Tough Crowd

Graham Linehan

How I Made and Lost a Career in Comedy

‘A must-read. Funny and utterly compelling’ Jonathan Ross

Having cut his teeth in music journalism, Graham Linehan became the finest sitcom writer of his generation. He captured the comedy zeitgeist not just as the co-creator of Father Ted but also with The IT Crowd and Black Books, winning five Baftas and a lifetime achievement award.

Then his life took an unexpected turn. When he championed an unfashionable cause, TV commissioners no longer returned his emails, showbiz pals lost his number and his marriage collapsed.

In an emotionally charged memoir that is by turns hilarious and harrowing, he lets us into the secrets of the writing room and colourfully describes the high-octane atmosphere of a sitcom set. But he also berates an industry where there was no one to stand by his side when he needed help.

Bruised but not beaten, he explains why he chose the hill of women and girls’ rights to die on – and why, despite the hardship of cancellation, he’s not coming down from it any time soon.

‘A memoir full of humour and courage’ The Oldie

‘Perhaps nothing Linehan has ever written has been as important as this brilliant but often painful memoir’ Daily Express

‘Tough Crowd contains a lot of fire and brimstone, but it is very entertaining’ The Critic

‘Linehan’s memories of making Father Ted brim with verve and charm’ The Guardian

‘If you want to know how a music writer from Dublin ended up as one of the most notable commentators in the gender wars, then you need to hear it from the man himself’ The Spectator

‘One of the most entertaining new books I’ve read in a long time, in any genre’ Spiked

‘Linehan’s is a story that calls out to be heard. To recommend it is to take a small stand’ Entertainment Focus

‘The saddest thing is that the very people who should read it, to hear the facts, probably won’t’ Irish Sunday Independent

‘One of the most compelling and unflinchingly honest memoirs I’ve read in many years. It’s also the funniest’ Andrew Doyle

‘His brilliance in prose is the equal to his brilliance as a screenwriter’ Richard Ayoade

‘An extraordinary and chilling portrayal of cancel culture. Unputdownable’ Lissa Evans

Hardback: 288pp

Published: Eye (October 2023)

ISBN: 9781785633065