Airline U-turns over Hapless after public outcry

British Airways has apologised for pulling a sitcom about Jewish characters from its in-flight entertainment because of the war in Gaza.

The airline had reportedly paused its plans to screen the London-based sitcom Hapless because it wanted to remain neutral. 

But after the decision was made public, BA did a U-turn and said: ‘We understand that the decision to review the content has caused upset and hurt to the Jewish community, and we’re sorry – that was never our intention.

‘We’re proud to offer a wide range of entertainment options for our customers to enjoy and constantly review these, taking into consideration current events. The series will appear on our aircraft early next year.’

Creator Gary Sinyor said he was baffled by the decision, especially as as the show is ‘not a Jewish sitcom. It's a satirical British sitcom with Jews and non-Jews in it’.

Writing on social media, he said he didn’t believe the decision – which he tried to sort out quietly before going public – was antisemitic, but ‘ill-thought out, possibly out of fear of a reaction from Muslims’.

However he pointed out that there are also Muslims in the show, adding: ‘It was made to unite the UK through old school laughs in today’s world. It now looks like the national airline may have unwittingly made that happen.  Now let’s get it in front of Israelis and Palestinians.

Hapless follows the life of a journalist played by Tim Downie working for a fictional Jewish newspaper in London. Its co-stars include Josh Howie and Lucy Montgomery and is currently available on Amazon’s Prime Video platform.

Published: 19 Dec 2023