JOHN Cleese has today branded Miriam Margolyes “brash and vulgar” after he hit back at her for calling him “old and unfunny”.
Comedy legend John, 86, did not take the Call The Midwife star’s comments lightly and snapped back with a cutting response.
John Cleese has furiously branded Miriam Margolyes ‘brash and vulgar’ Credit: Getty
It comes after Miriam called John ‘old and unfunny’ in a recent interview Credit: YouTube/TheRomeshShow
In a recent interview with Romesh Ranganathan, 48, his podcast, Miriam was asked about her time back in the 60s when she was a member of the famous Cambridge Footlights comedy troupe.
Monty Python stars John and the late Graham Chapman were also members at the same time.
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However, host Romesh was shocked when Miriam said she had “unhappy memories” of her time in Footlights, and she blamed this on John and Graham.
“They didn’t like me,” the actress sadly said. “And they showed that by refusing to talk to me or look at me off stage.”
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Opening up about how she still feels hurt that she was ignored, Miriam then candidly said: “But I’ve never really forgiven them.
“I think John and Graham were really brilliant young men, but they lacked that thing, which is the human part of the gene.”
Miriam opened up to podcast host Romesh about the ‘hurt’ she felt when she was ‘ignored’ by John Credit: YouTube/TheRomeshShow
John (middle bottom) and Graham Chapman (top left) went onto form Monty Python, after meeting in Footlights Credit: AP:Associated Press
Not holding back, she then added: “And their comedy was soulless ultimately. And I’m glad he’s old and unfunny.”
It was this last comment that seems to have infuriated John, and he has hit back with a venomous response.
Taking to X, he posted: “Several of us, rather repressed and socially unskilled lower middle class boys, had literally never met someone so brash and vulgar, and I’m afraid we shrank away from her.
“No abuse or anything. We just kept out of her way. “
