Graham Linehan

Graham Linehan interview

The man behind the hit sitcom Father Ted on Catholic guilt, the power of Twitter and how he put The Ladykillers on stage.

TV commissioning: the debate rages on

The IT Crowd writer Graham Linehan, Peep Show's Sam Bain and actor James Corden among those to defend executives' role.

Graham Linehan: 'I've come to hate the church'

He is a master of the sitcom, but as Graham Linehan brings yet another comic creation to the screen, he admits he would never write Father Ted now.

Simon Day and Ralf Little join The Ladykillers cast

Graham Linehan's The Ladykillers is heading back to the West End over the summer with a new cast which includes Simon Day, Ralf Little, Angela Thorne and Chris McCalphy.

A mere pilot episode, but in our list because this was the show that finally harnessed and distilled the animal comic talent of Matt Berry. Previously best known as the mad boss from The IT Crowd (where Graham Linehan wrote his lines - here they were co-written by Father Ted's other creator, Arthur Mathews), now he was fruity actor Steven Toast. Toast's humiliations included auditioning for the part of a gay, corrupt detective in a prison visiting room (because the director had been sent down for making racist remarks on his previous job) and a howlingly funny scene where a voiceover job forced Toast to spend the whole afternoon saying one word over and over. Would Toast of London make a hit series? "Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeeee-eeeees. YES! Yes. Yes."

Interview: Graham Linehan

Father Ted writer Graham Linehan tells Claire Black about his robust yet reverential approach to a colourful adaptation of 
black comedy classic, The Ladykillers.

William Troughton on Graham Linehan's The Ladykillers

Despite its popularity, actor William Troughton - who plays cockney spiv Harry Robinson (originally played by Peter Sellers) in the show - has never actually seen the original film.

Clare Balding to be guest host of HIGNFY

Olympics hero will kick off series 44 of topical news quiz, with panellists including Graham Linehan.

Proving that Channel 4's "funny fortnight" doesn't just consist of two year old footage of Peter Kay, the channel have bagged acclaimed writer Arthur Mathews, a contributor to Father Ted and writing partner of the brilliant Graham Linehan for this one-off. Toast Of London charts a day in the life of Steve Toast - played by Matt Berry - a recently divorced actor who embarks on a controversial West End play. So controversial, in fact, that the producer is in imprison for racial chanting, leading Toast to rehearse the part of a corrupt gay detective in a prison meeting room - a suitably hysterical scene helped by the superb Geoffrey McGivern. Let's just hope for a series in 2013...