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My ‘instinct’ is not to sue a man who quoted recorded conversations with me, and my own actual tweets in a book that’s already been combed through by the legal team.

And now we turn to liars...

Which is also barmy as season 2 of motherland is the best one.

With date and nature of offense carefully annotated. But he's not mad at them. At all. He wants it on the record that he is not, in fact, mad at them.

But first letter only. Lack of rigour and dedication to the task.

Ah, torpedoes the theory though. Maybe he didn't think AM was famous enough to mention. Or maybe he is in The Special List.

I do seem to recall an interview with Mathews maybe four or five years ago where he refers to Linehan as "a mate", but hasn't done much to defend him, and has been on one of The Lists. So I think he may have just been politely trying to keep out of it.

Fairly sure Mathews co-signed some iriitating Protect Free Speech letter years ago. It *might* have been cluelessness rather than malice, if that matters

"and finally I get to Zaphod Beeblebrox. A man with two faces for each head"

(I mean, I'm glad that those 4 are Good Eggs, any inclusion on the List Of Traitors is a thumbs up in my book)

(I'm not saying Transphobia Is Always Mental Illness, but I am saying that, having experienced a severely mentally ill father's obsessiveness, cruelty & mania for years, I see a lot of similarities in his particular case)

Yep. They’re doing the equivalent of giving George Best a free bar.

Great publicity for whatever book this is

He's not mad and is being very normal about all of this. Oh also it's everyone else in the world who are wrong, not him.

Lucky for Graham he's supposedly really good at making spag-bol for one.

He only got as far as A and it was already quite a Iist.

Holy shit Roz Kaveney is on Bluesky! Awesome!

How dare you challenge Lineham, savior of wombyns?? (except those stupid handmaidens who don't agree with him)

Lovely.

"...And needless to say, I had the last laugh"

Ew. That tracks.

Their only companion left in the world is literally the last person in their entire lives that can stand to be in a room with them. I have zero doubt both consider themselves mavens of comedy in that wanky Gervais fashion, yet neither has spotted the fuckin trope they are living in.

He can claim Rockall for Ireland and stay there forever.

Knew I liked Ardal and Bill

why do publications keep giving this man column space to write individual missives against every former friend he's mad at

Praise Dougal I fucking knew I loved Ardal O'Hanlon

The idea that anyone might define themselves by their presence on an alphabetically-sorted list titled ‘people not talking to Linehan any more’.

I’ve just this morning listened to that chapter on the audiobook and it just paints Linehan as a tremendously sad and angry man. It was very measured. Given it came from six hours of interviews between them I’m not sure what his lawyers will find.

I don't think I've seen a better example of the "erm, am I the bad guy?" trope. Sadly, Linehan hasn't even arrived at that stage yet.

Had to reread the paragraph five times to make sure I was understanding correctly due to that.

Yeah the right wing uses the word protect differently. Well more like 'I protect my car by locking it'. It's more about protecting the patriarchal control over women and children.

But he won't.

Into the psych ward

*wife and daughter. Man was so committed to GC feminism he turned his own house into a single sex area.

Evidently he's an adherent of the philosophy of "wreck yourself before you check yourself" ;)

He's a bit off in his thinking. Father Ted is an extremely irreverent show that some people find offensive. To pair that history with anti-trans activities as though he's devoutly conservative religious is so weird of him, too. He must be absolutely awful to be around in person.

Good for Ronson. That's someone I haven't thought about for years

It's rare you read a column. That so obviously has been produced under the agreement that not a single word be subject to editing.

Actual footage of his lawyers reading the chapter about him carefully:

It doesn't quite work because it's not an acceptance speech, but still.

It's absolutely devastating and sickening what's happened to this man, because he is, undoubtedly, one of the best sitcom writers of the last 30 years.

Conservatives really do believe you owe them your friendship. It's true.

It isn't as if people havent tried to help him.

Well, now I need to see the rest of the list of decent people, but glad to see Ardal, Adam, and Bill are all on it.

