Mo Gilligan turned one of television’s most uncomfortable controversies into a punchline at the National Television Awards — and the reaction inside London’s O2 Arena was immediate.

Taking to the stage on September 8 to present the Factual Entertainment award, the 38-year-old comedian introduced himself with a joke aimed squarely at the row surrounding Miriam Margolyes and This Morning presenter Andi Peters.

“If you know me, I’m Mo Gilligan,” he told the audience. “And if you don’t know me, then I’m Andi Peters.”

The line drew a mixture of gasps and nervous laughter before Gilligan moved on to announce Gogglebox as the winner of the category.

The joke came only days after Margolyes, 85, faced criticism over an awkward exchange with Peters on This Morning, during which she questioned him about his family background and used an outdated and offensive American term historically applied to lighter-skinned Black people.

Mo Gilligan referenced the controversy live at the NTAs

The 2026 National Television Awards took place at The O2 in London on Tuesday night, with Joel Dommett returning as host for the sixth year.

ITV had previously confirmed that the ceremony would be held on September 8 and broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX.

Gilligan appeared during the ceremony to present Factual Entertainment, one of the night’s major categories.

His opening line made no direct mention of Margolyes, but the reference was unmistakable given the controversy that had dominated discussion around Peters only days earlier.

The joke immediately divided reaction online.

Some viewers found it amusing, with one writing that Gilligan “does make me laugh,” while another simply said: “That was funny Mo.”

Others were less impressed, with one viewer saying the gag “fell flat as a pancake.”

The Andi Peters exchange had already gone viral

The controversy began during Margolyes’ appearance on This Morning the previous week.

Peters, 56, was presenting alongside Christine Lampard when Margolyes began discussing accents and identity.

She initially asked Peters what accent would be “normal” for him.

“This is normal. This is what I am,” he replied.

The conversation then shifted from accent to his racial background.

Margolyes suggested that Peters had one Black parent and one white parent.

Peters corrected her.

“No, no, no. Both my parents are Black,” he said.

Margolyes then used an outdated American term to describe his complexion. The term has historically been used for lighter-skinned Black people and is now widely regarded as offensive.

Peters tried to defuse the situation with humour

Peters appeared surprised by the direction of the conversation but attempted to keep the exchange light.

He joked about whether his makeup had made him appear lighter than usual.

Margolyes continued by explaining that the term was used in America for somebody who was not “deeply Black.”

Peters responded that he had not known there were different “shades,” prompting Margolyes to insist that there were.

The exchange quickly attracted attention after clips circulated online.

Peters later responded indirectly to the viral moment.

Replying to a post from Jeremy Vine praising how he had handled the situation, Peters wrote: “As you know we have to be ready for anything.”

Producers appeared concerned during the live exchange

At one stage during the This Morning conversation, Peters appeared to receive a message through his earpiece.

He then remarked that the production team were “getting nervous.”

Margolyes told them not to be nervous and said she wanted to discuss inclusion.

Her appearance had originally been intended to promote her book Miriam’s Full English: A Grand Tour of All Our Best Bits, which explores questions of British identity, fairness and free speech.

The segment was later widely discussed online, with many viewers criticising both the terminology Margolyes used and the way she questioned Peters about his background.

Margolyes later addressed the backlash

Margolyes subsequently spoke about the incident while discussing her interest in other people and their identities.

She said she had not intended to embarrass or hurt Peters, whom she described as seeming “very nice.”

She explained that she had never met him before and had wanted to understand his perspective and experiences.

Margolyes said she was interested in how different people feel about who they are and how they are perceived by others.

Her explanation did not end the criticism.

Reports said she faced further backlash for the way she defended the original conversation, with some accusing her of making the situation worse rather than resolving it.

The original This Morning footage was altered on ITVX

According to reports, the controversial portion of Margolyes’ appearance was subsequently removed from the version of the programme available on ITVX.

ITV’s listings confirm Peters and Lampard were presenting This Morning during that week, with Peters appearing on the programme on September 3 and 4.

The original clip nevertheless continued circulating elsewhere online, keeping the incident in the public conversation in the days leading up to the NTAs.

That gave Gilligan’s seemingly simple introduction a much sharper meaning when he stepped onto the O2 stage.

Gogglebox took home the Factual Entertainment award

Once the laughter and gasps subsided, Gilligan continued with the actual business of the evening.

The Factual Entertainment award went to Channel 4’s Gogglebox.

The series beat 24 Hours in Police Custody, Secret Garden, Sort Your Life Out and The Martin Lewis Money Show Live to take the prize.

It was one of a number of major awards handed out during the ceremony, which also saw The Celebrity Traitors, Clarkson’s Farm, The 1% Club, Call the Midwife and This Morning among the winners.

But Gilligan’s few seconds on stage generated attention of their own.

One line brought the controversy straight back into the spotlight

Gilligan never needed to explain the joke.

The timing did that for him.

Only days earlier, Peters had been placed in an awkward live television exchange about his skin colour and family background. By Tuesday night, the incident had become recognizable enough for Gilligan to reference it with a single sentence in front of one of British television’s biggest audiences.

Some viewers thought the joke was a sharp way of acknowledging the controversy.

Others thought it misfired.

Either way, the combination of gasps, nervous laughter and immediate social media reaction made clear that the row surrounding Margolyes and Peters was far from forgotten when television’s biggest stars gathered at the O2.