry Sadowitz's Fringe run being cancelled by the Pleasance following complaints, thought to have originated from staff working thre.
Comedy Unleashed never named Linehan as being part of its mixed-bill night, but advertised a ‘surprise famous cancelled comedian’ with all the signs pointing to the IT Crowd writer. They said: ’We can’t tell you who it is but you’ll know him. He is one of our best comic writers and he’s been cancelled for his oh-so controversial views (you know, the sort of opinions that most people have).’
Linehan made his stand-up debut with Comedy Unleashed at Lee Hurst’s Backyard Comedy Club in London in February. At the time he said: ‘I've no real plans beyond seeing how it goes’ – but he has returned a number of times since.
He has become an outcast since devoting his energies to fighting increasing transgender rights, which he considers ‘a war on women’. A planned musical version of Father Ted has hit the buffers as producers consider his involvement too toxic.
Earlier this month, he complained that he was running out of money and urged supporters to help bail him out. He wrote on Twitter: ‘My Substack remains my sole source of income at the moment and the wolf is at the door. If people could take out a paid subscription, I'd appreciate it. Please don't worry about it if times are tough for you too.’
The Comedy Unleashed show was also due to feature Mary Bourke, Dominic Frisby, Alistair Williams and host Bruce Devlin.
Published: 15 Aug 2023
