Miriam Margolyes hits back at presenter with brutally honest view on Harry Potter role

Miriam Margolyes has revealed starring in Harry Potter was "not a career highlight" - just one year after telling adult fans of the wizarding franchise to "grow up".

The veteran actress, 84, played Professor Pomona Sprout in the film series, but she does not hold it in the same esteem as some of her other projects.

Miriam, who won a BAFTA for her role in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence, made her latest Potter dig during a discussion on Ireland AM.

Presenter Elaine Crowley asked: "I suppose when you look at your career over the years, I know you're a mad fan of Dickens. You think he's perhaps overlooked in terms of Shakespeare. Your career from Harry Potter to everything else to Doctor Who you've done it all, been there for it all, but do you have any particular role that was a highlight for you?"

Before answering, Miriam paused, before replying: "Yes, there are certain things... I mean Harry Potter is not for me a highlight.

"That was a delightful experience because I was working with Maggie Smith whom I adored and she was lovely to me. She is not always lovely to everybody but she was lovely to me.

"Oh yes, if she didn't like you, you knew it, you know. But she was great, she was fabulous"

Downton Abbey star Maggie died last year at the age of 89 and she famously portrayed Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter.

As for her actual career highlights, Miriam, who was in Romeo + Juliet, mentioned her latest film with Stephen Fry, A Friend of Dorothy, that tells the story of a "lonely widow's quiet life is upended when a teenage boy accidentally kicks his football into her garden".

She said it was "really quite good" and the actress explained how her character had "deep pain in her heart" after having a disabled child completely changed her nature.

The TV star was in Ireland promoting her new memoir called The Little Book of Miriam.

And although she was quick to play down the importance of Harry Potter in her phenomenal career, it is not the first time she has upset wizarding fans.

Speaking last year, she said Potter fans "should be over that by now" and she added to New Zealand broadcaster TZNZ: "It was 25 years ago, and I think it's for children.

"I do Cameos and people say they are doing a Harry Potter-themed wedding, and I think, 'Oh gosh what is their first night of fun going to be?'"

She also addressed Cameo, a site where members of the public can pay celebrities to make personalised videos for a friend or family member, while on The Late Late Show with Patrick Kielty last weekend.

Miriam said she has "never earned so much in my life" because of it and added: "How lucky am I?"

She continued: "It's this Cameo thing. And then I found out, what's his name? Nigel Farage is on Cameo as well. What does he want with Cameos?"