Heckler put-downs prove too much

Mark Little has been 'sacked' after unleashing a fierce tirade against hecklers.

Brighton's Komedia venue has said the former Neighbours star is no longer welcome to host his fortnightly show there after 40 complaints about his behaviour.

A spokesman for the venue said: "I can confirm that the Boogie Woogie Beach Bum Bar nights on 10 and 24 July will not take place."

Little reacted furiously after unruly punters shouted down poet Curtis Tappenden at his show last Thursday.

Around 20 people stormed out after Little branded one comedy-goer a bigot during a fierce four-letter barracking.

Tappenden had previously impressed the audience by painting a 16-metre landscape on the stage wall, but when he returned to read his poetry, the crowd turned nasty.

At the time, Hove-based Little said: "I felt so bad for Curtis. He was completely shattered. I could not stand by and let it happen so I gave the audience a dose of their own medicine.

"I got angry and I abused some people in the audience, I'll admit that, but it was in a theatrical way. They were downright rude. It seems the mix of watercolours and political comment was just too volatile."

It's the second time in a week that Komedia has inadvertently found itself in the news, as another of its comics hit the headlines when a shark died after he went skinny-dipping in its tank.

Guy Venables has now learned that he will escape prosecution for jumping into the tank at Brighton's Sea Life Centre for a £1 bet.

An autopsy into the death of the smoothhound shark has proved inconclusive, so aquarium bosses have dropped their threat to prosecute Venables for criminal damage.

Venables, part of Komedia's Joker Basement show, told the Brighton Evening Argus: "I am glad it's all over. If they had taken me to court I was planning on having tramps acting as my lawyers just to show what a big joke the whole thing was."

Published: 18 Jun 2003