David Mitchell Fails to Raise a Laugh from Jewish Community

Richard Ferrer - Thursday 5th November 2009


David Mitchell hosting Radio 4's The Unbelievable Truth

Anne Frank's stepsister has expressed her shock and dismay after one of Britain's top comedians cracked a tasteless joke about the Holocaust diarist on a show broadcast by the BBC.

Around 50 complaints have been logged by the broadcaster after David Mitchell, who won a Bafta for his hit television comedy Peep Show, told listeners of Radio 4's The Unbelievable Truth that there was "absolutely no truth in the rumour that the last line in Anne Frank's diary reads: 'Today is my birthday. Dad bought me a drum kit'."

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The 35-year-old comedian made the comment during his introduction to the panel show, in which celebrity contestants win points for slipping true facts into a speech full of falsehoods without the other competitors noticing.

Anne hid from the Nazis with her family in an Amsterdam attic for two years before dying of typhus in Bergen Belsen concentration camp only months before the end of the Second World War. The diary of her time in hiding is one of the world's most widely-read books.

Eva Schloss, 80, whose mother married Anne's father Otto Frank after the war, has dedicated her life to educating people about interfaith tolerance.
She told the Jewish News: "It's amazing that this comedian dared to make such a thoughtless remark. The Holocaust and its victims is no subject for comedy, especially on a show broadcast by the BBC. It's an outrageous and insensitive comment to make."

Gillian Walnes, executive director of the Anne Frank Trust, said: "I don't believe that this joke was made out of any malicious or racist intent, but was simply thoughtless. I am, however, very surprised there has not been any statement of regret for the offence caused.

"There is a powerful poignancy in referring to the teenage Anne Frank's last diary entry before her arrest and journey to her terrible death. In this entry Anne talks about her struggle between her two selves - the frivolous Anne and the good Anne, and how she hopes that the better one will overcome in the future.

"She also expresses a feeling of hope for the future - one which we impart to young people in Britain today so that they can use the opportunities given to them to make a better future."

A Radio 4 spokesman told the Jewish News: "We have received 46 complaints in response to the show. The joke was a ludicrous and far-fetched way of illustrating the rules of the game. Regular listeners to the comedy panel show are familiar with its style and tone which can be, on occasion, irreverent.

"The programme was not removed from the BBC internet iPlayer and was available to listen to again for seven days after the first broadcast on 26 October."

Walnes added: "The joke may have been made without malicious intent, but to Anne's stepsister, who lives in London, and her first cousin who lives in Switzerland, she remains a very real person and a much-loved family member."

David Mitchell's agent said the comedian had no comment on the matter, adding that the decision as to what was broadcast was the responsibility of the BBC.




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