British Airways has pulled plans to show a Jewish sitcom through its inflight entertainment system as part of its response to October 7.
The airline delayed plans to add the comedy series Hapless, which has been shown on Netflix and Amazon Prime, to its in-flight entertainment system to avoid any appearance of taking sides in the ongoing conflict.
The satire follows misadventures of a London-based cynical journalist for a fictional Jewish newspaper and has been called the British version of the US sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm.
British Airways Business Class Seat With Screen
According to the Spafax media agency,
BA Press office have asked us to review content on board and being booked in relation to Israel/Palestine and the conflict currently happening. Their preference is to remain as neutral in these situations as possible.
As a result we’ve been asked to remove Hapless from the December line-up but are very happy to book this once the conflict dies down.
They refuse to show a Jewish sitcom and thinks that this isn’t ‘taking sides in the conflict,’ indeed perhaps the most objectionable thing is British Airways not wanting to take sides against Hamas, terrorism, and the mission to cleanse Jews ‘from the river to the sea’ (and, indeed, beyond).
British Airways Club World Entertainment Screen
British Airways had entered into an agreement in August to show the first season of the show starting in December. They set aside the deal in the days following the Hamas murder and rape of civilians, including young children.
The television show has nothing to do with Hamas or conflict between Israel and Palestinians. It features Jewish people living in the Jewish state. British Airways has made to avoid showing the sitcom because of its Jewishness.
A British Airways spokesperson offers this milquetoast response,
We are proud to offer a wide range of entertainment options for our customers to enjoy. We are constantly reviewing our content and are in the process of planning our 2024 schedule.
British Airways Club World Cabin Screens
Ironically, the British government told Palestinians they’d support a state in exchange for rising up against the Ottoman Empire. Yet Mandatory Palestine, conceded by the Ottomans and designated for British administration by the League of Nations, included Transjordan after Damascus fell to the French. The requirement of the Balfour declaration to create a “national home for the Jewish people” alongside the Palestinians did not apply to what then became a separate Jordan. Jordan should have become part of a Palestinian state. Instead, Palestinians rejected one in 1947 and went to war.
The British government, which has heavily subsidized British Airways, was not always so neutral!
(HT: Paddle Your Own Kanoo)
I’m sure you’ve noticed that are exactly no Muslim sitcoms anywhere in the world. I Wonder why.
I don’t recall a Palestinian sitcom it would go up against. Better not show any movie or TV show that has a Jewish actor or Jewish part.
They better not show Aladdin anymore.
So sad. The world is falling apart worrying too much about political correctness, safe spaces and microaggressions. Can’t begin to image how these snowflakes would handle sitcoms like All in the Family, The Jeffersons or Sanford and Son. We have lost so much in the race to “not offend” anyone it is really sad.
@AC Not to mention Blazing Saddles
Sad that they are too dense to realize that by making that decision they are actually supporting Hamas. Or…maybe that’s what they are actually doing. British government hasn’t had any backbone since Winston Churchill departed.
I am boycotting British Airways …… seat selection fees. Not new, but the boycott continues for now.
In the interest of “neutrality” on British Airways’ seat-back inflight entertainment video systems, can we get a dangerous flight briefing video to balance the flight safety briefing video?
What does a show about a jew in London have to do with the war?
BA doesn’t want their muslims customers (who are many in the UK these days) to have to see jews, that’s it.
Good luck in 20 years – the United Kingdom of Arabia. LOL.
Arturo,
I get it that your familiarity with the foreign seems to be a fraction of mine, so I’ll speak from a point of being informed:
There are sitcoms that are played in Muslim-majority countries. And also the more populous Muslim-majority countries also make their own sitcoms for local and/or regional consumption.
I agree with the main objections, but the wording tends to overstate the case with emotional exaggeration: specifically “not wanting to take sides against Hamas, terrorism, and the mission to cleanse Jews ‘from the river to the sea’ (and, indeed, beyond).”
So the British Airways is boycotting a BRITISH comedy about BRITISH Jewish characters. It’s not an Israeli production. It’s not about Israelis. For years we’ve been told that antisemitic actions were not antisemitic, just anti Israel/ ant-Zionist. Well, the mask has finally fallen. And we see flat out antisemitism. British citizens who are Jewish are being penalized because they’re Jewish.
So you’re saying that by not airing a television show, BA is pro-Hamas? Interesting chain of logic.
