‘The IT Crowd’ creator Graham Linehan's arrest over transgender posts sparks free speech row in UK

The creator of celebrated British comedy sitcoms Father Ted and The IT Crowd and co-creator of Black Books was arrested this week over a series of posts about transgender people.

Graham Linehan, 57, said he was arrested Monday at Heathrow Airport. The Metropolitan Police didn't name Linehan but said it had arrested a man at the airport on suspicion of inciting violence in posts on X.

Linehan, who is well known for posts asserting that trans women are men, said in April that trans women were violent criminals if they used women-only facilities. He advocated hitting them if calling police failed to stop them from using such facilities.

His post on X - dated 20 April 2025 - came just days after the head of the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission said transgender women would be excluded from women-only spaces such as toilets, single-sex hospital wards and sports teams. The decision followed a divisive ruling by Britain's highest court that the terms “woman” and “man” refer to biological sex for antidiscrimination purposes.

Downing Street declined to comment directly on the arrest. The prime minister’s official spokesperson said the arrest was “an operational matter for the police”. He added: “The prime minister and the home secretary have been clear about where their priorities for crime and policing are, and that’s tackling antisocial behaviour, shoplifting, street crime, as well as reducing serious violent crimes like knife crime and violence against women.” 

Linehan’s arrest has prompted a backlash from Conservative members of Parliament, who condemned the arrest.

“Britain used to be known for its sense of humour," said Conservative MP Claire Coutinho. “Now the police are arresting people for making jokes.” She added: “You live in a society? Occasionally you’re going to be offended. That’s how it works.”

The British newspapers had a field day over the arrest, with Metro leading with “Father Ted creator’s fury at arrest”; The Sun with “Britain’s Fecked” (a Father Ted reference); and Daily Mail with “When did Britain become North Korea?”, describing the arrest as "another day in Starmer's socialist utopia".

The arrest has also split opinions online:

Controversial Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling also chimed in, attacking Linehan’s arrest in a post on X, asking what the UK had become.

Elon Musk reposted Rowling’s tweet, adding: “Police state.” 

Linehan said in a post on Substack that the questioning by police sent his blood pressure soaring and he was taken to the hospital and kept under observation before being released on bail.

The Irish writer said the only condition for his release was that he could not post on X.

He is due to appear tomorrow in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on a separate case in which he is accused of harassing a transgender woman and damaging her phone. He has denied the charge.