16 August 2023 , 10:02
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Father Ted creator Graham Linehan says he is considering taking legal action against an Edinburgh Fringe Festival venue after a sold out show he was due to take part in was abruptly cancelled after the venue took issue with his views.
The 55-year-old comedy writer shot to fame in 1995 with the creation of iconic show Father Ted - and he went on to create the hit comedy series Black Books and The IT Crowd. And while Graham was much loved for his TV shows, he has come under fire in recent years over his stance on women’s rights and those of the transgender community.
The Irish writer has sparked fury online by dismissing trans activist assertions that members of the transgender community should have their wish to be regarded as the gender they identify with respected. And he was even banned from Twitter in 2020 when he argued “men aren’t women” - although he was recently reinstated following the takeover of the platform by Elon Musk.
On Tuesday, Fringe venue Leith Arches announced that a sold out performance of Comedy Unleashed had been cancelled after they had been made aware that Graham was due to be a guest. The venue argued they made the decision as the Father Ted writer’s views did not align with their “inclusive” values.
Graham Linehan has warned an Edinburgh festival venue he might take legal action against them after they cancelled his show (FILE)Graham has hit out at the venue and says he is considering taking legal action for discrimination. He told TalkTV’s Julia Hartley-Brewer on Wednesday morning: “It was cancelled within a couple of hours. So I had two hours of excitement and fans saying they were going to go. It was a sell-out. But you do get used to this kind of thing after a while.
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“It never really makes you feel good. The only good thing about it is that it’s drawing more attention to the fact that, essentially, a group of highly ideological cultists have taken over institutions across society."
He warned: “If they apologise and put the gig on, I’ll say no more about it but otherwise, I’ll be looking at legal action.”
Leith Arches posted the cancellation announcement via social media on Tuesday, with a notice stating: “We would like to thank members of the public and our community for bringing to our attention a comedy act billed to perform at our venue this Thursday.
“We were not made aware of the line-up of this show 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.”
Andrew Doyle, who was staging the Comedy Unleashed show, has also hit out at the venue. He has branded their decision to cancel the event as 'surprising'. He told the MailOnline: "A handful of authoritarian activists are deciding what people can watch.
"The Edinburgh Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world but is saying that one of the most foremost comedy writers cannot perform there. They say they're an inclusive venue but you're not allowed in for your views. We did not expect this, it is very surprising."
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Andy Shaw, from Comedy Unleashed, which was managing the show, told BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “When are people going to learn their lessons?
“When are venues actually going to stand up for freedom of expression in the arts? (Graham Linehan) has never been cancelled for his comedy.
“If the venue had waited until Thursday night and actually seen his comedy, they’d have realised that it’s mainly a little vignette on everyday life and sort of bizarre musings on self-aware pizza boxes. We’re very much against this cancel culture because we think it’s killing the arts and treats the audience like they’re children who need mollycoddling.”