Comic says Jews are underrepresent in on-air comedies

David Baddiel says Jewish people are under-represented in British TV comedy – and has called on TV executives to commission a Jewish sketch show to redress the balance.

The comedian and writer said he saw little accurate representation of his life as a British Jew, adding that a show in the vein of Goodness Gracious Me or Famalam.

‘We are a tiny minority, so maybe we don’t deserve one, but I think we could do with one,’ he added.

There are around 300,000 Jewish people in the UK – about 0.4 per cent of the population.

Speaking at a screening of his forthcoming Channel 4 doc Jews Don’t Count – and reported by trade website Broadcast – Baddiel did acknowledge Friday Night Dinner was ‘sort of representative of Jewish life’.

But he added: ‘There are lots of people who watch it and don’t really know about [that aspect]. And most of the main cast aren’t Jewish, which is weird.’

Jews Don’t Count, based on Baddiel's book on the same topic, airs on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday.

Published: 17 Nov 2022