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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Jo Bartosch article in MoS on Graham Linehan exclusion

81 replies

Abitofalark · 19/12/2021 01:41

The ever excellent Jo Bartosch on how GL / Glinner is being frozen out of a musical of his own creation, Father Ted, by producers' fears of trans extremists getting it shut down.

This is reminiscent of Rose, the dancer choreographer being shut out of her own company by young dancers, and JK Rowling being denounced by her young actors and her name almost erased from her own creation's film by a Hollywood company:

"Hat Trick had asked Mr Linehan to remain silent on the subject, but he had found it difficult.
‘The warnings from the production company became more insistent,’ explained Mr Linehan.
‘After a while, I had a very funny meeting with a top public relations guy at the company.
‘I’d hoped it might help improve my image. Instead he said: “Graham, I have to tell you, there are some people in the office who won’t work for you”.’
Mr Linehan added: ‘In almost every company I’ve worked with there are now young employees who are ferociously authoritarian.
‘They seem to think that unless you believe the same things as them then you have no right to take part in society.’ "

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10324511/Father-Ted-creator-claims-trans-zealots-forcing-stage-version-show.html

It's interesting to see Jo Bartosch moving up from Spiked to the mainstream press, at first to The Times where she had an article recently and now to the mass circulation Mail on Sunday. Similarly Julie Bindel has made the Mail very recently. Good on them.

OP posts:
Abhannmor · 19/12/2021 10:15

Graham is a very loyal friend and a very decent person. His old Fr. Ted Co writes, Arthur Matthews, hasn't been as successful since that series. Whereas Graham also wrote Black Books and the IT Crowd. But of course he hasn't been able to work for a few years now. It would indeed be a pension pot for them both and Neil Hannon - who better to write the music ? Go Glinner!

Dimpsey · 19/12/2021 10:17

Seems a bit daft to sideline Glinner from this.

I'm not really that fussed about musicals but I would make an exception for this and would buy tickets to positively show my support for Graham and everything he has done to protect women and children.

Abhannmor · 19/12/2021 10:17

@scratchedbymycat

Isn't this equivalent to McCarthyism?
Exactly so. I'd love to see an exodus of talent from Hollyweird to saner shores.
Shedmistress · 19/12/2021 10:19

The response to employees not wishing to work on producing stage productions is 'bye bye then'.

Not try and coercively control the fucking writer.

PaleGreenGhost · 19/12/2021 10:20

This won't work though, will it. Stupid decision. It seriously risks alienating intelligent people who believe in reality and whose only way to live ethically in the current situation is to refuse to fund misogyny.

It's not comparable to Harry Potter which can exist without JK Rowling. The young adults driving this are unwilling to give up the stories that saw them through childhood. Father Ted (which is way better imho although I do love Rowling as a person) just doesn't hold that place for them. They won't want to be seen to be laughing there. The people Hat Trick are trying to appease are already put off by the merest whiff of the association of "transphobia". Isn't it clear by now that only the fullest capitulation comes within a chance of appeasing people who cannot have their beliefs questioned?

TedImgoingmad · 19/12/2021 10:23

If they won't work on it, sack them. There must be a gazillion theatre wannabes out there desperate for a job on a big production. Glinner has done nothing illegal, merely expressed his views as enshrined under the Equality Act. He is being discriminated against by Hat Trick and their employees are attempting to bully him out of his own work. Which I believe could constitute gross misconduct. I hope he is getting legal advice. Could he drop Hat Trick and crowd fund the production? I am sure there are a million small investors out there who loved FT who would also love to be a part of it's revival.

That headline in the MoS is great, though. No punches pulled. Well done, Jo B.

SolasAnla · 19/12/2021 10:32

Wasn't Father Ted funded in the UK because they could not get funding in Ireland at the time because it was seen as too anti-catholic?

SomepeopleareTERFSgetoverit · 19/12/2021 10:52

@ErrolTheDragon

Afaik the religious groups who've tried to get 'blasphemous' (or otherwise offensive to them) productions shut down - often by targeting advertisers - generally haven't had much traction have they?
They express their views and everyone carries on regardless. Jerry Springer the Opera being a good example.
fluffedup · 19/12/2021 11:04

My very devout Catholic parents found Father Ted offensive. They weren't too happy about the Pope on Spitting Image either.

