When Do We Eat?

Project Overview

When Do We Eat? follows the lives of small suburban Jewish community. It is about relationships, family values, prejudice, assumption and the fight between tradition and change. Some of these stories are loosely based on real events. But they’re disguised well, so no one would ever know….

Although it is written at a time when anti-Semitism, racism and intolerance is once again on the rise, When Do We Eat? is a non-political drama in the style of Desperate Housewives, with just a subtle hint of Fiddler on the Roof….

BAFTA SHORTLISTED Comedian and Writer BENNETT ARRON has created the series and written the pilot episode and future episode outlines. Bennett is from a religious Jewish background and grew up in an area of South Wales where his was the only Jewish family. His first experience of meeting other Jewish people on a large scale was when he first moved to London. Those memories have stayed with him.

THE MAIN CHARACTERS AND THEIR STORIES

THE WISEMANS
DAVID and DEBORAH Wiseman and their sons DANNY (12) and MICHAEL (15) are a traditional religious Jewish family. David runs a DIY shop – which is struggling in these tough economic times. Danny is being bullied at school – but keeping it to himself. Michael is (behind his parents’ back) mixing with the wrong crowd. And Deborah…. well, Deborah is a typical religious Jewish mother. Typical that is except for the fact that, to bring more money into the household, she leads a secret life as an Escort….

THE KOHNS
MARTIN KOHN runs a printing business alongside his non-Jewish business partner and serial adulterer MARK. SUSAN GAUNT-KOHN, Martin’s wife, was once a successful actress. However, she gave up her career to marry and live with Martin in Israel – after she converted to Judaism. Unfortunately things didn’t work out in Israel and so they returned to London a few years later. However, SUSAN had been out of the loop for too long and couldn’t get any work. She now feels she is too old. And sadly society agrees. She doesn’t blame Martin, but he blames himself – for a lot of things. Martin is convinced that Susan will leave him some time soon. They have no children and are not very religious.

THE NEWMANS
A very wealthy, religious family. ISAAC NEWMAN is a professional landlord. A very hard, unpleasant man who doesn’t care what he has to do or whom he has to hurt to get what he wants. His wife, HILARY, is all too aware of this, but she has her own problems to deal with – although she has found that drinking her way through them softens the blow. They have two daughters; NATHALIE, who is taking a gap year before starting university and has recently shocked (and disappointed) her parents by coming out as a lesbian, and SOPHIE, who is 15 and in school.