David Baddiel explains why he's pushing back on cat stereotypes in new show with Ricky Gervais and Jonathan Ross

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

What’s the view from your sofa?

We’ve got quite a big sofa, in front of the telly and a gas fire. Normally there are two or three cats on or around it and a mix of family. I like to decide what to watch around 8pm. If we leave it to half nine, I’ll be falling asleep, as will my wife [writer Morwenna Banks], and the kids will be FaceTiming friends.

Do you agree on what to watch together?

She won’t thank me for mentioning this, because it sounds a bit self-indulgent, but Morwenna has showrun Down Cemetery Road [the Apple TV thriller starring Emma Thompson] and likes us all to watch it together. That can be quite complicated, because if we start talking, she’s like, “Shhh, this is a good bit!” My son Ezra and I watch football together, and my daughter Dolly and I recently watched Severance with Frank Skinner, who lives on the same street. Morwenna and I are keener on documentaries.

You’ve also written a new TV drama?

Yeah, I love storytelling and I really enjoyed writing Hunting Alice Bell [an upcoming C4 thriller], which is about four women who are mistaken for being the lover of a notorious serial killer and come out fighting against the mob. It’s a metaphor for the disinformation and madness we’re seeing now and also a fairly low-budget thriller, so seeing a helicopter blow up on Down Cemetery Road stirred some complicated feelings.

Do your cats watch telly?

Tiger really likes telly, although Ron and Zelda are less bothered. Tiger loves sport and sometimes music, especially the Bee Gees. They’re all from the same mum, but we gave Zelda to my parents as a kitten. When my dad got dementia and my mum died, Zelda was mainly living in the garden. By the time she came back to us, it wasn’t like Long Lost Family, unless Long Lost Family had an episode where someone spat and hissed at their new mum. Zelda [pictured above] is very high maintenance, Tiger loves you unconditionally and Ron is a weirdo, although he’s become more friendly since his mum died.

What is David Baddiel: Cat Man about?

It’s a polemic, in a way, pushing back on stereotypes that cats don’t do anything, that they’re mean and selfish and have no empathy compared to dogs. The programme has paddleboarding cats, cats that go for walks, cats that help out at hospitals, and I have Jonathan Ross, Ricky Gervais, Dawn O’Porter and other people speaking about cats in a very emotional way.

Have you always been a cat person?

My dad was a Welsh working-class bloke whose top note was irritation. I said at his funeral that he was a man who liked football, food and shouting, “Who the f**king hell is this now?” every time the phone rang. The one place he showed affection was towards our cat, which was foundational for my brothers and me because we’ve all ended up as cat people. The relationship you might have with a cat is possibly more complex than with a dog, and cats are more like humans.

You’ve been called the voice of football, alternative comedy, laddism, British Jews... Would you drop all those to be the voice of cats?

Absolutely! I’ve always been obsessed, to some extent, with cats. I don’t feel very happy unless there’s a cat in the vicinity. I also don’t particularly like being seen as one thing. When I’m asked to speak about antisemitism, I tend to say no now – not because it’s not still a very important issue, but because I’ve decided to not be seen as an activist.

Your 1996 single Three Lions will be rolled out at the World Cup this year. Does that still make you proud?

Well, there’s been a concerted effort by the FA to supplant it with Sweet Caroline, which is weird, given it’s an American anthem and not about football. In the Gareth Southgate era, there was a sense of needing to move on, especially because our 1998 version had audio footage of him missing the penalty, so I understood why he found that difficult! But I’m very proud of Three Lions. The music’s great and the lyrics do connect with football fans.

The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here.

David Baddiel: Cat Man begins on Friday 16th January at 8pm on Channel 4.

Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.