Stephen Fry to condemn antisemitism in Alternative Christmas Message on Channel 4

Stephen Fry will deliver Channel 4 Alternative Christmas Message, calling for solidarity across the UK to tackle recent rise in antisemitism.

Stephen Fry will deliver Channel 4's 2023 Alternative Christmas Message. Image: Getty

Stephen Fry will address the rise in antisemitism in the UK in his delivery of Channel 4's Alternative Christmas Message on December 25th this year.

Having first aired in 1993, Channel 4's Christmas broadcast provides an alternative to the annual Royal Christmas Message which will see King Charles III address current events in the UK from the monarch's perspective.

The actor, comedian and writer will follow in the footsteps of an AI robot, a deepfake of Queen Elizabeth II, Tom Daley and Danny Dyer who are among those to have delivered the speech in recent years. The message has also previously featured presenters such as the President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whistle-blower Edward Snowden, Katie Piper, children who survived the Grenfell Tower disaster and The Simpsons.

Fry will address the reported rise in antisemitism across the UK in recent months following the October 7th Hamas attacks and Israel's response. The message will be broadcast shortly after the official royal message on Christmas day.

Is Stephen Fry Jewish?

While Stephen Fry is a self-declared atheist and humanist, he is also Jewish. Fry said that he felt he had to overtly claim his Jewish heritage in order to stand up to antisemitism and "hateful abuse".

In the speech, he celebrates how far Britain has come in acceptance and tolerance since he was young. Growing up, he says he feared not being accepted for his sexuality rather than his Jewish heritage.

Stephen Fry will discuss the rise in antisemitism across the UK in Channel 4 Christmas message. Image: Getty

He said: "One truth about myself however, that I never thought for one single second would ever be an issue about which I had any cause to worry in this country, was that I’m a Jew. Yes, you heard me correctly, I am a Jew."

Fry goes on to explain that his mother's Jewish family came to the UK in the 1930s and that his father died before knowing of his own Jewish heritage.

In claiming his own Jewish identity, Fry also discusses the fear that exists with it, not only from his being singled out as such in "ultra-right wing newspapers" but from recent Metropolitan Police reports which found antisemitic hate crimes have increased in London by 1,350%.

He said: “There is real fear stalking the Jewish neighbourhoods of Britain. Jewish people here are becoming fearful of showing themselves. In Britain, in 2023. Can you imagine, Jews afraid to be themselves in the open for fear of reprisal?”

Stephen Fry calls for solidarity in Alternative Christmas Message

In his Alternative Christmas Message for Channel 4, the 66-year-old also calls for solidarity. He asks the nation to stand up to antisemitism, as they would to any form of racism.

He said: "My Jewish grandparents loved Britain, believing that Jews were more welcome here than in most countries. I am glad they aren’t alive now to read newspaper stories that would have reminded them of the 1930’s Europe that they left. They believed Britishness meant being fair and decent, but what can be more unfair or indecent than race hatred, whether antisemitism, Islamophobia, or any kind?

"So what is my message this Christmas: the simple truth that we are all brothers and sisters? It’s naive, but it’s as good a message as any other. At this time in the face of the greatest rise in anti-Jewish racism since records began, Jews should stand upright and proud in who they are. And so should you, whatever your genetic makeup.

"Standing upright means speaking up and calling out venomous slurs and hateful abuse wherever you encounter them. Knowing and loving this country as I do, I don’t believe that most Britons are ok living in a society that judges hatreds of Jews to be the one acceptable form of racism. So speak up, stand with us, be proud to be Jewish or Jew-ish - or, if not Jewish at all, proud to have us as much a part of this great nation as any other minority, as any of you."

Previous Alternative Christmas Messages on Channel 4

The Alternative Christmas Message is as described: an alternative to the royal festive address. Lasting only three to five minutes, Channel 4's message will often feature a contemporary celebrity - often someone controversial - to reflect on the last year.

It began with Quentin Crisp in 1993 and has become a tradition for the broadcaster.

Ameca, one of the world’s most advanced robots, delivered Channel 4’s alternative Christmas message in 2022. Image: Richard Ansett/Channel 4

The tone varies from year to year. In 1999, Ali G - performed by Sacha Baron Cohen - delivered the speech, with Marge Simpson chosen in 2004 and Jamie Oliver in 2005. Other years have seen more serious selections, such as Neville and Doreen Lawrence in 1998 who are the parents of black British teenager Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in a racially motivated attack.

What time is Channel 4's Alternative Christmas Message on TV?

The Alternative Christmas Message will be broadcast on Channel 4 at 5.10pm on Christmas Day.