Miriam Margolyes becomes Black Ferns fan after meeting Ruby Tui

Legendary British actress and comedian Miriam Margolyes has caught up with Black Ferns star Ruby Tui, and despite not being a rugby fan, she is now a Black Ferns fan.

Miriam, well known for her acclaimed theatre performances and for playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series, has been travelling Aotearoa in a campervan for her new series Miriam Margolyes in New Zealand.

Catching up with Ruby, Miriam told her that the Black Ferns were the only rugby team she wanted to meet, saying, “I'm not interested in rugby, darling.”

Miriam also expressed concern over Ruby's outfit, asking if she was cold after seeing her classic Kiwi choice of footwear—socks and jandals.

When asked about how she feels about the haka, Ruby once again proved why she is one of our most beloved rugby stars, answering eloquently as always: “I represent New Zealand, and Maori culture is part of the culture I'm representing. How, how can I not respect that and educate myself about that culture?”

“When I take that field, it has absolutely nothing to do with myself. It's our responsibility as kaitiaki or guardianship of this that we understand we're representing the whole of New Zealand.”

The entire three-minute video is a joy to watch, and you can watch it all below!

One viewer commented, “What an amazing ambassador for our NZ culture. Ruby explains it succinctly what it means to be a proud, kind Kiwi! Tino pai!” while another wrote, “How much would I love to have a beer with those two top notch humans!?! Chur.”

Snippets of the trailer show the 83-year-old stage and screen superstar chatting with farmers while eating pavlova, witnessing a school haka, and even being taught how to do a pūkana.

Produced by ABC Australia in association with Screen New South Wales, the series follows Miriam as she flies from her adopted home of Australia to New Zealand to “figure out” the country ahead of her new role in the upcoming Kiwi film Holy Days.

Watch the trailer for Miriam Margolyes in New Zealand below:

Miriam Margolyes in New Zealand will stream from Sunday, January 12 at 7.30pm (AU time) on ABC iview and ABC TV in Australia. 

We're currently unaware of any ways we can watch it in New Zealand, but we will update this when we know.