The Father Ted co-creator was arrested at Heathrow Airport last month on suspicion of inciting violence
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has issued an update following his arrest last month (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has issued a major update following his arrest by the Metropolitan Police at Heathrow Airport back in September. The Channel 4 producer was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence over social media posts about trangender issues. He claims he was arrested by five armed cops following a handful of anti-trans social media posts.
The 57-year-old Irishman said he was hauled off his London flight from Arizona the moment he stepped onto British soil. Now he has issued an update following his arrest. He revealed he will face “no further action” in a lengthy post on X – formerly known as Twitter. He wrote: “The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September.
After a successful heating to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn’t even bother to attend) the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case.
“With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men.”
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “Following careful review of a file submitted by the Metropolitan Police, we have decided that no further action should be taken in realtion to a man in his 50s who was arrested on September 1, 2025.”
The alleged posts he shared including one branding trans women in female-only spaces “violent”. The creator claimed the ordeal left him in a health scare so severe that he was rushed to A&E with sky-high blood pressure “that nearly killed” him.
The creator was responsible for several Channel 4 shows such as Father Ted and The IT Crowd (Image: TV Times via Getty Images)
It comes after the Irish writer went on trial in London on charges of harrassment and criminal damages. He pled not guilty. Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told that the 57-year-old used social media to publish a series of “abusive and vindictive”posts about a teenage transgender capaigner before throwing her phone in a road.
Linehan, who was born in Dublin and survived cancer in 2018, also wrote hit TV shows such as The IT Crowd and Black Books. He won a lifetime achievement award and penned a memoir, Tough Crowd: How I Made and Lost a Career in Comedy, which was published in October 2023 and reached number ten on the Sunday Times bestseller list.
