Miriam Margolyes at Pride Of Britain Awards

Miriam Margolyes made her first public appearance at the Pride Of Britain Awards on Monday since she was embroiled in a 'racism row' with Andi Peters.

Actress in blue dress at Grosvenor Hotel

The actress, 85, hit the red carpet in a striking blue dress and opted for a casual pair of grey trainers at London's Grosvenor Hotel.

Controversial 'high yalla' comment

Miriam, who is known for being outspoken, landed herself in hot water last month when she referred to the presenter as 'high yalla', when asking about his race during an episode of This Morning.

“high yalla”

Offensive term explained

The term, which can also be spelled 'high yaller' or 'high yellow' is an outdated and offensive slang term used in the US to describe a black person with a light complexion.

Comments went viral

Miriam's comments, which were removed from the ITVX recording of the show, went viral, with many viewers taking to X to express their outrage over Miriam's comments.

Initial exchange with Andi

During the initial exchange, Miriam impersonated presenter Christine Lampard's Northern Irish accent, before turning to Andi and asking: 'But what accent would be normal for you?'

“But what accent would be normal for you?”

Andi's response

Andi replied: 'This is normal. This is what I am,' as Miriam continued: 'Oh, you're a mix, aren't you? You've got a black daddy and a white mummy.'

“This is normal. This is what I am.”

Andi clarifies his identity

No, no, no. Both my parents are black,' confirmed Andi, before he joked: 'What have they put on me, am I a lighter shade than normal?'

“Both my parents are black”

Miriam's explanation

Miriam continued: 'Both parents are I think you're what I would call a "high yalla". That's what they call it in America. Oh, when someone isn't deeply black, right?'

“high yalla”

Andi's reaction

I didn't even know there were shades,' said Andi, as Miriam added: 'There are shades.'

“I didn't even know there were shades”

Producers' warning

Worried about the direction of the conversation, producers are thought to have issued a warning to Andi through his earpiece, with him then saying out loud: 'Oh, okay.They're getting nervous now.They're getting nervous now.'

“Oh, okay. They're getting nervous now. They're getting nervous now.”

Miriam's reassurance

'Don't be nervous,' reassured Miriam, 'We welcome everybody. That's what I want to write about in my book. It's about inclusion.'

“We welcome everybody. That's what I want to write about in my book. It's about inclusion.”

Audience event clarification

She was then asked about the incident during an audience event to promote her new memoir, Miriam’s Full English, at Cliffs Pavilion in Southend.

Miriam's defense

In videos shared by audience members on social media, she insisted: 'I didn't want to embarrass or hurt Andi because he seems very nice.

“I didn't want to embarrass or hurt Andi because he seems very nice. 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.”

Miriam's intent

I wanted to know what he thought about it because that's what interests me.'

“I wanted to know what he thought about it because that's what interests me.”

Offensive term for disabled people

Miriam then used an offensive term for disabled people as she continued: 'How do black people feel? How do brown people feel? How do cripples feel? How do fat people feel?'

“How do black people feel? How do brown people feel? How do cripples feel? How do fat people feel?”