But it would have seemed ridiculous, back then, to try to destroy the career of those who created the programmes, and they would have been horrified if anyone had attempted it on their behalf.

Grimbelina · 19/12/2021 11:04

What can we do about this? I want to see the musical. Glinner, if you are out there, what would be the best co-ordinated action?

VelvetChairGirl · 19/12/2021 11:09

protest?

TurquoiseBaubles · 19/12/2021 11:13

The more I think about this the more ridiculous it seems.

Surely just producing the musical will be deemed "transphobic" by the anti-Glinner lobby. No matter who they employ to write it, the original idea is obviously his, and therefore his detractors will have nothing to do with it. There is no way that they can appease the twitter mob.

On the other hand, if he is sidelined, then those who agree with him will be pissed off and want nothing to do with it. So they will lose both audiences.

Ultimately they either need to deal with it and do it Glinner's way, and put up with the consequences, or not put it on at all. Sadly I suspect they will do the latter Sad

Grimbelina · 19/12/2021 11:14

I have Covid so any protest has to be virtual at the moment...

ErrolTheDragon · 19/12/2021 11:17

Unfortunately, unlike the religious protests of the past, the problem here is with employees rather than with the public.

PatsArrow · 19/12/2021 11:18

@TurquoiseBaubles

The more I think about this the more ridiculous it seems.

Surely just producing the musical will be deemed "transphobic" by the anti-Glinner lobby. No matter who they employ to write it, the original idea is obviously his, and therefore his detractors will have nothing to do with it. There is no way that they can appease the twitter mob.

On the other hand, if he is sidelined, then those who agree with him will be pissed off and want nothing to do with it. So they will lose both audiences.

Ultimately they either need to deal with it and do it Glinner's way, and put up with the consequences, or not put it on at all. Sadly I suspect they will do the latter Sad

Totally agree. Terry Gilliam has found a whole new home for his "Into the Woods' version.

Just wanted to say though - Glinner has already written it. Everything was ready to go before the Pandemic.

Cuck00soup · 19/12/2021 11:27

I could have sworn Hat Trick productions were all about poking fun at absurdity. I loved drop the dead donkey for example.

This is beyond satire unfortunately. I hope one day Graham will be able to write about the captured.

TurquoiseBaubles · 19/12/2021 11:46

Sorry, yes PatsArrow, I should have said "no matter who they say wrote it"!

Everyone knows it's Glinner's work. Taking him off the credits won't appease any of his detractors.

nauticant · 19/12/2021 12:10

I don't think Neil Hannon is in desperate need of bolstering his pension. This run at the Barbican in 2022 was completely sold out a long time ago:

www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2022/series/venus-cupid-folly-time-30-years-of-the-divine-comedy

VestofAbsurdity · 19/12/2021 12:36

@scratchedbymycat

Isn't this equivalent to McCarthyism?
It is. Hat Trick are craven cowards.
BettyFilous · 19/12/2021 12:51

@Dimpsey

Seems a bit daft to sideline Glinner from this.

I'm not really that fussed about musicals but I would make an exception for this and would buy tickets to positively show my support for Graham and everything he has done to protect women and children.

Same here.
Datun · 19/12/2021 15:29

@Shedmistress

The response to employees not wishing to work on producing stage productions is 'bye bye then'.

Not try and coercively control the fucking writer.

That's what I think. Why don't they just tell them to fuck off. Hardly anyone agrees with transgenderism. No-one, apart from vanishingly small number of people will boycott the production, and those people probably wouldn't have wanted to see it anyway.

And yes to the person who said it's discriminatory. Graham is holding a legally protected belief, and they cannot discriminate against him on the basis of it.

It's quite awful to hold him to ransom over this. He should sue them.

Rightsraptor · 19/12/2021 15:40

As Graham has said the entire media is totally captured.

OneRuleForThem · 19/12/2021 15:40

This also happened to James Dreyfus erased and credits removed from Doctor Who for the same reason

Shedmistress · 19/12/2021 15:48

@OneRuleForThem

This also happened to James Dreyfus erased and credits removed from Doctor Who for the same reason
It is absolutely disgusting that they literally erase people like this, whilst also making money off them.
Datun · 19/12/2021 15:57

@OneRuleForThem

This also happened to James Dreyfus erased and credits removed from Doctor Who for the same reason
It has to be discriminatory, surely??