Hello and welcome to the Red Box Politics Podcast from The Times I'm Matt Chorley.

They say that politics is show business for ugly people but sometimes is for show business people too.

In this episode I speak to the comedian David Badele,

who's just been in Parliament to appear on a panel to discuss the problems with anti-Semitism.

We touch on that, including his recent row with George Galloway who

called David Bediel a vile Israel fanatic. Badell called him anti-Semitic something that Galloway denies.

We'll also discuss the wider problems with

social media forcing people like comedians to take positions on every political

issue under the sun. Plus UKIP's terrific version of Badeal in Skinner's song, three lines, and my Tony Blair is like Bob Monkhouse.

Just before we begin, I've got to tell you that David Badell's current tour, my family, not the sitcom is happening right across the country right now.

For tickets go to David bedeal.com.

Right, plug over, let's begin.

First we'll explain why, why are you in Parliament?

Well can I just say to your listeners that we are in the smallest room I have ever been in.

It's like unbelievable.

It's like something from being John Malkovich, like in a bad nightmarish dream and I didn't know there were

rooms this small anywhere but particularly in Parliament I suspect people are normally tortured in here.

You do think you don't get the feeling that the whole world could end outside and we'd still be in it. Just chatting with that.

Yeah, because it looks a bit lead-lined as well.

So maybe Theresa May comes and hides in here

when she thinks the whole thing's going to blow up.

But I was here, not at this room, but another room, because I was asked to be on the, I don't know, it was the international something, something panel about anti-Semitism, so I don't even know the name, some big important parliamentary panel that's been set up to try and combat I think rather than foster anti-Semitism

...