Heil Honey, I’m Home was a short-lived 1990s sitcom centred on Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun living next door to a Jewish couple and was driven by the Fuhrer’s inability to get along with his neighbours
Heil Honey, I’m Home is probably the most controversial comedy ever to be aired on British telly, with only one episode ever screened.
The 1990 sitcom centred on Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun, who live next door to a Jewish couple, Arny and Rosa Goldenstein. Complete with American accents, the show spoofs elements of mid-20th century US sitcoms and is driven by Hitler’s inability to get along with his neighbours. British TV writer Geoff Atkinson’s intention behind the show was to “turn the bully into a joke,” and not to cause offence.
However, the subject matter was just a little too close for comfort to many, and the seven subsequent episodes never made it to the light of day.
Its pilot aired after Dad’s Army on a Sunday night in September on British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) and immediately stirred controversy being dubbed “perhaps the world’s most tasteless situation comedy”.
Somewhat surprisingly, in hindsight, big things were expected from the show in spite of the premise – with eight episodes commissioned.
Other sitcoms had taken swipes at the Nazis including Allo’ Allo’ and Dad’s Army, but this just took it to a whole new level.
And filming of the series was cancelled following the pilot when commissioning company BSB was taken over by Rupert Murdoch’s Sky Television in November of 1990.
Set in 1938 Berlin within a minute of the pilot starting, Hitler, played by Neil McCaul, enters the room before shouting “Heil, honey, I’m home” to his wife Eva Braun, played by Denica Fairman.
The episode is peppered with references to invading Poland, and Adolf being labelled as either a “very very bad Hitler” or a “naughty Hitler”.
As the storyline unfolds, viewers can infer from the dialogue about Hitler’s disdain for his seemingly content neighbours living next door to the Fuhrer, as he is also referred to in the episode.
In the midst of the episode’s chaos, which includes Nazi salutes, mentions of the Polish invasion, the Czech Republic and other awkward attempts at humour, all five characters end up doing the Conga around Hitler’s living room.
The BBC claimed that: “The cast and crew contracts were retired and Sky made ‘a commercial decision’ to focus on US-based comedies rather than controversial home-grown shows.”
Atkinson has previously expressed that he was conscious of the sensitivities surrounding the show but wanted to create something unique for BSB.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he said: “One was to laugh at bullies. It seems like the right thing to do; as we speak, somebody’s probably writing a Trump sitcom. I would love to write a Trump sitcom. Another goal was looking at the sitcom genre. This show was staged like it was the 1950s. We had to ape the American sitcom brilliantly — be American and not be American.
“Everyone was aware of the sensitivities; the last thing we wanted was to offend. At the time, the channel wanted something fresh, and there was a sense of ‘as long as it’s original and something you can defend it, you should say it.’ I don’t think we entirely delivered. There’s an awful lot I’d do differently.”
Atkinson’s creation was defended by Rosa Goldenstein actor Caroline Gruber on BBC Culture who says she found the script funny.
“Because of this experience, I was sensitive about doing anything that was offensive or upsetting,” she said.
“I didn’t think Heil Honey was either – I thought it was so funny. When I was reading through the scripts for the other episodes that Geoff had written, I couldn’t get through them, I had tears pouring down my cheeks. I was of the opinion – and still am now – that within reason, people should take risks. If it’s funny, if it works, it’s OK.”
The one show that did make it to air can be seen on YouTube, so modern audiences can draw their own conclusions, and with 1.4 million viewings there has been plenty of opinions shared.
One viewer wrote: “This feels like an extended cutaway gag from Family Guy.”
Another said: “It’s not exactly funny…but the thing that makes it humor, is just…Hitler. In a sitcom.”
A third added: “This is actually kinda.. brilliant? A deconstruction and satire of the typical sitcoms of the time, pokes fun at all sides and doesn’t take itself seriously at all.”
However, another noted: “You got to think about how many people this idea had to go through. And then how many people it took to film eight episodes of this. There were writers, producers, directors, actors, stage hands, some dude holding the boom mic, a craft services table, and none of those people ever thought this was a bad idea.”
