Graham Linehan, co-creator of the hit sitcom Father Ted, accuses Ardal O’Hanlon, who portrayed Father Dougal, of failing to support him during intense backlash over his views on transgender issues. The accusation surfaces days after a court overturned Linehan’s criminal damage conviction.
Court Victory Clears Linehan
At Southwark Crown Court, Judge Amanda Tipples quashed the conviction stemming from a confrontation on October 19, 2024, outside the Battle of Ideas conference in Westminster. Linehan faced charges of damaging transgender activist Sophia Brooks’ mobile phone during a heated exchange. The judge ruled insufficient evidence proved damage occurred, citing no clear record of the phone’s condition before or after the incident and Brooks’ initial complaint lacking any mention of harm.
Linehan appeared relieved in court, smiling at supporters. Afterward, he declared the case should never have reached trial and highlighted concerns over police handling of complaints against gender-critical activists.
Claims of Abandonment by Colleagues
Linehan expresses shock at the lack of support from friends amid attacks by trans activists, job losses, and family harassment. He singles out O’Hanlon: “I never expected all my friends to be so cowardly. Most recently, it was Ardal O’Hanlon, who played Father Dougal in Father Ted. When I was being attacked by trans activists and losing work, and my family was under siege by them, he never called me to ask how I was doing or asked what my opinions were. He just decided they were bigoted, because that’s what everyone was saying.”
Video from the incident shows Brooks, then 17, challenging Linehan: “Why do you think it is acceptable to call teenagers domestic terrorists?” Linehan retorted, labeling her a “sissy porn-watching scumbag,” a “groomer,” and a “disgusting incel.” She fired back: “You’re the incel, you’re divorced.” Footage also suggests he knocked the phone from her hand.
Broader Critique of Trans Ideology
Linehan describes the transgender debate’s rise since 2015 as originating from American academics and Tumblr users, promoting simplistic talking points to assert that some men are women. In a GB News interview, he states: “I’m astonished that it worked. I’m astonished at the NHS which is not only defending putting men in women’s spaces, but forcing the women who have to be subjected to it to tribunals and so on.”
He adds: “I find the whole thing extraordinary, from top to bottom. I never expected people to be so cowardly. I never expected people to be so thick, frankly. But here we are, now in my 10th year of it.”
Personal Toll and Future Plans
Linehan reveals the controversy’s heavy impact: “I never considered taking my own life. I went through a period of maybe just kind of wondering about it as a solution, let’s say, but I quickly put that out of my mind, because that’s what they want.” He references journalist Mark Fisher’s suicide amid similar pressures.
Linehan vows to confront former associates like O’Hanlon and Neil Hannon publicly: “I won’t give them that win, and I intend to be around long enough to get people like Ardal, people like Neil Hannon, on camera and ask them why they don’t believe women deserve single sex spaces, why they believe men should be in women’s prisons and sports.”
Known for creating Father Ted, The IT Crowd, and Black Books, Linehan positions his stance as defending women and children from a dangerous ideology.
