I don’t think I’d seen a “Down with this sort of thing” placard in the flesh since I watched the Protest the Pope march back in September 2010. The sign references an episode of the 1990s comedy Father Ted, in which the protagonist and his dim-witted sidekick Fr Dougal are forced to protest against the screening of a blasphemous new film called The Passion of Saint Tibulus. Among the many catchphrases popularised by the comedy, back in 2010 this one suggested an ironic and gently mocking attitude to religion; that it was ridiculous rather than evil.
10:38 AM
Down with this sort of thing: Graham Linehan and the new blasphemy laws
Once celebrated for creating Father Ted, Graham Linehan now finds himself at the centre of Britain’s free speech debate. His fall from comedy’s heights to public controversy marks a cultural shift from mocking religion to policing opinion.
Ed West
7 min read
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