Father Ted writer Graham Linehan arrested over posts on trans issues

The writer of the sitcom Father Ted has been arrested at Heathrow over three social media posts about transgender issues.

- Caroline Davies Dan Milmo

Graham Linehan, who also created the IT Crowd and Black Books, said he was intercepted by five armed officers after flying in from Arizona and told he was under arrest over the messages.

Writing on Substack, the 57-year-old Irishman said he was taken to a cell and then questioned over the posts, published on X in April.

He said the posts related to him challenging a "trans-identified male" in a "female-only space".

Linehan said after questioning by police that his blood pressure "was over 200 - stroke territory" and he was taken to hospital and kept under observation before being discharged and released on bail.

The Metropolitan police did not identify Linehan but a spokesperson said: "On Monday 1 September at 1pm officers arrested a man at Heathrow airport after he arrived on an inbound American Airlines flight.

"The man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. This is in relation to posts on X.