Defiant Graham Linehan went ahead with his comedy show outside the Scottish Parliament on Thursday night after it was cancelled twice by Edinburgh Fringe venues.
The original venue, Leith Arches, had pulled out over the Father Ted creator’s views on transgender issues. Comedy Unleashed moved the sold-out gig to an outdoor stage at Holyrood when a second venue declined to host the show.
Linehan, who created the TV sitcoms, Father Ted, The IT Crowd and Black Books, was billed as a “surprise famous cancelled comedian” on the comedy Unleashed showcase. But when his identity was revealed on Tuesday, Leith Arches cancelled the show, declaring they “are an inclusive venue, and this does not align with our overall values”. The venue later added: “We work very closely with the LGBT+ community; it is a considerable part of our revenue. We believe hosting this one-off show would have a negative effect on future bookings.”
Linehan, often at the centre of heated rows over trans issues and women’s rights on social media, threatened legal action if the venue refused to reverse its decision and apologise.
He told TalkTV on Wednesday: “The most important view I have is that it is a crime against humanity to tell children they may have been born in the wrong body.”
Comedy Unleashed later released a statement that they had secured a new venue that was very appropriate given the circumstances around the attempt to stop Linehan’s right to free speech. The new venue was kept secret until just before the show took place to try to avoid disruption. However, around 150 people still managed to attend Linehan’s performance outside the Scottish Parliament, and a visibly emotional Linehan told them: “Comedy is my first love, it’s the thing I love to do, but I have not been allowed to do that for five years.”
He said before the performance: “I know exactly what they are doing; they are doing the same thing to me that they did to JK Rowling. They don’t like anyone who doesn’t have their belief system.”
He added: “I really didn’t think this was going to happen this evening after what happened on Tuesday. My jokes are just observational comedy. I guess the idea of me existing is just offensive to people.”
After the show, he told BBC Scotland: “It is important to make a stand. It is essential to stand in front of a microphone, even if it’s just for a second, and show that these people don’t get to push the rest of us around.
Free Speech in the UK is under severe threat when it comes to talking openly and honestly about issues such as race and gender. We need to fight to protect our right to speak freely, even if some may see this as offensive.
Certain groups within the UK are more than happy to use intimidation and violence to stop the debate around specific subjects. These subjects need debating, as they have a major influence on the future of our nation and especially our children.
Sadly, those in the political establishment are scared to act to protect our rights to free speech and even slower to take the appropriate action to stop the woke epidemic that is spreading through our education system and public institutions. Too many politicians are ready to get in bed with those who wish to spread these dangerous ideologies, even to the extent of attacking and supporting the censuring of their colleagues, such as the Scottish MP Joanna Cherry, earlier this year.
We need to be prepared to stand up and be counted in the fight to protect not only free speech but the future of our people from the violent intolerance of the so-called woke mob. If not us, who will and what dystopian future will we condemn coming generations to unless we have the bravery to stand now?
