Showbiz

John Bishop is forced to call security to kick ‘aggressive’ hecklers out of his Torquay show

John Bishop is forced to call security to kick ‘aggressive’ hecklers out of his Torquay show

Comedian John Bishop had two audience members kicked out of his comedy show over alleged ‘aggressive’ behaviour.

Video filmed at the Princess Theatre in Torquay during the star’s Back At It tour last Thursday shows John confronting a man and a woman in the front row after they reportedly talked through his set.

John, 58, repeatedly asked the couple to be quiet before requesting that they leave the theatre, other audience members have reported.

The video shows John telling the couple ‘this is a live show’ before gesturing to other punters and saying ‘see him, see her, they have as much right as you to enjoy the show.’

The woman is then seen standing up and walking out, with security holding the door for her as John calls ‘see you then’ and the rest of the audience starts applauding.

The man is said to have gestured towards the comedian in an aggressive manner before he was ‘grabbed by security’ and escorted out before the video footage was filmed. 

Comedian John Bishop had two audience members kicked out of his comedy show over alleged 'aggressive' behaviour

Comedian John Bishop had two audience members kicked out of his comedy show over alleged ‘aggressive’ behaviour

Video filmed at the Princess Theatre in Torquay during the star's Back At It tour last Thursday shows John confronting a man and a woman in the front row after they reportedly talked through his set

Video filmed at the Princess Theatre in Torquay during the star’s Back At It tour last Thursday shows John confronting a man and a woman in the front row after they reportedly talked through his set

An onlooker 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.’

They claimed: ‘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.’

Many users also took to social media to praise John for his actions, with posts including: ‘I’m not a fan of John Bishop’s comedy, but he comes across as a decent bloke;

‘There’s always one; Good lad John for putting them in their place, you are brilliant.”

‘Well done John;  Why do people do this?’

John, 58, repeatedly asked the couple to be quiet before requesting that they leave the theatre, other audience members have reported, with video showing John telling the couple 'this is a live show'

John, 58, repeatedly asked the couple to be quiet before requesting that they leave the theatre, other audience members have reported, with video showing John telling the couple ‘this is a live show’

John is just the latest in a string of high-profile stars who have kicked heckling audience members out of their comedy shows (pictured last month)

John is just the latest in a string of high-profile stars who have kicked heckling audience members out of their comedy shows (pictured last month)

John is just the latest in a string of high-profile stars who have kicked heckling audience members out of their comedy shows.

Peter Kay sparked backlash after kicking three hecklers out of his gig in Manchester in February.

One of the rowdy audience members Phillip Peters, 54, went public by claiming he was ‘treated like a terrorist’ by security staff after shouting ‘garlic bread’ during Kay’s show – the funnyman’s catchphrase.

The second heckler, Myar Curran, 25, was ejected from the show after shouting ‘we love you Peter,’ with the comic comparing her to actress Lisa Riley as she was removed, a comment which she said left her ‘in tears’.

And just a few weeks ago Jimmy Carr threw out a rowdy guest at a gig after one ‘drunk’ gig goer annoyed four other audience members so much that they threatened to walk out.

Jimmy was performing at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall as part of his latest stand-up tour.

The 8 Out Of 10 Cats star was unimpressed with a punter for talking during the opening 30 minutes of his routine and becoming a ‘nuisance’ to those around him.

According to an eye-witness, four audience members sitting next to the troublemaker – who was accompanied by a female – threatened to walk out and one of them, a male, had to be held back by his partner after appearing to aim a punch at the heckler.

Incredibly, after being alerted to what was happening while on stage, Jimmy then told the four leaving fans to stay put, before taking on the heckler – sitting in the front row of the first tier – in his notoriously brutal style.

The eyewitness told MailOnline: ‘Four people got up to leave and one of them had to be held back from hitting the heckler.

‘Then Jimmy intervened, he told the four fans to sit down and said to the heckler, ‘You’re blind drunk, you’re probably on cocaine, so I’ll give you three choices.

Peter Kay sparked backlash after kicking three hecklers out of his gig in Manchester in February, with one audience member claiming he was 'treated like a terrorist' by security staff

Peter Kay sparked backlash after kicking three hecklers out of his gig in Manchester in February, with one audience member claiming he was ‘treated like a terrorist’ by security staff

And just a few weeks ago Jimmy Carr threw out a rowdy guest at a gig in Birmingham after one 'drunk' gig goer annoyed four other audience members so much that they threatened to walk out

And just a few weeks ago Jimmy Carr threw out a rowdy guest at a gig in Birmingham after one ‘drunk’ gig goer annoyed four other audience members so much that they threatened to walk out 

Read More Jimmy Carr doubles down on Peter Kay swipe amid heckling debate article image

”You can either get up and leave, go away and come back and see me again, or you can sit there, refuse to go and I’ll get security’.’

According to the eyewitness, the rowdy audience member refused to budge which then sparked Jimmy to hail security who arrived on the scene within seconds and escorted the heckler – and his female companion – out of the theatre.

The eyewitness added: ‘Everyone started cheering and Jimmy referred to the Peter Kay incident a few weeks ago.

‘There must be something in the water at these comedy gigs at the moment.’

Following the show, Jimmy was praised for his actions by fans who had flocked to his Facebook page to comment about the gig.

One user commented: ‘You handled that annoying idiot like a pro,’ another added: ‘Fabulous show and the guy that got escorted out, he deserved nothing less’

A third chimed in: ‘Great show, handled the crowd trouble with class.’

After Peter’s own heckler incident he addressed the incident on his Instagram account.

In a post on Instagram Stories, he explained that the first heckler had been disrupting his stand-up show by repeatedly shouting ‘garlic bread,’ and he made the decision to eject them after ‘forty audience members’ agreed it was distracting.

He then went onto address his jibe at the other audience member, saying he ‘didn’t see it as an insult.’

Kay wrote: ‘At the show on Saturday night, February 8th, in Manchester, I had two hecklers disrupting from the very start.

‘I did my best to address the situation and make 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 forty people raised theirs.

‘At that point, I had no choice but to take action. The lady who was escorted out did bear a striking resemblance to Lisa Riley, though I don’t see how that’s an insult.

‘This was only the second and third time I’ve had to ask someone to leave during my 114 shows over the past three years of this tour.

‘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.’

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