Miriam Margolyes ‘didn’t want to embarrass or hurt Andi Peters

Miriam Margolyes has addressed the controversy surrounding her recent exchange with Andi Peters on This Morning, saying she “didn’t want to embarrass or hurt” the presenter.

The 85-year-old actor came under fire after questioning Peters about his heritage during a 3 September episode of the ITV programme. While discussing accents and impersonating Christine Lampard’s Northern Irish accent, Margolyes asked Peters: “What accent would be normal for you?”

When Peters replied: “This is normal. This is what I am,” Margolyes responded: “Oh, you’re a mix, aren’t you? So you’ve got a Black daddy and a white mummy.”

Peters corrected her, explaining that both of his parents are Black. Margolyes then continued the conversation using a term considered to be an offensive US slang word for a Black person with a light complexion.

The exchange prompted concern from This Morning producers, with Peters telling viewers: “They’re getting nervous now.” The conversation was subsequently edited out of the episode uploaded to ITVX.

Now, while promoting her new memoir at an event in Southend, Margolyes has spoken about the incident, saying she had never met Peters before and “didn’t know who he was and I didn’t know he was Black until I saw him,” as reported by The Sun.

She said she was interested in knowing what Peters thought about his identity and how people experience being perceived by others.

“How do Black people feel? How do brown people feel? How do fat people feel?” she said, explaining that she is “fascinated by other people” and their stories rather than celebrities themselves.

Margolyes added that she didn’t intend to embarrass or hurt Peters because “he seems very nice”.

Peters previously addressed the fallout himself, saying he is “ready for anything” when it comes to working in live television under a post on Instagram.

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