Dermot O’Leary has been slammed by fans after issuing a ‘disappointing’ statement over his ‘encouraging’ of disrespectful audiences in theatres.
The presenter, 49, laughed along on Wednesday while his This Morning co-star Alison Hammond, 48, joked she was ‘devastated’ about a new ban on audience’s singing, just days before a ‘mini riot’ broke out at The Bodyguard in Manchester.
While the Birmingham-native admitted she had been ‘wrong’ and shared her regrets, Dermot told his followers to re-watch the video before passing judgement.
While some fans were dismayed by Dermot’s post, others rushed to his defence and noted how it had all been ‘blown out of proportion’.
Police were called to the Palace Theatre when the show starring former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton had to be stopped twice before ending early after a woman was dragged out by security after refusing to stop singing along.
‘It’s not even an apology!’ Dermot O’Leary has been slammed by fans after issuing a ‘disappointing’ statement over his ‘encouraging’ of disrespectful audiences in theatres
Oh dear! The presenter, 49, laughed along on Wednesday while his This Morning co-star Alison Hammond, 48, joked she was ‘devastated’ about a new ban on audience’s singing, just days before a ‘mini riot’ broke out at The Bodyguard in Manchester
Earlier that week Alison said during the ITV discussion: ‘[Theatre staff] are regularly walking up and down the aisles before the performance and during the interval with ‘no singing’ signs’ I mean, I can’t believe it, I’d be devastated,’
Distancing himself from the situation, the TV host wrote in a Sunday tweet: ‘Evening all…
‘A lot of people commenting about a reaction to a story we covered on This Morning about the ‘Bodyguard’ show and audiences singing along.’
Dermot added: ‘Could I politely urge anyone passing judgement on the clip to watch the whole interview… as I was actually arguing AGAINST people singing too loudly in theatres.
‘Nothing but love and respect for those treading the boards. Peace and love to all.’
He showed he wanted to put the whole ordeal behind him, as he ended the statement on a light-hearted note, saying: ‘Now, back to those Easter eggs… Dx’
But his fans were left less than impressed at his post, criticising him for being ‘tasteless’ and not ‘taking responsibility’.
They wrote: ‘Considering the Statement Alison released, this is in V poor taste. Regardless of whether you argued for or against, you participated in mocking theatre, something which has been a focal point on This Morning for years. It’s not about what you said, it’s what you did. Do better.’
Addressing the situation: Dermot urged viewers to watch the ‘whole interview’ before turning his attention to Easter eggs
Shock: Police were called to the Palace Theatre in Manchester when a show starring former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton had to be stopped twice, before ending early due to rowdy crowd caused chaos (Melody pictured with co-star Ayden Callaghan)
‘To be fair @radioleary the clip everyone is talking about is the one @thismorning posted and you are clearly laughing at the silly comments being made.’
‘Dermot, if I’ve paid £80+ for a mediocre and uncomfortable seat in a west end stage to see an artist or ensemble perform, I don’t expect Brenda from Sheffield to be belting it out next to me, so “too loudly” isn’t good enough and this whole statement reeks!’
‘Wow the contempt of this….was gonna say apology… but it’s really not… maybe get your publicist to write you a better, more sincere one? Also can’t blame editing, you were laughing at what they were saying, encouraging that behaviour will never be laughable.’
‘Tasteless response Dermot. You are just as bad as Holly and Phil. Fair play to Alison who actually has owned it and taken responsibility acknowledged the issue and apologised. You on the other hand.. shocking.’
‘This is a really disappointing statement from you and I expected something better. Least you can do is apologise. Also audiences shouldn’t be singing in theatres at all… not even quietly.’
‘Take ownership of the fact that you were the face and voice of an obvious attempt to undermine theatre and those who work so hard within in it, this response is lame. You could have done so much better.’
‘I’m a fan but this is really, really disappointing and comes across mega insincere.’
But others praised Dermot, writing: ‘I’ve noticed you come to the theatre a lot and you are always so nice. Thank you for supporting!!’
Uh-oh! Dermot’s fans were left less than impressed at his post, criticising him for being ‘tasteless’ and not ‘taking responsibility’
‘Evening Dermot. l love you and Alison. Things get blown out of proportion.’
‘You shouldn’t need to make a statement. People need to watch the full segment and stop jumping on a bandwagon.’
‘Not gonna lie, this is crazy!you’re both getting more heat than the people thrown out of the theatre!’
‘Aww Derm. You are one of the Best presenters. Must be a no news week !!!!!’
