A former BBC actor who quit a London theater show following the casting of Dame Maureen Lipman has approved of a barrage of abuse aimed at the veteran Jewish performer.
Gerard McCarthy, known for his roles in BBC dramas The Fall and Call The Midwife, was due to appear alongside Dame Maureen, 80, in Right Before I Go at London’s Soho Theatre.
But he pulled out after she joined the show, which kicks off on Saturday, citing views she had “publicly and repeatedly expressed on Israel and Palestine.”
The Daily Mail can now reveal that McCarthy, 45, subsequently liked a series of offensive comments posted below his announcement on Instagram.
Among them was one that read: “Lipman the Zio Witch can go in the trash.”
Another praised him as “a man of absolute principles” before warning: “Zionists will soon have nowhere to hide.”
McCarthy, known for his roles in BBC dramas The Fall and Call The Midwife, quit a London theater show after the casting of Dame Maureen
The actor was due to appear alongside Dame Maureen, 80, in Right Before I Go at London’s Soho Theatre.
McCarthy, a regular on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, also liked a post which said: ‘That woman is an odious ghost. Every time you walked into her room you saved yourself an exhausting battle with your conscience.”
Others he supported said: “I would cross the street if I saw her. Vile fanatic’, describing Dame Maureen as ‘a terrible witch’, adding: ‘It speaks volumes about the morally bankrupt bastards behind this decision that they are willing to work with her.’
“Zio,” short for Zionist, is widely recognized by Jewish organizations as an anti-Semitic slur.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, McCarthy issued a statement about his regrets.
He said: “I do not endorse anti-Semitic language or personal abuse directed at Dame Maureen Lipman, and regret that I may have inadvertently given the impression of this by liking some of the comments among the hundreds posted below my statement.
“My likes were intended as an expression of support for my decision to withdraw, rather than an expression of support for every word used in those comments. After the specific language was brought to my attention, I removed those likes.
“My position remains the same as in my original statement: my decision was in relation to the views expressed publicly by one person on Israel and Palestine. It was not about her Jewish identity, and I am against anti-Semitism.”
McCarthy announced his withdrawal last week, writing on Instagram: ‘I would be returning to the production next Saturday for the Soho Theater performance. Yesterday morning I made the decision to withdraw from that performance.
‘As my name and photo are still currently being used to advertise the show, I wanted to inform anyone considering booking that I will no longer be appearing.
‘Following the announcement that Dame Maureen Lipman would be joining the company, I privately explained that, due to the views she has publicly and repeatedly expressed on Israel and Palestine, I did not feel comfortable personally promoting her involvement.
“I did not ask for her casting to be reconsidered, nor did I expect anyone else to share my position. I simply chose not to use my own platform to promote someone whose political views conflict with my own.”
The Northern Irish actor’s decision was applauded by several performers, including RuPaul’s Drag Race star Divina de Campo, 42, and comedian Luisa Omielan, 43.
Actor and writer Robin Ince, 57, commented: ‘Very impressed with the stand you have taken – you will encourage others – solidarity.’
And Andor actress Denise Gough, 46, added: ‘Sending you lots of love.’
Meanwhile, trans actress Iz Hesketh has become the second performer to pull out of the production, citing the casting of Dame Maureen as the reason.
The Hollyoaks star, who won Best Newcomer at the 2024 Radio Times Awards, said: ‘I was really looking forward to returning to the project so this isn’t a decision I’ve taken lightly.
“However, following the casting of Maureen Lipman and having recently become aware of her public comments, I no longer feel that the next phase of production aligns with my own personal values and beliefs.”
Dame Maureen, one of Britain’s most prominent Jewish artists, has faced repeated protests and demands for her performances to be canceled over her outspoken defense of Israel.
In May, pro-Palestinian campaigners targeted performances of her comedy Allegra in Aberdeen.
The Aberdeen branch of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign distributed an image showing her wearing devil horns and holding a pitchfork, while calling on supporters to sign a petition against her appearance.
Police Scotland investigated the post but concluded it was not a crime, instead recording it as a non-crime hate incident.
Dame Maureen has previously described protests against Israel by left-wing actors as ‘very, very close to fascism’ and labeled artists who signed open letters condemning Israeli military action as ‘bigoted signaturists’ and ‘bleeding heartless liberals’.
Dame Maureen has since said that McCarthy made no attempt to contact her before announcing his withdrawal from Right Before I Go.
She told The Times: ‘I ask him to have the courage to face me and tell me what he thinks I should do, think or say.
“I want to reassure him that I will not arrive with a Star of David on my forehead, nor will I try to dissuade him from his position.
‘He has to wake up and smell the grass. I have been working for sixty years with actors who often do not share my political views. I don’t ask them, and they don’t ask me either.’
She said if McCarthy didn’t want to work with her, “then fair enough.” She added, “But if he doesn’t want to meet me, then he’s a coward.”
Written by Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls writer Stan Zimmerman, Right Before I Go uses material from real suicide notes to explore the experiences of military veterans, bullied youth, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and suicide attempt survivors.
The play follows the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and will be performed at the Soho Theater between September 5 and 10.
The final performance, featuring Dame Maureen, will take place on World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 and will be followed by a discussion with the audience and a mental health professional.
