BBC Accused of ‘Race-Baiting’ over Galloway Golders Green Invite

The BBC has been accused of “race-baiting” for inviting radical anti-Israel MP George Galloway to appear at a high-profile show hosted in Finchley and Golders Green, which is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the UK.

“Question Time” sees commentators and political figures take part in a panel discussion on hot political topics, as well as fielding questions from members of the audience. Each episode is filmed in different locations around the country to allow different communities to take part.

But the decision to invite Galloway of all people to the upcoming showing—which will be based in a neighborhood with such a large Jewish population—has left some British Jews seething.

As leader of the far-left Respect Party, Galloway has been repeatedly accused of anti-Semitism for incendiary remarks and vocal opposition to any Jewish right to self-determination in Israel. …

Yes, he’s very attractive.

I do not like “dark” stuff. I’m in the theater in NYC and am always fighting against the dark to bring light and beauty back to the stage. I avoid disgusting films = American, British and German. I watch Kurasawa movies at night with my husband who is a film teacher. Kurasawa brought great light to the world. The rest of the time I watch either cooking shows or American television classic tv. You’d probably distain Bilko. I’m a member of the British Bilko Society run by a good friend of mine out of Coventry.

That said, America has plenty of gritty dramas - The Sopranos, of course, being a main example. Followed by The Wire, Oz and numerous other shows that freepers here could tell you about. (I generally am behind the curve on the new ones.) Watch HBO not BBC America. I only found Grantchester from stumbling across it on PBS.

Benny Hill was funny. Monty Python was funny and so was Faulty Towers. Stereotypes are the basis of good comedy. I don’t know any American who think the average Englishman is anything like a Benny Hill character.

1—Depends on what you considering disgusting I suppose. For me, its gross toilet humour and ‘torture porn’ horror films like Hostel.

2-I consider Kurosawa to be the greatest director of all. I recently watched Yojimbo on the big screen at a Glasgow arts cinema: the GFT.

3—I love Bilko. Its been said that Bilko is more acclaimed still in the UK and loved by Brits more than its own country. Its recently reappeared on British Forces TV, god no, millions of Brits grew up with it, and we love it. 60 years old and still genius.

4—Yes, America does and has changed the TV map in the last 20 years or so. Both for itself and how its raised the game for TV worldwide. As you know, the UK gets every big new drama and sitcom from the US, across a range of channels. The majority are hits, a few flop. Occassionally, a big one you’d think would be a hit will flop (House, Letterman, Seinfeld) and others come out of nowhere to be cult hits or massively popular.

5—You should watch BBC America, its shows the best of current and recent British TV, not just BBC, but ITV, CH4, CH5. There are some terrific shows on British TV at the moment, from swashbucklers like The Musketeers to darker dramas like The Missing.

6—I loved Benny Hill (his earlier, cleverer stuff). I know people dont think every Brit is Mr Bean, what I meant was that a certain slightly stereotypical show might give the idea that its the epitome of UK comedy.

In the US, Are You Being Served and Keeping Up Appearances are hugely popular. As is Benny Hill. Now, I loved the former. BUT whilst its rated by the UK public as a classic and top 20, its not top 10 let alone top. And Benny Hill whilst loved was never and isn’t the favourite comedian of the British public.

I find Freepers and RightNationers I chat with on UK films, TV and comedy are usually surprised that AYBS or Benny aren’t considered no 1 in their own country. And that those who ARE considered the best of British usually didn’t make it big in the US.

Britain’s favourite classic comedians are Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise, Norman Wisdom, Ronnie Barker, Frankie Howerd and Tony Hancock.

Our greatest classic sitcoms are Porridge, Rising Damp, Dad’s Army, Blackadder, Only Fools and Horses, Open All Hours and Fawlty. Only two of which have any meaning to US audiences. Not to mention Morecambe and Wise or The Two Ronnies, both of which had 15-20m (and more) viewers at their peak.

There are so many references here. Yes, some of the comics you mention have never played here much less been popular here. I was astonished yesterday to turn on Turner Classics and see they were showing a Frankie Howard movie. It was from the 50s and about a bus, I think. I tried to analyze his appeal but the movie wasn’t all that good and probably didn’t show him at his best. He did have the hint of mint about him, though.

Rising Damp, Blackadder, Fawlty and Open All Hours were shown here. Three of them were very popular and the Ronnie Barker, I think, was eventually dropped. I still love Rising Damp and absolutely insist that Vicious is simply Rising Damp with two gay guys. Exact same formula, cast member and set. I think the 2 Ronnies was shown here but they may not have caught on. This was a long time ago and my memory is fuzzy.

I don’t know why some of the classics haven’t been shown here. Maybe Norman Lear got them banned. I have a Steptoe and Son tv movie but a friend who knows his stuff says it’s not as good as the show and so it still sits in its cellophane. I have an amazing dvd of The Bounder that is absolutely hilarious. Oh, and Good Neighbors (known as something else in GB) was beloved here. I have that on DVD as well.

Freepers seem to love Monty Python and Blackadder. Many references here although the generation that loved the Pythons seems to have moved on.

I can understand why Letterman bombed in Britain; Johnny Carson bombed too. Joan Rivers and Jackie Mason eventually had a huge success in London once the Jews found out about them. I saw Mason in London and the audience was definitely tuned in in a way American Jews sometimes get offended by him. He had a great audience that night.

I’m surprised Seinfeld didn’t catch on but it left a lot of Americans cold as well. Too New York, I assume, although dead accurate in its depiction of yuppies in the mid-90s and absolutely hilarious.

1—Howerd was great, best watched in Up Pompeii.

2-I know Blackadder and Fawlty were very popular, I wasn’t aware the others were. I love Rising Damp. One of the UK greats.

3—Lear ironically had to TONE DOWN the original when he made the US version of Till Death Us Do Part, need I tell you the remake, lol.

4—The two Steptoe films (and actually most of the sitcom film versions of the 70’s) are actually good. I’d watch them.

5—Good Neighbours was The Good Life in the UK.

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