Rowdy behaviour marred comedy gigs by Paul Chowdhry and John Bishop this weekend.
Police were called to Chowdhry’s show at the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex on Saturday when a fight broke out in the audience.
Theatre management told the BBC ‘a small number of customers expressed their frustration’ towards another customer who had been heckling throughout the evening.
Their statement added: ‘A physical altercation broke out. Our team responded swiftly to defuse the situation.’
Chowdhry posted video of the altercation on his social media channels, shot after most of the audience for his Englandia tour had left the auditorium:
In a statement he said: 'We live in a time when some people feel entitled to disrupt live performances, affecting the experience for everyone else.
‘Let me be absolutely clear: I do not condone violence in any form. Live entertainment should be a space where people come together to enjoy and engage - not to create conflict.’
Police said a man was assaulted, but no serious injuries were reported and inquiries are ongoing.
Separately, footage has been posted of a heckler being ejected from Bishop's show at the Princess Theatre in Torquay on Thursday night, apparently after her partner had already been thrown out.
The comic is seen pointing to audience members near a disruptive woman and saying: ‘This is a live show, okay? See them, them and them, they all have as much right as you to enjoy the show.
A woman is then seen leaving the theatre while swearing at the audience over a chorus of boos.
One fellow punter told The Sun: ‘John warned a couple on the front row several times for the show to stop speaking. After the interval they continued doing so and then John told them he wanted them to leave.
‘The man then stood up and gestured towards John as if he was going to jump on stage. Security got to him in time, grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt and then slammed him through two fire doors.
‘My video only recorded the aftermath in which he then wanted this man’s wife thrown out of the building and slightly later two of their friends were also thrown out.’
The disruptions follow the well-publicised incident in February when Peter Kay ejected disruptive audience members from his show at the AO Arena in Manchester.
Afterwards, he released a statement saying: ‘I did my best to address the situation and made light of it as any comedian would, but unfortunately their interruptions continued.
‘I then tried to ignore them, hoping they’d settle down, but when the disruption persisted into the second half of the show, I asked the audience around them if they were being bothered by the noise. They all shouted ‘yes’ and when I asked for a show of hands at least 40 people raised theirs. At that point I had no choice but to take action.
’As a comedian, you never want to eject anyone, but when repeated disruptions make it impossible to continue, it’s important to consider the experience of the rest of the audience, who’ve paid to see a show without interruption.’
