A former BBC actor who quit a London theatre show following the casting of Dame Maureen Lipman has endorsed a torrent of abuse directed at the veteran Jewish performer.
Gerard McCarthy, known for his roles in BBC dramas The Fall and Call The Midwife, had been due to appear in Right Before I Go at London’s Soho Theatre.
But he withdrew after Dame Maureen, 80, joined the show, which opens on Saturday, citing views she had ‘publicly and repeatedly expressed regarding Israel and Palestine'.
The Daily Mail can now reveal that McCarthy, 45, subsequently liked a string of abusive comments posted beneath his announcement on Instagram.
Among them was one which read: ‘Lipman the zio hag can get in the bin.’
Another praised him as ‘a man of absolute principle’ before warning: ‘Zionists will soon have nowhere to hide.’
Gerard McCarthy (pictured in July), known for his roles in BBC dramas The Fall and Call The Midwife, quit a London theatre show following the casting of Dame Maureen
The actor had been due to appear with Maureen (pictured in June), in Right Before I Go at London’s Soho Theatre
McCarthy, who was a regular on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, also liked a message which said: ‘That woman is an odious ghoul. You saved yourself a tiring battle with your conscience every time you would’ve stepped in to the room with her.’
Another liked by McCarthy said: ‘I would cross the street if I saw her. Vile bigot’, and described Dame Maureen as ‘a horrid f****** witch’, adding: ‘It speaks volumes about the morally bankrupt scumbags behind this decision that they’re willing to work with her.’
’Zio’, an abbreviation of Zionist, is widely recognised by Jewish organisations as an anti-Semitic slur.
When approached by the Daily Mail, McCarthy issued a statement saying: 'I do not endorse anti-Semitic language or personal abuse directed at Dame Maureen Lipman, and regret having inadvertently appeared to do so by liking a number of comments among the hundreds posted beneath my statement.
'My likes were intended as acknowledgements of support for my decision to withdraw, rather than endorsements of every word used in those comments. Having had the specific language brought to my attention, I have removed those likes.
'My position remains the one set out in my original statement: my decision concerned views publicly expressed by one individual regarding Israel and Palestine. It was not about her Jewish identity, and I am against anti-Semitism.'
Announcing his withdrawal last week, McCarthy wrote on Instagram: ‘I was due to return to the production for its performance at Soho Theatre next Saturday. Yesterday morning, I made the decision to withdraw from that performance.
‘As my name and photograph are currently still being used to advertise the show, I wanted to let anyone considering booking to see me that I will no longer be appearing.
‘Following the announcement that Dame Maureen Lipman would be joining the company, I privately explained that, because of views she has publicly and repeatedly expressed regarding Israel and Palestine, I did not feel comfortable personally promoting her involvement.
‘I did not ask for her casting to be reconsidered or expect anybody else to share my position. I simply chose not to use my own platform to promote someone whose political views are at odds with my own.’
Gerard was a cast member in Hollyoaks from 2006 to 2010, where he played Kris Fisher
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.
And Andor actress Denise Gough, 46, added: ‘Sending you much much love.’
Meanwhile, transgender actress Iz Hesketh has become the second performer to pull out of the production, similarly citing Dame Maureen’s casting as the reason.
Also a Hollyoaks star, who won Best Newcomer at the 2024 Radio Times Awards, she said: 'I was really looking forward to returning to the project, so this is not a decision I have made lightly.
‘However, following the casting of Maureen Lipman and having recently become aware of public comments made by her, I no longer feel the next stage of production aligns with my own personal values and beliefs.’
Dame Maureen, one of Britain’s most prominent Jewish performers, has repeatedly faced protests and demands for her appearances to be cancelled because of her outspoken defence of Israel.
In May, pro-Palestinian campaigners targeted performances of her comedy Allegra in Aberdeen.
The Aberdeen branch of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign circulated an image depicting her with devil horns and holding a pitchfork while urging supporters to sign a petition against her appearance.
Police Scotland examined the post but concluded that it did not amount to a crime, recording it instead 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 branded performers who signed open letters condemning Israeli military action ‘bigoted signaturists’ and ‘bleeding heartless liberals’.
Dame Maureen has since said that McCarthy made no attempt to contact her before announcing that he was withdrawing from Right Before I Go.
She told The Times: ‘I am asking for him to have the courage to face me and tell me what he thinks it is I should do, or think, or say.
‘I would like to reassure him that I will not be arriving with a star of David on my forehead, nor am I trying to argue him out of his point of view.
‘He has to wake up and smell the grass. I have worked with actors for 60 years who often don’t share my politics. I don’t ask them, and they don’t ask me.’
She said that if McCarthy did not want to work with her, ‘then fair enough’, adding: ‘But if he won’t meet with me, then he’s a coward.’
Right Before I Go, written by Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls writer Stan Zimmerman, uses material drawn from genuine suicide notes to explore the experiences of military veterans, bullied young people, members of the LGBTQ+ community and survivors of suicide attempts.
The play follows a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and will be staged at the Soho Theatre from September 5-10.
The final performance, featuring Dame Maureen, takes place on World Suicide Prevention Day and will be followed by a discussion with the audience and a mental health professional.
Following the departure of McCarthy, the creative team released a statement, writing: 'We are aware of recent coverage regarding the departure of two of our actors from the production. As a company, we have always kept political affiliation separate from artistic collaboration, and we do not vet performers on the basis of their personal or political views.
'We understand that our cast and collaborators hold a wide range of perspectives, including on deeply personal and difficult subjects, and we respect the sincerity behind their decisions. Right Before I Go will go on.
'We remain fully committed to the safety, wellbeing and support of every member of our cast and creative team throughout this run.'
Playwright Stan Zimmerman added: 'My play has never been about one actor. Its purpose has always been to raise awareness about suicide and save lives. It already has and I’m so proud of that. That’s why we all must stay laser focused on that goal.
'To clear the record, we use a revolving cast. McCarthy was never asked to appear on the same performance date as Dame Maureen Lipman.'