David Schneider delves into the archives to explore what makes Jewish humour distinct and how it reacts in times of rising antisemitism.

We begin in 1903 with the American-born comedian Julian Rose, whose star began to fall as US audiences grew tired of the Jewish stereotypes in his act. He moved to Britain where he became a popular act, billed on BBC Radio in the mid-1920s as "Our Hebrew Friend."

David will also excavate the vibrant Yiddish theatre scene thriving in the East End at the same time that Julian Rose played the Palladium. During WWII musical comedies combined British patriotism and zionism to offer vital escapism from the horrific genocide playing out in mainland Europe.

As he examine the huge success of Jewish comedians in the US in the decades following the war with stars like Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks and Danny Kaye, whose influence dominated our idea of Jewish comedy even in the UK, David seeks to understand what defines Jewish humour and why it captured the mainstream in the later 20th century.

Revisiting classic scenes from Mel Brooks' The Producers, Seinfeld, and later Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat David traces the red lines between triumph and tastelessness, and how Jewish comedians have used taboo topics to expose and ridicule antisemitism.

And David takes in the contemporary landscape of British Jewish comedy. We'll look at the success of the sitcom Friday Night Dinner and meet a generation of younger British comedians, such as the comperes of popular LGBTQ+ Jewish night Buttmitzvah who proudly discuss their Jewish identities onstage in the face of rising antisemitism.

Featuring David Baddiel, Robert Popper, Judy Gold, Devorah Baum, Katie Power, David Rose, Talie Reese, Katie Price, Tom Joseph, Alex Eisenberg and Candy Gigi.

Presented by David Schneider
Produced by Pippa Smith
Consulting Producer and original idea by Anna Conrad
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey
Mixed by Naomi Clarke
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4

Featuring clips from:

Seinfeld - NBC, West Shapiro Productions, Castle Rock Entertainment.
Levinsky at the wedding - Julian Rose, Columbia Records
Yiddishe Jazz - Julian Rose, Edison Records.
Ich Such a Job - Joseph Sherman
The King of Lampedusa - by SJ Harendorf, performed by David Schneider and Shane Baker.
The Court Jester - Melvin Frank, Norman Panama, Dena Enterprises, Paramount Pictures
Rumenye Rumenye - The klezmer conservatory band, Rounder Records, Concord music group
Caesar’s Hour - Clark Jones, NBC, Shellrick productions
Jewish or Goyish - Lenny Bruce, UMG, Fantasy Records
The Producers - Sidney Glazier, Crossbow Productions Embassy Pictures, Mel Brooks
Curb Your enthusiasm - Larry David, HBO.
Judy Gold - at the 2014 Just for Laughs festival
Saturday Night Live - Broadway Video, NBC
The Real Mccoy - BBC2, BBC TV
Knowing Me, Knowing Yule - Talkback Productions, BBC 1
Grandma’s House - Tiger Aspect productions, BBC 2
Friday Night Dinner - Popper Pictures, Big Talk productions, Channel 4
Tracey Ullman breaks the news - BBC Studios, BBC 1
Borat - Sacha baron Cohen, Larry Charles, Four by Two Films, 20th Century Fox,
Katie Price at the covent garden comedy club - A Rush of Laughter

Links and Further Reading:

‘Hebrew Acts in the British Music Hall: The Career of Julian Rose’, Daniel Appleby, Jewish Historical Studies https://www.jstor.org/stable/48733572

Information on the New Yiddish Theatre at the Adler Hall https://www.jewisheastend.com/yiddishtheatre.html

Curb Your Judaism - Radio 4 Extra
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b015n6q1 Show less