Miriam Margolyes is back at the Edinburgh Fringe this year with a show about her passion for Charles Dickens – but she’s not playing it safe.
The 84-year-old BAFTA-winning star of stage and screen returns with Margolyes and Dickens, blending her love of the man behind the classics with candid stories from her own life.
“It’s a bit naughty to come back and do just what I did before, so I’ve added to it,” she told What’s On Scotland.
“There are echoes of the past show, but it’s really just a continuation of my joy in acting, Dickens, sharing him – and then the other bit is just talking about me.”
With her larger-than-life personality, quick wit and love of all things taboo, it’s safe to say Miriam would describe herself as an open book.
“People seem interested in my ex-partners, which kind of surprises me. They don’t just ask about the theatre things, what I’ve been in – but rather, who I’ve been in,” she laughed.
She may be in her 80s, but the national treasure has shown no signs of slowing down.
Last year marked her first return to the Edinburgh Fringe in 12 years with her tribute to Dickens.
She is also set to release her fourth book, The Little Book of Miriam, in September – a no-holds-barred collection of stories and reflections gathered from conversations with friends and colleagues over the years.
‘I never thought I’d be old’
STV News“I never thought I’d be old, but I am. I’m 84. I never imagined I could live this long. But one of the sad things about it is, you lose friends along the way. People just die.
“I wanted to try and get everything down before they’ve all gone. So I’d ring up my school friends – some of whom are still with me – and say, “Remember when I did that? What do you remember?”
“I’ve got a few little treats to offer. Some of them are naughty, some of them are just rather tender and good, because I don’t want to go down in history as just foul-mouthed.
“No – I care about people, and the world we live in, and I want to leave it better.”
But if fans are hoping to catch Miriam tripping the light fantastic on Strictly or perfecting pavlova on Bake Off, they’ll be disappointed.
“I lead a very simple, pleasant unstarry life. When people want me to be in those celebrity shows, the ones where they throw Ann Widdecombe around the room? No. Not for any money in the world, I wouldn’t.”
While she may shun the glitz and glam, Miriam hasn’t shied away from speaking candidly about her own health.
Miriam hit headlines for saying that she “may not have long to live,” following heart surgery in which her aortic valve was replaced with that of a cow.
“That was a plot to stop people buying tickets for the show,” she joked.
“I’m grateful that I have a cow’s heart. It’s keeping me alive. You can either have a pig or a cow. I’m Jewish, so I chose a cow.”
Miriam’s roots explain her soft spot for Scotland. Born in Oxford in 1941, she was the only child of Ruth and Joseph, a merchant navy doctor who grew up in Glasgow’s Gorbals and kept his accent for all of his 96 years.
“He had the accent all his life – he lived until he was 96. He was a merchant seaman doctor.
“I have to say that my heart belongs to Glasgow. Edinburgh is a place to thrill the soul, quicken the spirit, to enjoy, relish and share all the things available here. But when I go to Glasgow, I feel something I don’t feel anywhere else in the world – recognition.”
She recalls visiting a synagogue for a fundraising event in Garnethill.
“A very sweet gentleman said, ‘Miriam, delighted to have you here, but don’t be too controversial.’ Well, I hope I wasn’t – but sometimes you have to be.”
That outspokenness is something she shared with another Glaswegian, the late comedian Janey Godley, who became a close friend.
“Janey was wonderful. I knew she wasn’t well, so I sent her a message. She came through from Glasgow to Edinburgh and we spent the day together.
“She became my friend in a day and will ever be in my heart. A real genius of a comic and a visionary. I mourn her.”
Referencing their mutual disdain for the US President, she added: “Her opinion of a certain recent visitor to our shores was crisp.”
While at the Fringe, Miriam hopes to catch friends’ shows, including Nina Conti, Ned Van Zandt and Michelle Collins.
“I like to support chums, but I do get tired,” she said. “I’ve got to be on form for my own show – people have paid to see me, so I have to be as good as I can.”
And as for late nights? “Not much partying. I’m not a party girl. I’m so short that nobody can ever see me. But they can hear me, alright.”
Miriam Margolyes performs at Pleasance at EICC, Pentland Theatre, Edinburgh between August 9-24.
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