Dame Maureen Lipman reveals she had sleepless nights when actors quit play over her pro-Israel views but director persuaded her to stay

Dame Maureen Lipman has revealed that she had sleepless nights when actors quit a play over her pro-Israel views. 

Two of her co-stars walked away from the West End production of Right Before I Go after refusing to promote the show because of her involvement. 

Dame Maureen, 80, had thought about stepping down to avoid the drama becoming a distraction for the production.

However the Olivier award-winning actress was persuaded to stay on by the play’s director after she considered quitting herself after suffering sleepless nights. 

Gerard McCarthy, who has appeared in BBC dramas including Call the Midwife and The Fall, had been due to reprise his role in Right Before I Go when it transfers to London‘s Soho Theatre.

But the non-binary actor decided to withdraw after the casting of Dame Maureen, 80, was announced, saying her publicly expressed views on Israel and Palestine were incompatible with his own political beliefs.

Mr McCarthy, who performed in the play at the Edinburgh Fringe, said he had privately raised his concerns before ultimately deciding to leave the London production.

Transgender actress Iz Hesketh then followed Mr McCarthy by stepping down from the show over Dame Maureen’s involvement, saying: ‘Having recently become aware of public comments made by her, I no longer feel the next stage of the production aligns with my own personal values and beliefs.’

In May, pro-Palestinian campaigners targeted performances of her comedy Allegra in Aberdeen with a poster depicting the actress with devil horns and a pitchfork

Gerard McCarthy, who has appeared in BBC dramas including Call the Midwife and The Fall, had been due to reprise his role in Right Before I Go when it transfers to London’s Soho Theatre

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However Dame Maureen has now revealed that the ordeal has left her struggling to sleep after she considered quitting the production, but was encouraged by the director to stay on. 

The 80-year-old told The Times: ‘The truth is all this has been keeping me awake at night. It is scary, horrible and unnecessary.

‘It had crossed my mind that it might be easier for everyone if I go and they all stay, but I had an email from Abigail Morris, who is the director, which was very sympathetic and understanding.

‘So I have decided to put the worry to one side and carry on. I might get a few boos, but it will be fine.’ 

Right Before I Go deals with the sensitive subject of suicide, drawing on real suicide notes written by a range of people including celebrities, military veterans, bullied teenagers and members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as people who survived suicide attempts.

Each performance is followed by a discussion involving members of the cast, the audience and a local mental health professional.

Writer Stan Zimmerman devised the not-for-profit play while grieving his friend Kevin Gill’s suicide. 

Dame Maureen is set to appear in a performance on September 10, coinciding with World Suicide Prevention Day. 

Mr McCarthy had been due to appear with Dame Maureen (pictured in June), in Right Before I Go at London’s Soho Theatre

Despite the backlash she has faced due to her involvement, the 80-year-old said she was ‘pleased’ to play a part because ‘young people and suicide is such an important issue’, adding that it’s a ‘vital’ topic to discuss. 

A spokesman for the production told The Times: ‘We understand that our cast and collaborators hold a wide range of perspectives, including on deeply personal and difficult subjects, and we respect the sincerity behind their decisions.’

They added that the political views of cast members are kept separate from artistic collaboration. 

The production team has been approached for further comment. 

According to Mr Zimmerman, the show has a revolving cast and Dame Maureen was never set to appear alongside Mr McCarthy in the same viewing. 

Mr McCarthy addressed the drama in an Instagram post on Friday, saying: ‘I was slightly surprised to wake up on Wednesday morning and discover that Dame Maureen had written about me in The Telegraph. 

‘I was even more surprised to learn that I had apparently attempted to bully her. 

‘For the avoidance of doubt: I have never met Maureen Lipman. I have never spoken to her. I have never contacted her. I have never asked for her to be removed from a production, nor have I ever refused to work with her. We were never scheduled to perform together. 

‘So if I have managed to bully her, I have done so with remarkably little effort. 

‘What I actually did was make a decision about my own participation in one performance of Right Before I Go.’ 

In the article, titled ‘I’m an alleged National Treasure. I won’t be bullied by actors over my views on Israel, Dame Maureen wrote: ‘I will not be bullied, nor will I allow anybody to tell me what to think. 

‘If that affects their ability to work with me, as opposed to convert me to their point of view, then they are lily livered.’

Dame Maureen man has been one of the more prominent British Jewish voices in support of Israel since the October 7 attacks and has faced fierce criticism from pro-Palestinian activists.

She has previously spoken about receiving anti-Semitic abuse and threats of protests and cancellation, and has at times been forced to use private security while touring theatres.

In May, pro-Palestinian campaigners targeted performances of her comedy Allegra in Aberdeen.

Gerard McCarthy (pictured in July), known for his roles in BBC dramas The Fall and Call The Midwife, quit a London theatre show following the casting of Dame Maureen

The Aberdeen branch of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign circulated an image depicting her with devil horns and holding a pitchfork while urging supporters to sign a petition against her appearance. 

Police Scotland examined the post but concluded that it did not amount to a crime, recording it instead as a non-crime hate incident.

Dame Maureen has previously described protests against Israel by Left-wing actors as ‘very, very close to fascism’ and branded performers who signed open letters condemning Israeli military action ‘bigoted signaturists’ and ‘bleeding heartless liberals’.

Earlier this week, the Daily Mail revealed that Mr McCarthy subsequently liked a string of abusive comments posted beneath his announcement on Instagram after he quit the show. 

Among them was one which read: ‘Lipman the zio hag can get in the bin.’

Another praised him as ‘a man of absolute principle’ before warning: ‘Zionists will soon have nowhere to hide.’

McCarthy, who was a regular on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, also liked a message which said: ‘That woman is an odious ghoul. You saved yourself a tiring battle with your conscience every time you would’ve stepped in to the room with her.’

Another liked by McCarthy said: ‘I would cross the street if I saw her. Vile bigot,’ and described Dame Maureen as ‘a horrid f****** witch’, adding: ‘It speaks volumes about the morally bankrupt scumbags behind this decision that they’re willing to work with her.’

‘Zio’, an abbreviation of Zionist, is widely recognised by Jewish organisations as an anti-Semitic slur.

When approached by the Daily Mail, McCarthy issued a statement saying: ‘I do not endorse anti-Semitic language or personal abuse directed at Dame Maureen Lipman, and regret having inadvertently appeared to do so by liking a number of comments among the hundreds posted beneath my statement.

‘My likes were intended as acknowledgements of support for my decision to withdraw, rather than endorsements of every word used in those comments. 

‘Having had the specific language brought to my attention, I have removed those likes.

‘My position remains the one set out in my original statement: my decision concerned views publicly expressed by one individual regarding Israel and Palestine. It was not about her Jewish identity, and I am against anti-Semitism.’

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