Jews Don’t Count has cemented David Baddiel’s status as a prominent member of Britain’s Jewish community. Has that come with risks? When I first ask, he responds by talking about the social pressures it creates – recently, he was asked by a senior figure at The Jewish News to retweet an editorial that denounced the far-right and racist elements of the new Israeli government. “And he said: ‘As one of the most influential members of the community, it’d be great if you retweeted this.’ And I said: ‘My position on Israel is that Jews are not incumbent – non-Israeli Jews are not incumbent to comment all the time on Israel. And imagining that they are is a gift to those people who think all antisemitism is actually about Israel and that Jews are collectively responsible for it. So I’m afraid I’m not going to.’ And he was fine with that. But it was one of a hundred things that I get every day now where people imagine that I have to come in on something to do with Jews or Israel. Sometimes I do want to, and sometimes I don’t.”

Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child... The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2023 have been announced, with one winner from each of the four categories announced: Picture book, Children... And you know what’s really heart-breaking? This isn’t actually in the documentary, because the cameras weren’t on. A child said to me: ‘Oh, is this for your Jews Don’t Count documentary? So why are you showing our school drill? What that’s to do with it?’ And I said: ‘Well, you know, because you’re a Jewish school, this is why you have to do that.’ And he didn’t know. He thought all schools do this kind of drill.” Instead, he’s been revisiting his youth. He’s not thrilled about Qatar hosting the World Cup. (“It’s really bad. It’s sort of amazing that internationally we let this happen… So when someone says to me: ‘Oh, England are in the final – do you want to fly over?’, I will have to deal with my own conscience.”) But with comedy partner Frank Skinner, he’s preparing to launch a new Christmas version of his football anthem “Three Lions”, which will update the single’s infamous “30 years of hurt” lyric to recognise the Lionesses’ 2022 Euros victory. The Primary School Library Alliance is calling on the government to match-fund the private investment it has brought into helping primary schools c...Baddiel became a cabaret stand-up comedian after leaving university and also wrote sketches and jokes for various radio series. His first television appearance came in a bit-part on one episode of the showbiz satire, Filthy, Rich and Catflap. In 1988, he was introduced to Rob Newman, a comic impressionist, and the two became a writing partnership. They were subsequently paired up with the partnership of Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis for a new topical comedy show for BBC Radio 1 called The Mary Whitehouse Experience, and its success led to a transfer to television, shooting Baddiel to fame. What reignites Santa’s passion for Christmas, however, is a child’s expression of faith. In a moment that changes everything, a three-year-old who has grown up knowing only vapid hologram “Santavatars” recognises the true Santa. It feels like a scene from Gospel stories of the resurrection of Christ. For Baddiel, the scene “is about belief and the innocence of belief. And how much we all want that to be real.”

David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter. Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. He grew up in grew up in Dollis Hill, Willesden, North London. Virtually Christmas is set sometime in the future with Christmas fast approaching. However, it's not like the Christmas that we know today. It has been renamed and is now called Winterzone, presents are delivered by drone, Santa is a hologram - and there are hundreds of these that pop up everywhere! - and finally, the children in this future time have never seen snow!I just love Christmas.” The boyish grin beams across my screen; the eyes glow wide. But naturally, there’s more to it. “I’ve got a sort of Jewish thing, which I think is years and years and years of not celebrating Christmas when I was a kid and thinking: ‘Blimey, there’s a fantastic party, happening somewhere else and we don’t seem to be invited.’ And that has now led me to always really dive headfirst into Christmas.” Baddiel’s new children’s book, out now I was paralysed doing stunts on Harry Potter. It was still the best job in the world 17 November, 2023 Mathew Baynton on the end of Ghosts: 'What the f*** have we done?' 09 November, 2023 Richard Hammond: 'Top Gear wasn't laddish. We weren't misogynistic. We were three nice blokes' 23 October, 2023 Can Etta work out what happened to the real Santa in time to save Christmas? And will her dad finally stand up to the evil boss of Winterzone (TM)?