Phone smashed at stand-up gig

Lee Hurst is facing a police investigation after smashing up an audience member’s mobile phone in fury.

The former They Think It’s All Over team captain lost his temper at a stand-up gig in Guildford in Surrey on Wednesday night.

The 46-year-old comic accused a member of the audience of filming his set to put on to YouTube – although the man concerned insisted he was simply texting his babysitter to say he would be late back.

One punter at the You Must Be Stoking comedy club in Guildford told Chortle: ‘All was going well until Lee went ballistic, grabbed someone’s phone and accused them of filming.

‘He smashed it into tiny pieces and hurled obscenities before storming off stage, leaving 300 people staring at a microphone.’

A Surrey police spokesman told Chortle: ‘Surrey Police can confirm that an incident took place during a comedy night at the Stoke pub, Stoke Road, Guildford, at about 10.45pm on Wednesday night, in which it was reported that damage was done to a mobile phone.

‘Officer are currently investigating and are in the process of interviewing both parties to achieve a satisfactory conclusion.’

Hurst has not yet responded to a request for comment, while club promoter Paul Kerensa declined to comment further on the ‘unusual night’.

Hurst is no stranger to bizarre behaviour. Two years ago, he was briefly detained under the Mental Health act after threatening to kill himself. The comic said his threat, made in an emotional call to a national newspaper, was a ‘cry for help’ over the way his dying father was being treated in hospital.

And last year, he shocked staff at his own comedy club, the Backyard in London’s East End, by suddenly closing it, just before Christmas. The club has since reopened under the name The FymFygBar, with Hurst compering most Saturday evenings.

Hurst is also just about to revive his TV career, ten years after leaving the BBC’s sports quiz because of the painful joint disease he suffers. He will appear as a regular panelist on Five’s The What In The World? quiz show, which starts at 7.30pm tonight.

Published: 5 Sep 2008