Tuesday, 16 December 2025
Little Theatre cancel Graham Linehan play
In a statement on their Facebook Page yesterday, the Little Theatre explain why they have 'cancelled' The Ladykillers, a play by the Father Ted author:
"As part of our 2026 season, we had planned to do a production of Ladykillers by Graham Linehan in June. In light of recent news headlines, (which we have only seen yesterday), committee had an urgent discussion today. As a result, we do not feel it is appropriate to have Ladykillers as part of our season, as the values and behaviour of the playwright do not reflect the key values we hold as a community theatre.
"We choose our season 12-18 months in advance. In this case Ladykillers was initially chosen to be part of our 2025 season, however didn't time well with other commitments and was moved to 2026. At that time, this story was not public knowledge, and the play was selected for a number of reasons. It has always been a popular selection, produced by many many community theatres, it appeals to a large cross-section of our audience, and provided balance to our other selections for our members to watch and be involved in. That said, in light of recent headlines we do not hesitate in making the decision to find something different in order to show our support to our LGBTQ+ audiences.
"Watch this space for an announcement on what even more exciting play will replace the Ladykillers....we promise it will be worth the wait! (Needless to say auditions due to be held on 11th Jan are cancelled for the time being!)
"We thank those who brought this to our attention. However, must point out we do not tolerate abuse of any kind on our Facebook page. Like all community theatres, we rely on volunteers, who give up their time to make our theatre such a special place. Our theatre is a place of safety and inclusion for all and this is reflected in person and online. We welcome any feedback/comments regarding play selections/productions (positive or negative) but ask that these are done so with an open mind and in a constructive manner."
Graham Linehan, the creator of Black Books, The IT Crowd and Father Ted was last month cleared of harassing a teenage trans activist on social media but convicted of damaging the campaigner's phone. Linehan's gender critical opinions on the trans issue continue to be controversial.
One repondent on Facebook wondered, "Will the same standard of ideological purity be applied to all playwrights from now on or is this a special case?"
See also
HebWeb Forum: Cancellation of The LadyKillers by the Little Thestre