Mo Gilligan makes Andi Peters joke at NTAs following Miriam Margolyes race row controversy

Mo Gilligan attempted to make light of the racism row that erupted in wake of Miriam Margolyes' remarks during an appearance on This Morning last week.

The comedian, 38, was presenting a gong at the National Television Awards on Tuesday (8 September) and decided to slip in a wisecrack about the controversy.

He subtly made reference to the shocking comments that the Harry Potter star made while chatting with host Andi Peters last week, which was met with backlash from the British public.

Margolyes stunned people tuning into This Morning on 3 September when she used a historical racial slur to describe the 56-year-old host during a conversation on accents.

Viewers couldn't believe their ears as the actress then went on to discuss Peters' accent and the colour of his parents' skin.

Given that the controversy that erupted on This Morning has been a prominent topic over the last few days, it's no surprise that it got mentioned at the National Television Awards.

Miriam Margolyes has faced heavy criticism for using an offensive slur when speaking to Andi Peters on This Morning (ITV)

Mo Gilligan's joke about the Miriam Margolyes and Andi Peters controversy

While taking to the stage to present the Factual Entertainment award, Mo Gilligan made a swipe at Margolyes.

Addressing the audience, the stand-up star said: "If you know me, I’m Mo Gilligan. And if you don’t know me, then I’m Andi Peters..."

The quip appears to have divided people who were tuning into the National Television Awards, as although some saw the funny side, others didn't think it landed well.

Discussing Gilligan's gag on X, one person said: "That joke fell flat as a pancake."

Another wrote: "This was brilliant!"

While a third chimed in saying: "That was a good gag…I think."

Mo Gilligan made a joke about the racism row while presenting an award at the NTA's (Lia Toby/Getty Images for The NTA's)

The mounting criticism of Miriam Margolyes

ITV removed footage of the exchange from catch-up versions of the programme on ITVX, however, a clip of it went viral on social media.

Peters has been hailed by This Morning fans for how he handled the situation live on air, while he later spoke out about having 'to be ready for anything' as a presenter.

Margolyes, 85, said that she did not intend to 'embarrass or hurt' the TV star and 'wanted to know what he thought about' the racist term.

"All of us feel something about who we are and how people see us, what they think of us," she said. "I am fascinated by other people.

"They are the people that interest me, not the celebrities so much. It's everybody. What their story is, what made them who they are, why you are the way you are."

Piers Morgan even called for Margolyes to be stripped of her claim to being a 'national treasure', and said that the film star was 'repulsive'.