It’s been over 60 years since Miriam Margolyes and John Cleese were at university together and yet, they’re still publicly feuding over an incident that happened in their student days. Monty Python star Cleese has responded on social media to Margolyes’s claims that he was “venomous” to her while performing in a comedy show, with the comedian explaining that he had “literally never met someone so brash and vulgar”. It comes after clips from Margolyes’s interview on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, which was released in May, started circulating online.
In the chat, Margolyes revealed that her experience with comedy troupe Footlights at the University of Cambridge was “not joyous”, with the all-male group choosing not to speak to her off-stage while acting in a 1962 revue. We just kept out of her way,” he added. He wasn't in the show that year. 1962, I think it was. 64 years ago.
How time flies...” The Independent has contacted Margolyes for comment. In 2021, Margolyes called the late presenter Bill Oddie – as well as Cleese and Chapman – a “total s***” over the same incident, adding: “I’d assumed comedy was not for me after the nastiness of Footlights.” At the time, Oddie responded to Margolyes on X, explaining that he actually campaigned for women to join the Footlights troupe, which only allowed men at the time. New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial.
Plan auto-renews until cancelled. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. It would really sadden me if you had me down as a Footlights mysogynist [sic],” he wrote.
Such as Germaine, Emma Thompson, and YOU! X.” While on Ranganathan’s podcast, Margolyes said that she still bears “so much rage and irritation” over her treatment in the show, calling the Footlights men “all so mean-spirited and jealous of anybody who took their light”. Margolyes broke into acting after leaving Cambridge, going on to play Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films and secure roles in The Age of Innocence and Call the Midwife.
However, in recent years, she’s regularly made headlines with her outspoken views, live TV slip-ups and outrageously candid stories. Last year, she revealed on This Morning that she had forgiven her End of Days co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger for apparently breaking wind in her face during filming. Meanwhile, Cleese – who starred in BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers as well as multiple Monty Python films and the Shrek franchise – has regularly spoken out against cancel culture and political correctness.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
