British Airways pulls Jewish sitcom from flights to stay neutral

British Airways has chosen to stop airing the Jewish sitcom Hapless on its flights to avoid any perception of taking sides in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, as the Telegraph reported. 

The decision was made to maintain neutrality and not appear biased amid the dispute. The satirical show, available on Netflix and Amazon Prime, follows the comedic adventures of a London journalist working for a fictional Jewish newspaper. British Airways had initially purchased the first season of the series, intending to make it available to passengers for six months starting in December. 

However, the airline canceled the £20,000 deal just days after the October 7 massacre. Gary Sinyor, the Jewish writer and director of the series, was informed of the decision by Spafax Media, an international media company responsible for securing licensing rights to movies and TV shows for in-flight entertainment. Sinyor revealed that he was told British Airways did not want to "take sides" in the conflict by screening the six-episode season and preferred to delay the deal until after the war concluded. 

A message from Spafax to Sinyor on October 13, obtained by the Telegraph, stated: "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."

A show about Jews in the UK, nothing to do with Israel

Sinyor told the Telegraph that the series has nothing to do with Israel or Palestinians. "I mean, other than that the Jewish people live in Israel and that Israel is a Jewish state, it has nothing to do with it. I think what it shows is a fear of being perceived as being pro-Israel just because it’s got Jewish characters in it.”

In response to inquiries, a British Airways spokesperson issued an apology: "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."

Sinyor described the decision to postpone the screening as shocking. "It’s overcautious and if that’s reflected in British society then I think the Jewish community here would be concerned," he remarked. "I think that the Muslim community would be concerned as well if they found that things that had Muslim humor in them, or Muslim content or were being made by Muslim filmmakers were being vetoed in this way, even if it’s a temporary veto."