David Baddiel suggests that his father, who was a very male and aggravated individual, simply chose to ignore his mother's affairs and her various eccentricities. He was more focused on avoiding aggravation in his life and tuned out her behavior, even though it was quite public.
Golf became a significant obsession for David's mother, who had a 20-year affair with a golfing salesman named David White. She even named her antique stall 'Golfiana' and collected golf memorabilia extensively. The sport became a central theme in their family's dysfunction, with David White often present in their lives.
David's mother enjoyed being associated with his fame but showed little interest in the actual work that made him famous. She often tried to insert herself into his public appearances, such as at the premiere of his film 'The Infidel,' where she posed for photos with photographers rather than focusing on him.
Cats were a source of deep affection for David, especially as he felt his father's only real affection for him as a child was directed towards their family cat. David shared a cat named Chairman Meow with Frank Skinner, and he currently has four cats, one of whom, Zelda, has a particularly poignant history as she lived with his father during his dementia.
David's mother was a hoarder, which he believes stemmed from losing everything in her youth during the Holocaust. She held onto items as a way to feel secure, and her obsession with David White and golf memorabilia was a manifestation of this need to cling to aspects of her life that brought her comfort or identity.
David once had an awkward encounter with Andrew Lloyd Webber, who confused him with Ben Elton. When David corrected him, Andrew introduced him to his wife as Sarah, which was actually the name of his previous wife. David accidentally introduced her as Sarah to someone else, leading to a very embarrassing situation.
The affair was a significant source of dysfunction in the family, with David's mother openly discussing it and even mentioning it on live television. Despite the affair being common knowledge, David's father seemed to either not notice or chose not to address it, leading to a strange dynamic within the family.
The Old Boys Book Club was a group that discussed Billy Bunter books, which David's mother had collected. She enrolled him in the club when he was 11, even though he had no interest in the books. The experience was deeply boring for him, as he was the only child among much older members.
David's father's dementia led to a significant change in his behavior and personality, making him more difficult to handle. However, it also created a unique bond with one of David's cats, Zelda, who lived with his father during this time. The cat's return after his father's death was a poignant moment for David.
One of the most revealing moments was when David's mother, during a live TV show, implied that not all of her children were from her husband, saying, 'How do you know they were all from your father?' She then topped it by saying, 'No, it means I had a good life,' suggesting that her affair was a way to reclaim the life she felt was stolen from her by the Holocaust.
David Baddiel has been on our screens for over 35 years. The creator of The Mary Whitehouse Experience and one half of Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned, he spent his early career in the world of television comedy. More recently, he has become a leading voice on Jewishness and antisemitism in the U.K after releasing his award-winning documentary and book Jews Don’t Count.
In October 2024 he came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss how both comedy and Jewishness have shaped his career and life. Drawing from his hilarious new memoir My Family, he discussed his upbringing from reckoning with his family’s trauma from the Holocaust to his late mother’s affair with a golfing salesman and his father’s struggles with dementia. Baddiel revealed his family story to shed light on why he believes laughter has the capacity to transform our darkest experiences into something more bearable.
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