Father Ted creator Graham Linehan arrested at Heathrow over explosive social media posts
Comedy legend detained on suspicion of inciting violence
Graham Linehan, the 57-year-old writer and comedian behind Father Ted, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Monday, September 1, right after flying in from Arizona. Five armed officers swooped on Linehan as he stepped off an American Airlines flight, detaining him over controversial posts he made earlier this year on X (formerly Twitter).
Linehan revealed on his Substack that he was taken to a police cell and grilled about his inflammatory posts. One infamous tweet from April read:
“If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the blls.”*
Another post showed a picture of a trans rights protest captioned: “a photo you can smell” alongside the line: “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F**k em.”
Met Police confirm arrest but no weapons drawn
The Metropolitan Police wouldn’t name Linehan directly but confirmed:
“On Monday, September 1 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.”
Police said Linehan was taken into custody but later rushed to hospital after concerns over his health. His blood pressure reportedly hit “stroke territory,” and he was kept under observation. He has since been released on bail while the investigation continues.
The arrest was carried out by the MPS Aviation Unit. Officers were armed but did not draw their firearms at any point.
New court case looms over harassment claims
Linehan also faces a separate hearing at 1 on Thursday. He denies allegations of harassing transgender woman Sophia Brooks and damaging her phone.
