This Review is from August 2025

Born in Oxford, educated at Cambridge and now a dual UK and Australian citizen, Miriam Margolyes is a veteran of stage and screen.

She describes herself as a lesbian, a non-believing Jew and an Arsenal fan. She loathes Trump, Boris Johnson and Modi. She loves India, food, politics and Italy. She has some choice words to say about the Israeli state’s treatment of Palestinian people. She’s not a fan of J. K. Rowling’s crusade against trans folk.

At 84, you cannot deny Miriam’s energy and passion. She speaks with no filter, with the freedom of a women who tells her truth without fear. She is not afraid of the ‘c-word’.

Nor is she afraid of being self-critical. When asked what advice she would give to her younger self, she replied, “Lose weight. You don’t want to be fat and old.”

The show is called Margolyes & Dickens: More Best Bits, a follow up to her sell out Dickins show from last year. But this is more Margolyes than Dickens, and all the better for it. I loved every second.

A version of this review appears on Episode 13 of the On the Mic: Five a Day podcast.