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British Airways (BA) has U-turned on its decision to remove a sitcom about the British Jewish community from its inflight entertainment package in the wake of the Israel-Hamas War.
Hapless, which revolves around an obsessive and gaffe-prone journalist for a fictional Jewish newspaper and was recently acquired by Peacock, was initially due to screen on BA from late this year but after a content review it was removed.
After coming to the attention of director Gary Sinyor and others, BA has U-turned, stating that the series will run from early next year following the airline’s latest three-monthly content review.
“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,” said a spokesperson for BA. “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.”
Sinyor described the initial decision to drop Hapless as a “mistake” and said society has been “running scared” since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
“Everyone is treading on eggshells,” he told Deadline. “As a Jewish film-maker I have to understand that and – not wishing to sound too Christian – I have to forgive. But i still need to challenge where mistakes are made and delaying a British comedy because of the Middle East was a mistake.”
Starring Paddington’s Tim Downie, Hapless’ “cringe comedy” approach has been compared in scope to U.S. hit Curb Your Enthusiasm. It is available on Prime Video in the UK and has also been picked up by Viaplay for Scandinavia, Poland and Benelux. Hapless is written and directed by Sinyor whose credits include Leon The Pig Farmer, Stiff Upper Lips and New Line’s The Bachelor.
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