Graham Linehan: Second venue cancels Father Ted writer's comedy show

A 2nd Edinburgh venue has cancelled a stand-up drama amusement featuring Father Ted writer Graham Linehan, according to organisers.

Hours earlier the gig was owed to begin, Comedy Unleashed said it would inactive spell up contempt the caller cancellation.

They said summons holders had been emailed with different location.

The archetypal venue, Leith Arches, pulled retired of hosting the amusement amid interest astir Mr Linehan's views connected transgender issues.

He has threatened ineligible enactment if the venue refuses to reverse its determination and apologise.

It has sparked a wider statement connected state of speech.

It is not wide wherever the stand-up show, which features 4 different acts nether the banner "edgy drama is back", volition beryllium held.

In a connection connected X, formerly Twitter, Comedy Unleashed said: "Our replacement venue has cancelled connected america too, but we're inactive going up contiguous astatine 7.30!

"Ticket holders person been emailed with the caller location."

Mr Linehan's quality successful the drama showcase was initially kept nether wraps with organisers lone describing him arsenic a "surprise celebrated cancelled comedian" connected the bill.

But the venue called disconnected the full amusement wrong hours of his individuality being confirmed connected Tuesday, saying they had not been made alert of the line-up successful advance.

"We person made the determination to cancel this amusement arsenic we are an inclusive venue and this does not align with our wide values," they said successful a post connected Instagram.

"We enactment precise intimately with the LGBT+ community, it is simply a sizeable portion of our revenue, we judge hosting this 1 disconnected amusement would person a antagonistic effect connected aboriginal bookings," they aboriginal added.

Mr Linehan is often astatine the centre of heated rows implicit trans issues and women's rights connected societal media, with opponents accusing him of transphobia.

In a BBC Newsnight interview successful 2020 helium compared the aesculapian attraction of transgender teenagers with puberty blockers to Nazi quality experimentation.

He told TalkTV connected Wednesday: "The astir important presumption I person is that it is simply a transgression against humanity to archer children they whitethorn person been calved successful the incorrect body."

Mr Linehan co-created the Channel 4 drama Father Ted and aboriginal wrote Black Books and the Emmy-award winning The IT Crowd.

A 2008 occurrence of The IT Crowd which progressive a transgender storyline was pulled from Chanel 4's streaming work successful 2020.

He was suspended from Twitter soon afterwards, with the societal media elephantine claiming helium breached rules connected "hateful content".

In an affectional BBC interrogation past year, the Dublin-born writer told Nolan Live helium had been unfairly targeted implicit his views, losing him enactment and contributing to the break-up of his marriage.