Chris O'Dowd wishes Graham Linehan was writing more comedy after controversial transgender views
The two previously worked together on Channel 4's The IT Crowd.
Chris O'Dowd has said that he wishes his The IT Crowd collaborator Graham Linehan had a more active career in UK television, following a decline in the screenwriter's output stemming from his outspoken opinions on transgender issues.
By his own admission, Linehan's views on the trans community have consumed his life in recent years, contributing to the breakdown of his marriage, financial uncertainty and impacting his career prospects (via Irish Independent).
In June 2020, he was banned from X (then-Twitter) for "repeated violations of our rules against hateful conduct and platform manipulation", but was eventually allowed back on the platform after Elon Musk acquired it and softened its content policies.
He now posts there very regularly, almost exclusively on the subject of transgender issues, including heated interactions with members and allies of the community – with occasional misgendering and harsh language directed at certain individuals.
Among them is actor David Tennant, who the screenwriter insulted for his wearing of a T-shirt pledging his support for trans youth.
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Linehan, who also co-created Father Ted and Black Books, published his memoir in 2023 titled Tough Crowd and gave interviews to The Times, The Spectator and RTÉ to promote its release.
He has spoken in the past about how he has been "cancelled".
Nevertheless, former collaborator O'Dowd has argued that "more people" should talk to Linehan about his views on transgender issues, and accused the press of "trying to make loads of money out of all of the division".
The Small Town, Big Story creator told The Times: "I wish he was writing more, and I wish he was in the industry more. I think he's the best comedy writer I've worked with.
"I don’t necessarily want to get into his views, but I do think that it's a shame that more people don't go and talk to him about them because – whether I agree with them or not – they're not peripheral."
O'Dowd added: "I know the press is trying to make loads of money out of all of the division, but don’t actually want to go and talk to him about it and I think that’s a shame."
The actor is not the first IT Crowd star to voice sympathy for Linehan, with Richard Ayoade contributing an endorsement for his memoir that declared "his brilliance in prose is the equal to his brilliance as a screenwriter".
Conversely, another alum of the sitcom, Matt Berry, has distanced himself from Linehan's remarks on transgender issues, and the episode of The IT Crowd in which his character gets in a brutal fist fight with a trans woman.
He told Vulture: "I don't condone anything that that comedy portrayed, you know? I don't share any views that the writer has."
The IT Crowd is available to stream on Channel 4. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
