Graham Linehan has revealed he will face “no further action” after being arrested at London Heathrow Airport on suspicion of inciting violence over social media posts about transgender issues.
The Father Ted and IT Crowd creator, 57, was detained by Metropolitan Police officers on suspicion of inciting violence after flying in from Arizona last month.
One post on X, formerly known as Twitter, 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 balls."
Last week, Westminster Magistrates' Court ordered that Mr Linehan's bail conditions be dropped after an application by the Free Speech Union.
And on Monday, Scotland Yard wrote to the screenwriter’s legal team saying “no further action will be taken”, although they warned that “this decision may be reconsidered if further evidence or information comes to light”.
Mr Linehan said: “The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September.
“After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn’t even bother to attend) the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case.
“With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men.”
His detainment sparked fury from the likes of JK Rowling and Elon Musk, reigniting the debate over the policing of free speech.
Lord Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, said: “I’m glad the police have dropped the case, but it should have been obvious there was no case to answer in the first place. Graham should never have been interviewed about his tweets, let alone arrested by five armed police officers and held in a cell for over 12 hours.
“We’ve instructed a top flight team of lawyers to sue the Met for wrongful arrest, among other things. Graham deserves an apology and the police must be made to pay a price so they stop behaving like the Stasi.”
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: "Following careful review of a file submitted by the Metropolitan Police, we have decided that no further action should be taken in relation to a man in his 50s who was arrested on September 1, 2025."
