Bafta-winning writer Graham Linehan has praised TV presenters Richard Ayoade and Jonathan Ross for their “bravery” in supporting his new memoir about being “cancelled” after criticising the trans rights movement.

The Father Ted creator, 55, who also wrote TV sitcoms The IT Crowd and Black Books, has written a new book titled Tough Crowd: How I Made And Lost A Career In Comedy which features positive reviews from Ayoade and Ross on the front cover.

Both the comedians received a backlash online for their reviews, which saw IT Crowd star Ayoade describe the memoir as an “extraordinary and chilling portrayal of cancel culture”, while chat show host Ross said it was a “compelling and unflinchingly honest” memoir.