Ben Elton, the former anti-establishment cheeky chappie, now novelist and lyricist for Lord Lloyd Webber, is definitely a nice Jewish boy — everyone knows that... don’t they?
For
Elton’s father is Lewis Elton, a German-Jewish refugee and a noted academic. Elton studied at Manchester University, which attracts huge numbers of Jewish students. He then made his way on to the alternative comedy scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s — humour is a Jewish thing, and standing alongside him at the new comedy venues were Jews like Arnold Brown and Alexei Sayle. Plus, according to David Baddiel, the only reason Elton is working with Lord Lloyd Webber is because Lloyd Webber thought the Jewish bloke who partnered Frank Skinner was... Ben Elton. You can’t blame him for being confused: Ben Elton looks as Jewish as Baddiel — ie, very.
Against
This is where it all goes pear-shaped. Elton’s mother is not Jewish, and Elton grew up in leafy Surrey, many miles from the heartland. His latest novel is Blind Faith — and no, it’s not about frummers. What’s more, he is featured in the latest issue of Third Way, a Christian culture magazine, in which he talks about Christianity and Islam without a word about his Jewish roots.
Verdict
We give 10 per cent for his dad, 10 per cent because he used to be funny, and five per cent for those 1980s glittery suits.
So we say he is 25% Jewish