UK prosecutors will take no further action against Graham Linehan after his arrest over anti-transgender posts. Photo / Getty Images
UK prosecutors will take no further action against Graham Linehan after his arrest over anti-transgender posts. Photo / Getty Images
UK prosecutors on Monday said they would take “no further action” in a case that became embroiled in a free speech row after award-winning comedy writer Graham Linehan was arrested over anti-transgender posts.
The Irish writer behind the popular 1990s sitcom Father Ted was arrested after landing at Heathrow Airportlast month, accused of inciting violence with his X posts insulting transgender people.
The arrest sparked criticism from public figures, including hard-right politician Nigel Farage, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, and US officials.
Prosecutors decided not to investigate any further because they determined there was no realistic prospect of conviction – a key test before bringing a case to court.
“Following careful review of a file submitted by the Metropolitan Police, we have decided that no further action should be taken in relation to a man in his 50s who was arrested on September 1, 2025,” a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Graham Linehan was one of the writers for The IT Crowd, starring Katherine Parkinson, Richard Ayoade and Chris O'Dowd. Photo / Supplied
‘Attempt to silence’
Linehan wrote on X he would still try to “hold the police accountable” for what he described as an “attempt to silence and suppress gender critical voices”.
He also appeared in court in September facing separate harassment charges over making “abusive and vindictive” posts against a transgender woman, which he denies.
Linehan’s Heathrow arrest was in relation to three X posts, including one in which he said: “if a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act”.
“Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls,” he continued.
Tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk waded into the debate and said Britain was a “police state”, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the police should focus on “the most serious issues”.
Linehan also co-created the popular sitcoms Black Books and The IT Crowd, which was awarded an Emmy and several Baftas.
More recently, he has become known for his gender-critical views, which emerged after an episode he wrote was criticised as being transphobic.
