Father Ted writer claims he was defending himself against a 'deranged trans activist'

Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has been charged with criminal damage and harassment.

The writer  will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on May 12 over what's believed to be a clash with a trans rights activist.

Writing on social media, said he was being chared for 'defending myself against a deranged and dangerous trans activist'. 

He said it related to an incident at the  Battle of Ideas festival in London in October last year.

In the tweet, Linehan admitted to throwing away the phone of the activist, whom he accused of 'harassing attendees' and accused the police of 'acting as a goon squad for trans rights activists'.

The Dublin-born writer has become a hardcore campaigner against trans rights, and says he has lost his career, family and friends over his stance, including writing the 2023 memoir Tough Crowd: How I Made and Lost a Career in Comed.

That year he staged a stand-up comedy show outside the Scottish Parliament after his original Edinburgh Fringe venue cancelled his booking over his views. 

Last December he said he was  moving to America to make a sitcom, setting up a production company in Arizona with comedian turned GB News host Andrew Doyle and Deuce Bigalow star Rob Schneider,

The London-based writer, who also created The IT Crowd and wrote for Motherland and Black Books, said no one in UK broadcasting would employ him  because of his views on trans rights, adding: ‘Freedom of speech is really in bad shape at the moment.'

The Mirror reports that Linehan will appear before Westminster magistrates on May 12. 

Published: 26 Apr 2025