Miriam Margolyes breaks silence on ITV This Morning ‘racism’ row after awkward Andi Peters exchange

Videos captured by audience members and shared on social media showed the Harry Potter star responding to questions about the incident, which had provoked widespread condemnation online after the clip went viral.

ITV had already removed the exchange from the ITVX catch-up version of the programme, but the footage continued to circulate across social media platforms throughout the week.

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The exchange occurred during Thursday’s programme as Margolyes appeared alongside Mr Peters and co-host Christine Lampard to discuss her new book. After mimicking Ms Lampard’s Northern Irish accent, the actress turned to Mr Peters and asked: “What are you?”

She then pressed further, suggesting he was of mixed heritage: “You’re a mix, aren’t you? So you’ve got a Black daddy and a white mummy.”

Mr Peters corrected her, confirming both his parents are Black, and attempted to lighten the mood by quipping whether his make-up artist had applied “a lighter shade than normal.”

Ms Margolyes persisted, however, telling him: “I think you’re what I would call a ‘high yalla’. That’s what they call it in America when someone isn’t deeply Black.”

@benrdavis Miriam Margolyes has finally spoken about THAT moment with Andi Peters on This Morning. 👀 This is the first time she’s addressed it since the incident. What do you make of her response? #fyp #foryou #miriammargolyes #foryoupage #thismorning ♬ original sound – Ben Davis

The use of the term prompted widespread outrage from viewers at home. At the Southend event, Ms Margolyes insisted she had no malicious intent.

“I didn’t want to embarrass or hurt Andi because he seems very nice,” she told the audience.

She explained that she had not recognised the presenter beforehand: “I’d never met him before; I didn’t know who he was and I didn’t know he was Black until I saw him.”

Defending her line of questioning, she framed it as genuine curiosity: “I wanted to know what he thought about it because that’s what interests me. How do Black people feel? How do Brown people feel? How do cripples feel? How do fat people feel?”

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When the event’s host suggested she had simply wanted to explore Mr Peters’ identity, Ms Margolyes agreed: “I am fascinated by other people. They are the people that interest me, not the celebrities so much.”

Mr Peters himself addressed the situation after broadcaster Jeremy Vine shared the clip on Instagram, praising the presenter for handling it “brilliantly” and describing the exchange as “seriously nerve-wracking.”

“Thanks JV,” Mr Peters wrote in response. “As you know we have to be ready for ANYTHING!!!”

During the live broadcast, Mr Peters had signalled growing unease behind the scenes, pointing to his earpiece and telling Ms Margolyes: “The producers are getting nervous now.”

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Viewers promptly took to social media at the time of the incident to condemn Ms Margolyes’s remarks. One wrote on X: “She really needs to not be on telly ever again.”

Another branded the actress “vile and disgusting,” questioning why broadcasters continue to offer her airtime. Others called the exchange “embarrassing” and accused Ms Margolyes of “deliberately acting like a child and getting away with it.”

This is not the first time Ms Margolyes has provoked outrage with similar remarks. During a 2024 appearance on Australian panel show The Project, she asked presenter Waleed Aly about his complexion, telling him: “What are you, by the way? You’re sort of brown.”

Just days before the Mr Peters incident, the actress had penned a column for The Guardian criticising the demise of free speech in Britain. “You’re brave to open your mouth these days,” she wrote. “Indeed, many have demanded I keep mine shut. But I can’t.”