Auditions are only just taking place but new Channel 4 drama Queenie has already walked into an antisemitism row.

The series is being adapted by Candice Carty-Williams from her own award-winning novel of the same name.

Described as a “black Bridget Jones”, it is in many ways a far messier tale. In a nutshell, the protagonist, Queenie, tries to navigate both sexual and racial politics and ends up in a very unhappy place.

It became particularly popular in the wake of the murder of George Floyd when everyone — excuse my cynicism — was reading books about the black experience. It is a clever, thought-provoking and occasionally hilarious book. But from the start, Jews raised concerns about one of the characters.

Candice Carty-Williams Queenie

Candice Carty-Williams' book Queenie

Cassandra is rich and spoilt, prone to narcissism and likes to psychoanalyse her friends. She also lends her poorer friends money but keeps a tab. Did I mention she’s Jewish?

Cassandra’s “Jewish Princess” attitude and wealth are constantly compared to Queenie’s poverty in the book, implicitly undermining Jewish claims to be a minority.

This did not go down well. After all, Jewish wealth, whether real or imagined, has never protected us from hatred or genocide.

When one writer remonstrated with Candice on Twitter, he was attacked for being racist and misogynistic and even having a fetish for black women.

“I felt totally gaslit and then legions of her followers joined in. I got accused of being racist and things got very personal very quickly simply for pointing out the antisemitism,” he tells me.

He wasn’t the only one. But everyone who pointed out the problems with the Cassandra character appeared to be ignored.

Actress Tracy-Ann Oberman questioned the TV script on Twitter, saying, “Promoting these tropes hurt my heart so much.” Candice replied that concerns about antisemitism had been taken into account in the screen adaptation and wrote, “Cassandra being a bad friend has nothing to do with her heritage.”

Channel 4 told me: “We are currently developing the scripts for the series ahead of the start of filming and key to that process is ensuring that, as with all the stories we tell on screen, Queenie echoes Channel 4’s commitment to improving representation, championing anti-racism and tackling antisemitism.”

CARRY ON BROIGES

Victoria Beckham is learning that the simcha broiges can simmer for some time.

Nicola Peltz victoria beckham GettyImages-1340125727

Victoria's son Brooklyn with his new wife Nicole (Getty Images)

It was thought that the claimed row with her new Jewish daughter-in-law Nicola Peltz — which supposedly blew up when Victoria was accused of upstaging the bride at the wedding — was over when her son Brooklyn and the new Mrs Beckham were spotted in the front row at Paris fashion week last month.

But since then both have apparently continued to refuse to like each other’s Instagram posts (the true sign of a modern-day broiges) while Brooklyn and Nicola showed up at a Halloween party pointedly dressed as Romeo and Juliet. Oy!

BELLA’S STILL SPARKLING
Palestinian-American Bella Hadid may have claimed that she had lost work and her Jewish friends after a spate of anti-Israel posts.

But jewellery company Swarovski tells me it could not be prouder to have her representing it.

“Swarovski believes that there is absolutely no place for hate or violence in any aspect of society,” the company says.

“Our mission is to ignite dreams, those dreams include the light that comes from tolerance, inclusivity and tolerance.

“Bella Hadid is a fashion icon who has made her mark in the luxury industry on the runway and the red carpet as well as the face of numerous prestigious communication campaigns.”