Actor Gerard McCarthy, who withdrew from the London stage show Right Before I Go after Dame Maureen Lipman joined the cast, has been revealed to have "liked" a series of antisemitic and abusive Instagram comments about the veteran actress, including one calling her a "Zio hag". McCarthy, best known for BBC's The Fall and Call The Midwife, had cited Lipman's publicly stated views on Israel and Palestine as his reason for quitting the production, prompting praise from several fellow performers, but the endorsed comments have drawn fresh criticism given "Zio" is widely regarded by Jewish groups as an antisemitic slur.

Among the comments McCarthy liked were ones branding Lipman, 80, an "odious ghoul" and a "horrid witch", and warning that "Zionists will soon have nowhere to hide". Confronted by the Daily Mail, McCarthy, 45, said he regretted "inadvertently" appearing to endorse antisemitic abuse, insisted his likes were meant only as support for his withdrawal decision, and stated he had since removed them, reiterating that his objection was to Lipman's political views rather than her Jewish identity. His original withdrawal was praised by figures including Divina de Campo, Luisa Omielan, Robin Ince and Denise Gough, and a second cast member, Iz Hesketh, has also since quit the production over Lipman's casting.