Adam Kay: Police escort man from comedy gig after mask row

An audience member was escorted from Adam Kay's stand-up comedy gig by police following a disagreement mid-show about mask-wearing.

The incident occurred during Adam Kay's Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas Show at the Rose Theatre in Kingston-upon-Thames.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed to the BBC that a man had been arrested for "a breach of the peace".

They said he was subsequently de-arrested and given "words of advice".

Doctor-turned-comedian Kay, who is the author of books including This is Going to Hurt, tweeted to thank the "wonderful staff" at the venue for handling the disturbance.

"During the show, a man was proudly wearing his mask around his chin and, when asked by multiple people to wear it more appropriately, became extremely disruptive and rude to theatre staff, to the extent that the show became badly affected," he said.

"He told theatre staff that they'd have to call the police to stop his disruptive behaviour, which they eventually had no option but to do. He asked me repeatedly to 'Watch the videos of Neil Oliver', which I won't."

Last week, the government announced that face coverings are now compulsory in many indoor spaces in England, including cinemas and theatres, as stricter measures were being introduced to tackle the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

A spokeswoman for the Rose Theatre said in a statement to the BBC that a man was escorted from the venue by the police because "he was being disruptive and because he was not wearing a mask, which is now mandatory."

"Having encouraged mask-wearing since we reopened, we support the government's recent decision to make face coverings mandatory in theatres," she said.

"Face coverings help to keep our audiences, artists and staff safe and this measure increases the likelihood that theatres will remain open throughout the winter."

She added her front of house colleagues for "dealing so well with a challenging situation and to the audience for their overwhelmingly positive feedback".

Kay added in a tweet: "If you're loud and disruptive in a theatre show then unfortunately you'll get booted out, whatever you're shouting about."

The comic's book This is Going to Hurt - based on Kay's diaries on life as a doctor working in obstetrics and gynaecology - is being adapted for BBC Two. Kay will be played by Ben Whishaw, whose previous work includes A Very English Scandal and playing Q in the Bond films.