Graham Lineham saying, "my wife" always rings through my head whenever I'm reminded he exists

Holy shit dude is so salty, actually malding

"Sue Cook"

Probably figured "1) British libel laws are shite and I don't need the hassle and 2) He'll out himself as a repellent POS soon enough anyway, he won't need my help."

"And it's not as if we need the help."

Do you mean uncomfortable truths about people who think that everyone shld be,& live, like them? U Ts about those who indulge in gratuitous cruelty? Or about the ignorant who don't know that Trans people have existed throughout human history? If so, then how cld anyone disagree??

* because, not became. Damn the lack of an edit button.

Penguin lawyers! They’re already dressed for the job.

Please don't make me print that I'm mad - Glinner

Thank god ardal o Hanlon and Bill bailey aren't dickheads

Thanks, but I've just reserved a copy at my local library. Four people in the queue in front of me!

Ah! Of course. The real victims are the white men.

“self-defeating obsession” - Fiona Sturges

Oh, the betrayal! Hang on, let me find my fainting couch and some pearls to clutch dramatically...

his marriage ended because he was cheating on his wife

Yes, yes, you were fighting for your wife and daughter so hard that they ditched you. A very likely story.

Who has time for self-awareness when you’re so busy fighting for other people’s rights?

About 15 years ago, two (2) people I cared about suddenly dropped me in the space of a month - one irl, and one online. I nearly had a meltdown about how I must be The Worst tm, except all other friends I confided in assured me it wasn’t my fault. If it had been practically all of my friends…

There's always the option for him to NOT speak so loudly, arrogantly, bigoted in public, and ppl might one day think "Oh yeah, that guy. Wrote some delightful shows, became an utter asshole. What happened to him?" And then he could theoretically come back! And write nice shows and not be an asshole!

"But I'm not mad about it. Please let it be noted for the record I'm not mad at him, or at anyone else on my carefully curated list of People Who Have Betrayed My Friendship."

I’ve been married for 25 years while never fighting for my wife’s right to be more of a woman than others, so I guess nothing makes sense, eh?

"...and now we move on to liars..."

Bloody wimmin.

never bcos all the worst ppl in the british establishment keep enabling him. the last time he got arrested keir starmer came to his defence for... no reason at all.

Never would be the most likely answer if he didn't twig when he started assaulting kids in the street there's not much else that can make him have a are we the baddies moment especially as it is now his only source of income

But it's alphabetical..... by first name Which is somehow even funnier LOL

He’s such a tiny petty vindictive weirdo.

Clearly if he lost everyone, it's everyone who are wrong, not him.

“Meet two assholes before midday then you’re probably the asshole” vibes

Bill Bailey cutting ties with you is like a dog flagging you at first meeting.

Yeah he somehow isn't seeing the irony of the situation AT ALL.

So he hasn't even read the chapter?

I’m not sure I’d like or trust what I could see if I looked through part of Linehan, tbh. What if you started seeing his world?

Oh nice, another reason to love Bill Bailey

I'm watching his interview on Triggernometry (so you don't have to) and he's said that the pushback on the trans joke was the first pushback he ever got.

He had Father Ted, Black Books and IT Crowd IN A ROW. I'm not aware of a sitcom he wrote not being fantastically well received.

All he had to do was reply to the incredibly mild criticism and say ‘yea, in hindsight that was pretty yikes. I’d like to think I’ve gotten a bit smarter with time passing’ or indeed not respond at all. He could have ignored it to death at the time.

And he was an early adopter on Twitter and one of the first big accounts on there, so he got used to large crowds of people agreeing with him and swarming anyone who disagreed. Seems like that might have been unhealthy!

I was about to say this. Too much too soon.

Let's be honest, when someone tells you that you're acting like a jerk, it DOES hurt. It makes you uncomfortable, trying to square that criticism with your sense of self. So obviously, the only thing to do is throw away all your friends and continue doubling down for 10-15 years.

Probably billing an hour per 100 words

Linehan the human corncob.