Police watchdog orders Met to reinvestigate Graham Linehan discrimination complaint

The Metropolitan Police have been ordered to reinvestigate a complaint over the arrest of Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan after a watchdog found failings in the force's handling of the case. 

Mr Linehan, also known for shows including the IT Crowd and Black Books, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in September 2025 on suspicion of inciting violence over three posts he made on social media.

The 58-year-old subsequently received an apology from the Met and a settlement following a civil claim.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said that Linehan later requested a review of how Scotland Yard treated him and handled a complaint he made.

Received in May 2026, the application included "an allegation that he [Linehan] was discriminated against due to his gender-critical beliefs".

The police watchdog ruled that the Met's handling of Linehan's complaint had been inadequate and ordered the force to reinvestigate the allegation he had been discriminated against.

The IOPC said it had found "the outcome of the complaint was not reasonable and proportionate" and directed the Met to "reinvestigate a number of the allegations made".

It said that during the investigation into the complaint, the Met "failed to provide satisfactory explanations for the grounds for the man's arrest and failed to pursue lines of inquiry regarding a complaint about the man's bail conditions".

The watchdog added: "The man will have a further right of review to the IOPC should he be dissatisfied with the outcome of the force's reinvestigation."

In a statement, the Met said: "We will be reviewing the IOPC's decision and reopening the complaint."

More from Sky News:
Half of UK adults would not go to war, poll finds
UK's asylum housing divide revealed

Among those to publicly criticise Linehan's arrest was Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who described it as "utterly deplorable, and a number of politicians, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

Last year, the Met said it would stop investigating "non-crime hate incidents" to "reduce ambiguity" after prosecutors dropped the case against Linehan.

A non-crime hate incident involves an act perceived to be motivated - wholly or partly - by hostility or prejudice towards someone over a particular characteristic, such as their race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or transgender identity.

(c) Sky News 2026: Police watchdog orders Met to reinvestigate Graham Linehan discrimination complaint