10 hours ago
Fast Show star ‘distraught' after antisemitic post from stolen phone
A star of The Fast Show, the 1990s TV comedy sketch show, is said to be 'distraught' after his social media accounts were hacked and used to post an antisemitic message.
Simon Day's Facebook, Instagram and X accounts were used to post a picture of the comedian and film director Mel Brooks along with a slur about Jewish people. It said: 'Not all Jewz are c***s. More political insight tomorrow'.
The posts were quickly deleted and an apology sent.
'Please ignore my last post,' Day, 63, said. 'Last post someone hacked my phone. Would like to apologise for any offence. I am investigating.'
Tracy-Ann Oberman, an actress who was awarded an MBE for services to Holocaust education and countering antisemitism, welcomed the apology. 'Good of him to elaborate on this heinous post with its near 100 likes on Insta,' she said.
Oberman had initially spotted the message on Day's social media accounts and responded with some concern. 'Either Simon has been hacked or he thinks this is acceptable for a high-profile entertainment comedian to post this Jew hate,' she wrote. 'Hero to zero. It's on Simon's Instagram and Facebook, just not on Twitter.'
Charlie Higson, Day's co-star on The Fast Show, leapt to his defence after criticism from other users on social media. 'His phone and credit cards were stolen. Simon would never post anything like this. He's distraught and not sure how to handle it,' Higson said.
He added: 'Of course it's true [that he was robbed and hacked]. Simon's not going to completely change his character overnight.'
The pair worked together on the BBC sketch show, which spawned characters including Ted and Ralph, the Suits You tailors and Competitive Dad, for four series from 1994.
Last month a report found that a rise in antisemitic disinformation was contributing to hostility towards Jews on university campuses.
The study by the Henry Jackson Society, a British national security think tank, claimed that anti-Jewish narratives were 'flourishing unchecked'.
Students reported an increase in antisemitic disinformation after the atrocity on October 7, 2023, in which Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Social media was named as the main source of the disinformation.
