Graham Linehan


Biography

Graham Linehan was an Irish television writer, actor, director, and comedian who was responsible for bringing the critically-acclaimed shows "Father Ted" (Channel 4 1995-98), "Black Books" (Channel 4 2000-04), and "The IT Crowd" (Channel 4 2006-2013) to British television. As three of the most internationally popular British TV series of their time, the shows made Linehan a cult figure f...

Biography

Graham Linehan was an Irish television writer, actor, director, and comedian who was responsible for bringing the critically-acclaimed shows "Father Ted" (Channel 4 1995-98), "Black Books" (Channel 4 2000-04), and "The IT Crowd" (Channel 4 2006-2013) to British television. As three of the most internationally popular British TV series of their time, the shows made Linehan a cult figure for comedy fans around the world.

Graham Linehan was born on May 22, 1968 in Dublin and grew up in a very Irish Catholic environment. He attended Plunkett's School in Whitehall before moving on to the prestigious Catholic University School. However, Linehan's interests lay in acerbic social and political comedy and he found himself joining the staff of renowned Irish magazine Hot Press. It was during this time that Linehan met Arthur Matthews, who was also working at Hot Press, and the two struck a tightly-knit partnership. The team joined the writing staff of the British sketch comedy shows "The All New Alexei Sayle Show" (BBC2 1994-95) and the long-running "Smith and Jones" (BBC1 1983-1998). The Linehan/Matthews partnership began in earnest in 1994 when the two of them created their first British series, "Paris" (Channel 4, 1994). The show only lasted six episodes and was critically panned.

When it came to rebounding from that failure, Linehan and Matthews rose to the occasion. Their next collaborative venture was the hilariously surreal and witty series "Father Ted." Starring Irish actor Dermot Morgan as Father Ted Crilly, "Father Ted" was set on the fictional rural Irish outpost of Craggy Island, where a trio of misfit priests had been exiled to live in a parochial house. The show's secular humor and unabashed criticism toward the Catholic Church were at times controversial, but the series was a hit with both critics and viewers. Just after its first series run, "Father Ted" won the Writer's Guild of Great Britain Award for "TV- Situational Comedy" and a BAFTA TV award for "Best Comedy," and did so again in 1999. In 1999, Linehan and Matthews created the sketch comedy show "Big Train" (BBC2 1998-2002), which was nominated for the BAFTA TV award "Best Light Entertainment."

The comedic writing duo's next sitcom was also a critical hit. "Black Books," starring standup comics Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey as an acerbic London bookstore owner and his earnest assistant, debuted on Channel 4 in 2000 and was immediately recognized for its side-splitting humor, which was aptly awarded the BAFTA TV award for "Situation Comedy Award" in 2001. Linehan decided to go solo for his next television endeavor, "The IT Crowd." Set in the fictional London information technology office of Reynholm Industries, "The IT Crowd" followed the interactions of three socially awkward IT workers. It was Linehan's longest-running and arguably most successful creation to date, lasting four series of six episodes each and garnering another "Situation Comedy" BAFTA award for Linehan and his first International Emmy in the comedy category. "The IT Crowd" offered cross-demographic appeal, appealing to American audiences and launching the career of its star, Irish actor Chris O'Dowd. However, NBC's attempt at an American remake starring Joel McHale and Jessica St. Clair, as well as U.K. co-star Richard Ayoade reprising his role as the brilliant but shy Moss, was not picked up as a series. In 2011, Linehan disappointed fans of the show when he announced that "The IT Crowd" would not return for a fifth series, but offered a final feature-length episode to say farewell to its characters. Titled "The Internet Is Coming," the special aired as a one-off episode in September 2013.

Filmography

 

Writer (Feature Film)

The Matchmaker (1997)
Screenplay

Life Events

Bibliography