DAME BLAMING

I refuse to be scared to speak out in case what I say might be taken out of context and used to vilify me. So I do feel sorry for Dame Angela Lansbury, left, star of TV crime series Murder, She Wrote, because I think this is exactly what happened to her this week. In an interview discussing sexual harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, she said: “We must sometimes take blame, women... although it’s awful to say we can’t make ourselves look attractive without being knocked down and raped.”

Despite going on to say that men had no excuse for such behaviour and that sexual harassment in the industry had to stop, the actress, who is 92, by the way, was widely pilloried.

Look, you don’t need to be a detective to work out that what she was trying to convey was that it would be fantastic if women could walk down the street naked and not be ogled, wolf-whistled or taken advantage of, but we’re not there yet. So, until we are, be careful and stay safe.