Miriam Margolyes Embroiled in ‘Racism’ Row With Andi Peters

Miriam Margolyes, known for her strident anti-Israel views, has become embroiled in a ‘racism’ row with Andi Peters after she used an offensive term to describe his skin colour on This Morning. The Mail has the story.

The actress, 85, known for being outspoken, was promoting her book Miriam’s Full English when ITV bosses were forced to intervene after she referred to Andi as “high yalla”.  

The term, which can also be spelled ‘high yaller’ or ‘high yellow’ is a dated and often offensive slang term used to describe a black person with a light complexion in the US.

Miriam added she “welcomes everybody” and her book is about inclusion, but viewers on X accused her of being racist after the uncomfortable conversation.  

After impersonating Christine Lampard’s Northern Irish accent, Miriam turned to Andi as she asked: “But what accent would be normal for you?”

“This is normal. This is what I am,” replied Andi, as Miriam continued: “Oh, you’re a mix, aren’t you? You’ve got a black daddy and a white mummy.”

“No, no, no. Both my parents are black,” confirmed Andi, before he joked: “What have they put on me, am I a lighter shade than normal?”

Miriam continued: “Both parents are I think you’re what I would call a ‘high yalla’. That’s what they call it in America. Oh, when someone isn’t deeply black, right?”

“I didn’t even know there were shades,” said Andi, as Miriam added: “There are shades.”

Worried about the direction of the conversation, producers are thought to have issued a warning to Andi through his earpiece – with him then saying out loud: “Oh, okay. They’re getting nervous now. They’re getting nervous now.”

“Don’t be nervous,” reassured Miriam, “We welcome everybody. That’s what I want to write about in my book. It’s about inclusion.”

The exchange has since been removed from the ITVX version of the interview. The Daily Mail has contacted both ITV and Miriam’s representatives for comment. …

It isn’t the first time Miriam has caused controversy for her outspoken language. In 2024, the BBC pulled a comment by Miriam from the radio after the Harry Potter star said that Charles Dickens’s Fagin was “Jewish and vile” on air.

The Jewish actress was speaking to Front Row about her earliest experiences with the novelist amid her Edinburgh Fringe run of Margolyes & Dickens: The Best Bits, in which she brings to life the author’s most colourful characters in a one-woman show.

And in a response to a question from BBC Radio 4 presenter Kirsty Wark about the character that stuck in her head as a child, she responded with the Oliver Twist villain.

The broadcaster removed the comment from the programme – saying that it should have been challenged at the time.

The eccentric grandee sparked laughter among the audience as she said: “Oh, Fagin. Without question. Jewish and vile.”

She added: “I didn’t know Jews like that then – sadly, I do now.”

Worth reading in full.

Stephen Pollard in the Telegraph says she only gets away with it because she’s Left-wing and anti-Israel.

If Margolyes was a straight, white, middle-class male she would have been ‘cancelled’ years ago. But she has two golden tickets which mean that no matter what she says or does, she will always be given a platform.

First, she is Left-wing. Her insults and jibes are always directed at Right-wing targets. This plank of her identity is a get-out-of jail-free card which means that where others would be pilloried for such remarks, she is treated as some sort of licensed jester.

But even more than that, she has the trump card: she is a Jew who not only seems to despise Israel but other Jews – and can be relied on to make that clear at every opportunity. In April 2024, for example, she said of Israel’s behaviour in its battle with Hamas in Gaza: “To me, it seems as if Hitler has won.”