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      Co-Creator Of Father Ted Accuses Today Programme

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      HUYTON RED
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      Co-Creator Of Father Ted Accuses Today Programme
      Jun 09, 2011 03:46:53 pm
      Graham Linehan accuses Today programme of "poisoning" debate

      Graham Linehan, co-creator of the comedy Father Ted, claims he was “ambushed” during an appearance on the flagship news show after producers tried to lure him into a dispute with a theatre critic.

      Linehan, 43, also labelled host Justin Webb a “pompous John Humphrys stand-in” after a prickly interview about his theatre remake of the 1955 film The Ladykillers.

      The Dublin-born writer’s chagrin was clear during the live exchange on Monday’s show after he refused on air to be goaded into an “adversarial fight” with Michael Billington, the Guardian’s theatre critic, about the point of the project.

      However, Linehan yesterday launched a withering attack on Today in his blog, accusing its makers of orchestrating “harmful squabbling”.

      “What I thought was going to be a discussion about the technical challenges afforded by turning a classic film into a worthwhile play, was actually going to be a typical Today programme bunfight,” said Linehan.

      “What a treat it was to be able to complain directly to Today's pompous John Humphries stand-in about the squabbling that passes for debate on that program [sic].

      “The style of debate practised by the Today program [sic] poisons discourse in this country.

      “An arena where there are no positions possible except diametrically opposed ones, where no nuance is permitted, where politicians are forced into defensive positions of utter banality ... none of it is any good for the national conversation.

      “And they wanted to impose this nonsense on me? Michael in the red corner, me in the blue corner! Ding! Defend yourself! Justify yourself!

      “What the host didn't realise is that because I'm not a politician, like the fellow I saw in the green room preparing his lines with an aide, I didn't have to be held hostage to their artificial reductive, harmful format.”

      Linehan, whose previous work includes Black Books and The IT Crowd, claims producers told him he would be asked about "problems in adapting a classic film for the stage" during the interview.

      But an argument broke out between Webb and Linehan after Billington questioned the point in turning movies into plays.

      Linehan refused to discuss his work, saying: “I just find the whole thing of setting up an adversarial fight between me and Michael as a little bit artificial. Michael has been brought on to present the view that there is no point in doing this at all and I won’t get drawn into that kind of a discussion.”

      Webb then quipped that Linehan was “as bad as a cabinet minister” by not talking about the play.

      Addressing Today’s producers in his blog, Linehan asked yesterday: “Is mis-briefing your guests ethical journalistic practise?

      “In giving an accurate brief to one side of the discussion, am I to conclude that someone in the show had already made up their mind on the subject, and wanted to skew the debate to their liking?

      “Are little bits of dishonesty like this the only way you guys feel you can maintain your little fight club?”

      A BBC spokesman said last night: "There was certainly no intention to 'ambush' Mr Linehan and we are sorry if he took it that way, but our producers felt they had clearly explained in advance how the discussion would play out.

      "It should come as no surprise to any Today listener, or guest, that the debates on the programme by nature are lively, informative and challenging at times."

      Webb is understood to have agreed to apologise to Linehan, however, he wrote on Twitter ahead of yesterday morning's show: "0600 so here goes: watching for Father Ted with baseball bat hiding behind studio door. Hoping the weather forecasters don't argue back."

      Peter Capaldi, the star of The Thick Of It, leads the cast in the remake of the Ealing classic, about an eccentric old lady who gets mixed up with a criminal gang.

      It also includes Armstrong And Miller star Ben Miller and James Fleet from The Vicar Of Dibley.

      The play opens at the Liverpool Playhouse on November 3 before moving to the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End on November 26.

      The original film, which starred Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers, was remade by the Coen Brothers in 2004 starring Tom Hanks.


      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8562010/Graham-Linehan-accuses-Today-programme-of-poisoning-debate.html

      Couldn't agree more with Linehan, think he has it spot on there.
      stuey
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      Re: Co-Creator Of Father Ted Accuses Today Programme
      Reply #1: Jun 09, 2011 04:04:47 pm
      Graham Linehan can do no wrong as I see it and it does seem as though he was being set up on that show for some very dubious issues, have to get me arse down to the playhouse in November and catch that, the movie was a classic and it will be reallly interesting to see Linehams interpretation of it.
      racerx34
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      Re: Co-Creator Of Father Ted Accuses Today Programme
      Reply #2: Jun 10, 2011 12:25:11 am
      I love it. Why? Because he's right. All this black and white, polar opposite, debate has made me start to wane on political debate.
      Frankly, Mr Shankly
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      Re: Co-Creator Of Father Ted Accuses Today Programme
      Reply #3: Jun 10, 2011 02:19:38 am
      Hate critics like that Gaurdian tw*t telling what you should and shouldn't do in the arts. Wanky bullshit.
      Boston not la
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      Re: Co-Creator Of Father Ted Accuses Today Programme
      Reply #4: Jun 28, 2020 07:48:26 pm
      Got himself a permanent twitter ban,https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/27/entertainment/graham-linehan-twitter-removal-trnd/index.html. seems to have lost the plot a bit?

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