Sir Tony Robinson has recalled a “sexual encounter” with fellow actor Miriam Margolyes that took place seconds before he was due to go on stage.
Robinson, known for his role in “Blackadder”, revealed on his new Cunningcast podcast that the incident occurred when the pair met in Leicester.
Robinson said that Margolyes had put her hand down his trousers and “tickled my balls”.
Margolyes, best known for her role in the “Harry Potter” series, apologised for the incident, although she did not recall it happening.
Margolyes struggled to remember the encounter, asking Robinson, “We had a sexual encounter? I don’t remember that.”
Robinson, however, was certain that it happened, responding, “Why would I lie about a thing like that? I remember how split down the middle I was because a part of me thought, oh, my God, this is fantastic.”
Robinson said that he was in the wings waiting to go on stage when the incident happened.
“It was during the show. The acting was going on. I was standing behind the door waiting to go on. You were, I guess, going to be on next after me and it was so funny,” he said.
Despite admitting that it sounded “very unprofessional,” Margolyes said that she could not remember the encounter.
“How very unprofessional of me, I am now apologising for that era, but I can’t remember it. I’m so glad you remember it,” she said. Robinson, however, joked that it was “probably the high point of my sexual life.”
The two actors are long-time friends, and the incident did not affect their relationship.
In fact, Margolyes appeared on Robinson’s podcast in order to discuss it.
She admitted that she rarely thinks about s^x nowadays, but said that she still likes to “look at men’s trousers” on the tube to see where their “c***s and balls” are.
“I don’t think about sex. However, if I’m on a tube which I’m not now very much because I frightened of Covid, but when I was on tubes, I always looked at men’s trousers to see where their c***s were,” she said.
“So there’s still, I don’t know, a little fragment of s^x left in me.”
Margolyes explained that her fascination with male anatomy is rooted in a “charming sense of wonder”. “It’s so interesting to me that that you have c***s and balls.
Something that hangs outside of your body. Extraordinary. So I think I’m still a bit amazed and rather thrilled. Something so different,” she said.
Robinson and Margolyes are both respected actors in the UK, with long and varied careers in film, television, and theatre.
Margolyes is also known for her outspokenness on a range of issues, while Robinson is a respected historian and broadcaster.
Robinson has insisted that he was not offended by the incident, and that it was simply a moment of harmless fun between friends.
“I suppose nowadays people would say that to you sexually harassed me, but it wasn’t like that at all as far as I was concerned,” he said. “Looking in your eyes, it was the funniest joke possible.”
Margolyes, for her part, has expressed regret for the incident, and has apologised for any offence that she may have caused.
“I’m sorry if I upset you. I really am,” she said. “It was a different
era, and I think things were different then. I don’t think I would do something like that now. But at the time, it was just a bit of fun.”
Robinson has also made it clear that he does not feel that he was a victim of sexual harassment.
“I’m a man, and men don’t get harassed in the same way that women do,” he said.
“But I do think it’s important to have these conversations, and to make sure that everyone feels comfortable and respected on set.”
The incident has also sparked a wider discussion about the way in which the entertainment industry has changed over the years.
Many have pointed out that what was once considered acceptable behaviour is now seen as inappropriate or even abusive.
Margolyes herself has spoken out on this issue, arguing that the industry needs to do more to protect vulnerable performers.
“I think that we need to be more aware of the power dynamics in our industry,” she said.
“There are a lot of young actors out there who are just starting out, and they can be very vulnerable. We need to make sure that they are protected from harassment and abuse.”