Meanwhile, Alison decided to apologise for her words and vowed to ‘do better in the future’.
Sharing a statement to Twitter, it read: ‘After reflection and the comments I made on Wednesday’s show I want to apologise to anyone who I offended especially the incredibly talented theatre performers, who I have the utmost respect for.
‘I had no idea the level of disruption audiences were causing and tried to make light of the topic on Wednesday’s show, and for that I’m truly sorry.’
Adding: ‘I am a great supporter of theatre and the arts and would never sing at the top of my lungs at any performance, I was wrong in what I said and I’ve given this a lot of thought over the past fw days and believe I was wrong.
Support: While some fans were dismayed by Dermot’s post, others rushed to his defence and noted how it had all been ‘blown out of proportion’
‘On Thursday evening I attended a performance of the GBBO the musical which I absolutely loved and gave a standing ovation, theatre is a magical experience for me and my family.’
She concluded: ‘I want to use my platform for good as always and want to stand up with the performers, front of house and theatre staff especially after seeing what happened at The Bodyguard in Manchester, which has made me sick to my stomach.
‘Once again I am truly sorry but trust me I will do better in the future.’
Former BGT winner, and theatre star, George Sampson, 29, angrily hit out taking to Twitter writing: ‘People [in theatres] just behave how they want, where they want, probably doesn’t help that @ThisMorning are encouraging this behaviour’.
On Saturday former Pussycat Doll Melody discussed the incident on her Instagram Story, thanking those who were ‘respectful’ and said ‘it feels awful’ that the show had to be stopped.
The singer explained: ‘I just wanted to send a special message to the people in Manchester who came to the show tonight to say thank you and I respect that you paid your money.’
Apologies: Following the shocking Manchester scenes and her own trip to the theatre Alison decided to apologise for her words and vowed to ‘do better in the future’
She continued: ‘I am so grateful to the people who respect those on stage, who wanted to give you a beautiful show.
‘For everything that happened tonight, I can’t say, I don’t have all of the details. I just am very, very sorry that we couldn’t finish the show, I fought very hard it feels awful.’
‘I just hope that we see you again The Bodyguard is a great show, it’s wonderful show, a love story and I know people were out to see a really beautiful show
‘I like to thank everyone who was respectful of the performers and sorry for those who weren’t, thank you, love you.’
Melody’s apology comes after a woman was dragged out of the performance by security after she refused to stop singing along despite the venue’s rules.
Shocking footage shows the moment the woman was forcibly removed from the Palace Theatre in Manchester as riot police were called.
The show was paused in its first act as staff at the theatre were forced to drag out several people singing loudly during the performance.
It was halted again just 10 minutes from the final curtain as police arrived on the scene.
Awful evening: On Saturday former Pussycat Doll Melody discussed the incident on her Instagram Story, thanking those who were ‘respectful’ and said ‘it feels awful’ that the show had to be stopped
Performance: The show was paused in its first act as staff were forced to drag out several people and then was halted again just 10 minutes from the final curtain (Melody on stage The National Lottery’s Big Night Of Musicals)
Others attending said that ‘fights’ and ‘mini riots’ erupted in the theatre during the chaotic performance, Manchester Evening News reported.
Members of the audience applaud security guards as they are dragged outside.
Around six police officers were pictured at the venue, while several police vans were parked outside.
One person at the show posted online: ‘Seen a lot of reports about bad behaviour at the theatre lately, and wondered if they were a bit overblown. Anyway, at the Palace tonight and they had to stop the show during the first act to eject disruptive audience members.
‘They’ve had to stop the show AGAIN during the finale because of people shouting out, screaming and being incredibly disruptive. Just unbelievably disrespectful to the actors. And they’re refusing to leave. This is horrendous. Never seen anything like it.
‘They decided not to finish the performance because of the disruption. Feel so sorry for the whole cast. Respect to all the staff at the Manchester Palace for trying to deal with an incredibly difficult situation. Three police vehicles outside the theatre. Awful.’
Another said: ‘There was a lot of heckling at Melody Thornton [the lead singer] who was on the stage solo at this point.
‘Her mic was cut and the curtain was brought down for the second time. A fight broke out in the upper stands as security tried to deal with members of the audience.
‘It was about ten mins to the end after an earlier stoppage in the show as others were removed.’
Someone else added: ‘Can’t believe we was all kicked out 10 minutes before the end. Disrespectful idiots singing and screaming. I felt for the amazing performers and gutted I didn’t get to see the end.’
