Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes slams charity for treating celebrated actors with ‘contempt’

Harry Potter favorite Miriam Margolyes yesterday took notice of how some of Britain’s most celebrated actors have been treated with ‘contempt’ amid a bitter charity spat.

The veteran star also said hard-up members of the profession who needed help from the prestigious Actors’ Benevolent Fund (ABF) had been let down by the “fractured” charity watchdog.

Her comments are the latest twist in a long-running dispute that saw Dame Penelope Keith – best known for her comedic roles in The Good Life and To The Manor Born – being ousted as president of the organization.

Dame Penelope, 83, was one of 10 trustees removed from the charity’s board by another group of actors last year in what observers described as a ‘coup d’état’.

They claim they had no access to financial information and accused some of the remaining trustees of “sham governance,” while counterclaims were made of bullying and harassment.

Other prominent figures on the sidelines include Dame Sian Phillips – who won a BAFTA for her role in the classic BBC drama series I, Claudius – and Likely Lads star James Bolam.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Ms Margolyes – also known for her appearances in Blackadder – warned that the row could do irreversible damage to the ABF.

The 81-year-old said: ‘It has already damaged the charity’s reputation as we admire and honor our stars.

“People like Penny Keith and Sian Phillips are good people and I find it shocking that they were treated with such disdain.”

She said the ABF has become confused after running out of legally appointed trustees, adding: ‘The Charity Commissioners, whose job it is to sort this out, seem incapable of doing so.

“They are there to regulate and manage charities and make sure they are well managed. It is clear to me that this is a case of a charity that is not well managed.’

According to a treasurer’s report, the amount of money going to the needy dropped after the altercation. Meanwhile, an emergency grant offered by the charity was unavailable for nine months due to a “rebranding.” ABF bosses insist that this has now been resolved.

Ms Margolyes claimed that in one case, a 94-year-old man who applied for aid in March 2022 had still not had his application considered after it was apparently ‘lost’.

She added, “This isn’t about fighting, it’s about people in need.

“And the money is there to help them, so why isn’t it shared? It doesn’t look good.’

Ms Margolyes, who ran unsuccessfully for a position on the council in the last election, has called on the Charity Commission to enforce free, fair and transparent elections to ensure the charity is in safe hands.

The charity, whose patron was King Charles before he ascended to the throne, was founded in 1882 and has an endowment of more than £30 million, aimed at helping struggling actors and stage crew.

Past presidents include Sir John Gielgud and Lord Laurence Olivier, while current members include Sir Kenneth Branagh, Dame Joanna Lumley and Jim Broadbent.

An ABF spokesman said: ‘The Commission is positive about the progress the ABF trustees have made to reform the charity, there is no disarray.’

He denied that beneficiaries were abandoned during the row, adding that ‘our own assessment found no evidence of an outstanding application’ as intended by Ms Margolyes.

The charity committee insisted it had worked “extensively” in an effort to resolve the “bitter dispute that has not served the interests of the charity’s members or beneficiaries.”

A spokesperson said those who received the most votes at the last AGM should be nominated, although a new vote is due no later than December 2023 to give members “their Democratic vote on the charity’s leadership.”