Graham Linehan insists gender-critical views have been ‘proved proper’

Graham Linehan has defended his gender-critical views, declaring: ‘I’ve been proved right in every f***ing regard.’

The Father Ted co-creator, who has become a vocal critic of trans ideology and activism in recent years, vowed to stand by his views and blasted ‘satirists’ for not being brave enough to ‘lance the trans boil’.

The Irish writer, who was even banned by Twitter in 2020 for saying ‘men aren’t women’, says he has been shunned for his opinionated views, including losing his TV career, wife, friends and reputation.

Linehan, who rose to fame in 1995 for creating the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted which ran until 1998, believes he ‘kicked the door down’ on the trans debate but other writers have not come out to support him.

He claimed that despite previously being involved in reforming Father Ted for the theatre, producer Jimmy Mulville offered him £200,000 to take his name off the credits and banned him from attending rehearsals.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said: ‘I wanted to come along and see how the show was going… ‘He [Muville] said ‘no, we want a clean break’.’

Comedy mogul Mulville, the managing director of Father Ted’s production company Hat Trick, declined to comment to the newspaper but previously said the only way the production could go to stage was if Linehan was removed.

Linehan believes that he should have seen this coming. He discussed ‘the woke takeover of the theatre’ when black actors were asked to read parts in the musical that were played by white actors in the sitcom.

 ‘I can’t be more disappointed in these people than I already am,’ he said.

Standing by his views that have cost him work and relationships, he said: ‘I’ve been proved right in every f***ing regard.’

Linehan has not spoken to Harry Potter author JK Rowling about their similar views and remains a lonely figure. 

But a well-known comedian is said to have bought him dinner during lockdown amid fears he could be permanently outcast – although their support for him is private.

The writer’s frustration lies with other male writers such as  Armando Iannucci, Chris Morris, Jon Ronson and Russell T Davies who have not condemned puberty blockers and single-sex rape crisis centres like he has.

He believes that Morris, whom he worked with on Brass Eye in the 90s, has to see that the trans debate is like a ‘self-perpetuation’ episode of the show.

Linehan’s believes he is out on his own, with no-one coming forward to support him.

‘I kicked the door down and there was no one behind me,’ he told The Times.

‘They are all making the same kind of jokes that they were making ten years ago. They are deliberately ignoring what’s happening right now. 

‘Satire is supposed to lance a boil. That’s what the trans issue is, a huge boil that no satirist is brave enough to lance.’

Linehan belongs to a controversial school of thought that believes those who support the gender transition of youngsters are child abusers.

He previously tweeted in January last year: ‘Telling children they have the wrong bodies is child abuse.’

Linehan rose to fame in 1995 for creating Father Ted. He then went on to pen Black Books and The IT Crowd.

In 2021 he revealed that sudden financial insecurity caused by his trans views caused the collapse of his marriage of 16 years to Helen Serafinowicz, co-creator of the BBC comedy Motherland.

Then in September last year, Linehan claimed he was blocked by police from attending the Conservative Party Conference over his supposed anti-trans views.

The Irish sitcom writer complained to the party after he was denied access to the conference in Manchester, which resulted in a U-turn as then-chairman Greg Hands apologised and ensured he could attend.

Linehan was not told the grounds for the refusal, but in 2018 he received a warning from West Yorkshire Police after an argument with a transgender activist on X.

He ended up performing outside the Scottish Parliament in August last year after two Edinburgh Fringe venues cancelled his appearance.

Last month,  Linehan thanked fans for their support and said he was ‘proud as punch’ following a bombshell review into NHS transgender treatment.

His fans said he was vindicated by the Cass Review’s conclusion that medical treatment in children’s gender care had been based on weak evidence.

The review’s final report said children have been let down by a lack of research and evidence on the use of puberty blockers and hormones amid a hugely toxic debate.

MailOnline contacted Hat Trick for comment.