Miriam Margolyes has sparked a fierce backlash following an appearance on This Morning in which she questioned presenter Andi Peters about his racial background and skin tone.
The 85-year-old Harry Potter actress appeared on the ITV daytime programme on Thursday, where a conversation with Mr Peters took an unexpected turn as she began asking him about his heritage.
Ms Margolyes initially questioned the presenter over his accent before asking: “What are you?”
“What am I?” Mr Peters responded before Ms Margolyes replied: “Well, you’re a mix, aren’t you?”
Miriam Margolyes sparked backlash following her appearance on ITV This Morning
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ITV
After Mr Peters awkwardly agreed he was “a mix”, the actress appeared to assume his parents, asking: “So you’ve got a black daddy and a white mummy.”
Mr Peters quickly corrected her, responding: “No, no, no. Both my parents are black.”
He then looked confused and comically said: “Am I a lighter shade than normal?”
“I think you’re ‘high-yalla’,” Ms Margolyes replied, prompting the bemused presenter to ask what the term meant.
The actress questioned Andi Peters about his heritage during the live television exchange
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ITV
The Harry Potter actress explained it was a term used in America for “when someone isn’t deeply black”.
Mr Peters replied: “Right. But… I didn’t even know there were shades.”
“There are shades,” Ms Margolyes told him.
As the conversation continued, Mr Peters appeared to acknowledge concern behind the scenes, repeatedly pointing to his earpiece and declaring that people were “getting nervous”.
“Don’t be nervous. Don’t be nervous. We welcome everybody,” Ms Margolyes responded.
The actress then linked the discussion to a book she wanted to write, adding: “That’s what I want to write about in my book.”
The actress later said the subject was “about inclusion”.
The unusual exchange quickly circulated on social media, where viewers were sharply divided.
One furious X user declared: “Oh. My. God. She really needs to not be on telly ever again.”
Another simply branded the exchange: “Embarrassing.”
A third penned: “Fed up with her deliberately acting like a child and getting away with it.”
Another critic took aim at Ms Margolyes’s reputation as a beloved television personality, writing: “The bar for National Treasures is so very, very low.” (sic)
Some This Morning viewers called for the actress to be taken off screens, following the exchange
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GETTY
However, other social media users defended the discussion.
One argued: “Why are people offended? I know black people with white blood, and I know white people with black blood. Talking about heritage is normal.”
Ms Margolyes has long become known for her unpredictable television appearances, with her outspoken comments frequently making headlines.
The actress previously played Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film franchise and has enjoyed a career spanning several decades across film, television and theatre.