David Baddiel, a comedian, prefers to find the humor in life that has helped him deal with the many tragedies he has encountered, from the difficult illness of his father to his daughter’s eating disorder.
David Baddiel may be the funny man on screen, but his life behind closed doors has been marred by heartbreak. The comedian’s latest venture is a rather unexpected exploration of his obsession with cats. Described as a “love letter to the best creatures on earth”, the three part series David Baddiel: Cat Man sees the star meet some marvellous moggies with larger than life personalities as well as their adoring owners, some of whom are well known names.
David takes a fun-filled look at the viral escapades of various felines and although the show marks a new avenue for the comedianl, it contains all the humour fans would expect from the 61-year-old, who has made his name from his honest views on life. Labelling it his “truth urge”, the writer and TV personality always tries to see the funny side, no matter what. He has also used this approach to help him deal with personal tragedy and illness among his closest family members.
Back in 2018 he was a guest on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs where he discussed having to deal with the serious aspects of being an adult. “As you get older your life gets darker. You’re faced with mortality,” he said. However he also revealed that he chose to manage it with honesty and humour, both of which were forms of defence.
He claimed that trying to “find the funny in those things” was what spurred his on. He continued, “I don’t believe it’s a denial; it’s a bulwark.” He continued to defend his assertion that his honesty was attributable to his “own limitations as a performer,” adding with typical modesty that he didn’t want to come off as haughty.
He continued, claiming that Colin, his father, had Pick’s Disease, which had exaggerated his father’s original brash personality. He claimed that it was a ridiculous and cartoonish rendition of what he was like and that it was a form of dementia. People are always acting offensive, obscene, impatient, and apathetic, and my dad was one of those people.
David’s dad died in January 2022 and the comedian paid tribute to him when he announced his passing on Twitter. Alongside a picture of him from his childhood he wrote: “My dad Colin Baddiel died earlier tonight. Thank so much to all of you who sent unbelievably lovely messages about him in response to all my posts over the years. He leaves a huge hole in my sky.”
A rare brain disorder known as Pick’s disease and a form of frontotemporal dementia. Language issues, memory issues, personality issues, and behavioral changes, such as disinhibition, impulsivity, apathy, poor judgment, and inappropriate social behavior are symptoms. When doctors informed David of his father’s diagnosis, he inquired, “Sorry, does he have a disease – or have you just met him”?
In 2017 he opened up on his dad’s condition on Channel 4 documentary The Trouble with Dad, revealing that he sometimes felt “frightened” of him. Colin had always used expletives a lot but the illness took it to new levels and he also made sexually inappropriate comments which David didn’t want his children, daughter Dolly and son Ezra, to hear – so he stopped them visiting him.
Morwenna Banks, a comedian and actress, is David’s biological child. Dolly’s age is 24; however, she was a teenager and experienced anorexia. The aspiring performer discusses her eating disorder in public, and she made an appearance in the documentary David Baddiel: Social Media, Anger and Us alongside her father in 2021.
The program looked at the effects of social media, and particularly how it affected Dolly’s recovery. She reveals, “I had anorexia for about three years and was very, very sick. I believe that recovering from social media was much harder. I was hurt, David continued. I could tell that you were suffering.
He said he wasn’t aware of her constant use of Instagram and that she “would definitely have been better off without it”. Dolly, who revealed she suffered from anxiety before anorexia explained how social media stalled her recovery. “We weren’t allowed phones in hospital,” she said. “But when I’d come out I’d struggle a lot and look at all this eating disorder content online and become all-consumed with the journeys of strangers.”
David Baddiel: Cat Man airs on Channel 4 on Friday, January 16 at 8 p.m.