Gary, I’m sure you will not like this, but with everything going on in the world do we need to hear about every little thing that can be precieved, when looked in the the worst possible way, as anti Jewish? I’ve yet to see you write about Islamophobia, and we’re not talking about sitcoms here, but lives and careers.
@Topsyturvy – Gary has written about Islamophobia in the past but never that I’ve seen since the current situation erupted.
An airline removing a show from the schedule just because it has Jewish characters is both offensive and ridiculous. Is that what happened with BA?
IIRC
IAG – 20% owned by Qatar Airways
LHR partially owned by multiple Middle East sovereign funds
Is the problem apparent now?
What’s next no Seinfeld?
Topsyturvy– your name says it all
When has Qatar Airways ever gotten involved in telling BA what in-flight video programming standards to have for BA’s own planes? Wouldn’t surprise me if the answer is “never before nor this time either”. Are they even involved in joint purchasing of media content for in-flight entertainment? They seem to have separate standards for in-flight entertainment.
I have no doubt that the ownership of LHR has zero to do with BA’s and Virgin Atlantic’s in-flight video entertainment.
Did British Airways remove all American content from its entertainment when it was attacked on 9/11 and during the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? It’s funny how some organisations suddenly care about neutrality only for this one case in particular.
We currently have a heated debate in the UK about the BBC refusing to call Hamas terrorists, saying that they “don’t want to take sides”. Thing is, refusing to call a terrorist organisation terrorists IS taking sides. Again, they didn’t hesitate to call Al Qaeda and Isis terrorists…
What I learned and BA has done for me. Introduced me to a new show to look for on line to watch. Love curb if this is anything similar looking forward to it. British shows have given us some great television to watch.
GU,
the point is not direct influence but the far larger involvement of Middle East and N. African countries in UK life than they have in the US and compared to Jews in the US.
You do know who Princess Diana was dating before her death?
Princess Diana’s dating and dying in Paris with the son of the (since deceased) wealthy Egyptian business owner has no more relevance to this BA situation that Princess Diana’s niece being married to a Jewish businessman who is nearly three decades older than her.
Rishi Sunak and his family are Hindu, and he’s been at least as pro-Israel as each and every British PM in recent decades. And thankfully he’s smarter than that Sue-Ellen Braverman clown he had to can.
When I first heard about this I thought the show they pulled was Seinfeld.
A show that has nothing to do with Israel. BA is simply idiotic. Maybe they would like to remove all shows with any Jewish Cast or Crew? That way the passengers will have less than a dozen entertainment options.
GU,
you are simply pointing out what I have said. The UK is becoming much more influenced by cultures from around the world than most developed countries. Sunak is doing a fairly good job.
I’m not saying any of that influences or excuses why BA did what it did but the influence of the Middle East in UK business and in IAG is unmistakable – whether it influenced BA’s decision about the programming that Gary noted.
I’ve seen trailers for the show and it looks quite good. It’s a British sitcom with Jewish characters n it who live in the UK. How on earth is that taking sides? Time to start watching the show and stop taking British Airways. Maybe they’ll pull their thumb out of their backsides in the near future.
The more important question is – what is the upside for us to take sides in this? Both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to exist.
But I just note that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian-claimed land is illegal. And Israel is basically running an apartheid arrangement against the Palestinians.
So who has the moral ground here? Certainly not divisive figures like Gary Leff or Joe Biden who like to say “you’re either with us or against us”. Sorry, but the world isn’t black-and-white.
Moral compasses are in dire need of retuning at British Airways. I am so disgusted by what in reality is antisemitism. There is a movie showing on BA called Americanish and has a woman in a hijab. This was not removed. Not taking sides BA? Complete bunkum. Never flying BA again.
Nobody tell them who the British show “Friday Night Dinner” is about! Or “Peaky Blinders”!
Shocking! Never getting the BA credit card again this year.
I am neither Jewish nor Muslim (nor Christian, for that matter). I have MANY Jewish and Muslim friends that I hold dear to me and I personally find it very challenging during these times. I am level headed, objective and balanced in my views. I am constantly on edge though about accusations of “taking a side”. Believe me – it has happened. It is truly unnerving. So I really do see where the desire for British Airways to appear neutral comes from. I don’t think that removing the sitcom was a wise move and I do think it is anti-semitic. Full stop. But you just accused British Airways of supporting Hamas and terrorism because they removed a sitcom video. Seriously? Shame on you. This is why British Airways and everyone else is trying to remain neutral. Exhibit A, your honor.