Paul Mescal causes outrage by not wearing a poppy on Graham Norton show

Not wearing a poppy is an annual offence

Paul Mescal – a popular dude – made an unpopular choice as a guest on The Graham Norton Show this week – namely because he was the only one on the couch who wasn’t wearing a remembrance poppy.

The Irish actor was on the BBC show, which aired on Friday night, and he spoke well about his new movie and  his breakout role in Normal People.

There was also a great moment when comedian and TV host Richard Ayoade refused to apologise for calling Mescal a “bastard” [tongue-in-cheek, of course] at an award ceremony that took place last year.

But an otherwise successful appearance soon turned bitter when social media became involved and question why he was not wearing a poppy.

Mescal, of course, is Irish and, would not normally observe the UK’s remembrance Sunday and yet people wondered why and wondered in fury.

“Why is Paul Mescal not wearing a Poppy on The Graham Norton Show????” asked one outraged viewer.

Addressing the actor directly, a second tweeted: “@mescal_paul where’s your poppy?!”

And a third wondered: “Why is Paul Mescal not wearing a poppy?”

Some social media users help others figure out the obvious. He’s Irish …

One Irish tweeter explained: “It’s not our thing really… not overly keen on the old poppy over here… British soldiers committing atrocities in Ireland sort of turned us off it, but hey, each to their own.”

“He is Irish… we don’t wear them or celebrate British atrocities on our island,” explained one Twitter user.