Comedian Russell Howard 'probably did right thing' as act filmed

Russell Howard said you would not find any other performer, comedian or musician that would feel different.

The comedian Russell Howard said he "probably did the right thing" in walking off stage mid-set when a woman in the crowd started filming him.

He said given everything else happening in the world he was amazed the incident got as much attention as it did.

Howard ended a gig in Bristol last month after taking issue with the woman telling her to "live in the moment".

He said someone filming was "not going to be good for you and it's not going to be good for the performer".

'Non-disclosure agreement'

"There's a lot going on in the world at the moment, but apparently a wonky-eyed comedian telling a lady to live in the moment trumped all of that," he said.

"You won't find any kind of artist, or performer, or comedian, or musician that would feel differently. Particularly if you're doing a small gig, and somebody's recording it, it's not going to be good for you and it's not going to be good for the performer.

"It's just pretty simple. But I dunno, I was surprised at how crazy it went.

"But I think I probably did the right thing."

Comedians frequently require audience members to leave their phones switched off during performances.

Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson reportedly asked fans to sign a non-disclosure agreement before a performance in San Francisco last year with a $1m (£768,000) fine for breaking it.

Dave Chappelle also bars phones from his sets, and many other performers fear their latest material leaking.