Andi Peters Addresses Miriam Margolyes This Morning Interview

Last week, Andi and co-host Christine Lampard interviewed the Harry Potter star live on This Morning about her new book Miriam’s Full English, in which she reflects on modern British society.

After imitating Christine’s Northern Irish accent, Miriam asked Andi: “What accent would be normal for you? What are you?”

She then clarified that she was referring to the presenter’s race, remarking: “You’re a mix, aren’t you? You’ve got a Black daddy and a white mummy?”

When Andi clarified that both of his parents are Black, and tried to make light of the situation by questioning if the show’s make-up team had made him a “lighter shade than normal”, Miriam continued: “I think you’re what I would call ‘high yella’. That’s what they call it in America when someone isn’t deeply Black.”

“High yellow” is described by the Merriam Webster dictionary as a “dated” and “often offensive” term, historically used to refer to Black people with a light complexion.

Andi then interrupted to say that the producers in his earpiece were “getting nervous now”, to which Miriam responded: “Don’t be nervous. We [in Britain] welcome everybody. And that’s what I want to write about in my book!”

When footage of the interview became more widespread, Miriam faced a lot of criticism on social media.

Broadcaster Jeremy Vine then shared a clip of it on Instagram, writing: “This is seriously nerve-wracking. No filter. [Andi Peters] dealt with it brilliantly but note at the end — ‘they’re getting nervous’.”

“Thanks JV,” he wrote in the comments. “As you know we have to be ready for ANYTHING!!!”

HuffPost UK contacted reps for This Morning, Andi Peters and Miriam Margolyes last week, but did not receive a response.

Although Miriam’s candid and unfiltered approach to interviews has made her something of a modern-day national treasure, it has landed her in trouble in the past.

Just two years ago, she ruffled feathers in the same way, when she, again, asked an interviewer “what are you?” while speaking live on an Australian panel show.