A stand-up comedy show at Cliffs Pavilion in Southend-on-Sea descended into chaos on Saturday night when a heated brawl broke out in the audience—fuelled by two relentless hecklers who refused to stay quiet.
The show, part of comedian Paul Chowdhry’s Englandia tour, had been running smoothly until tensions began to rise due to disruptive audience members.
Witnesses say two individuals in the VIP section had been drinking heavily and heckling throughout the performance, much to the frustration of other theatregoers.
As the show reached its climax, their antics finally boiled over into full-blown violence.
‘Southend-on-Sea Englandia Riot’
Paul Chowdhry himself watched the mayhem unfold from the side of the stage, offering his own live commentary on the unfolding drama.
“It’s properly kicked off here this evening,” he said, clearly bemused by the chaos in the crowd. “I’ve gotta keep out of harm’s way because I might get jumped.”
Witness describes the moment punches were thrown
Carrie Rivers, an audience member who witnessed the fight, described how it all started.
“The two hecklers were in the VIP section in front of us. They paid all that money to basically get hammered from the minute they walked in,” she said. “They are definitely two radishes short of a salad.”
According to Carrie, the situation escalated when an older gentleman confronted the rowdy pair, calling them out for their disruptive behaviour.
“They were talking all the way through, and at the end of the show, they started on an older man who told them how rude they were. Then they went for him, and other blokes dived in to defend the older man!”
What started as a verbal exchange quickly turned physical, with multiple audience members becoming involved in the scuffle.
Police called as violence erupts
Essex Police confirmed they were called to Cliffs Pavilion at around 9:35 pm following reports of a disturbance.
A spokesperson for the force said: “It was reported a fight had broken out and a man was assaulted. No serious injuries were reported. Officers attended, and inquiries are ongoing.”
The incident has sparked some concerns over theatre security and audience behaviour at live performances.
Chowdhry’s Englandia tour, known for its sharp-witted social commentary, has been a hit across the UK, but the Southend leg of the tour may be remembered for more than just the comedy.
A spokesperson for Trafalgar Theatres which operates the Cliffs Pavilion said: “We are aware of the incident following Paul Chowdhry’s performance at the Cliffs Pavilion on Saturday night where a small number of customers expressed their frustration towards another customer who had been heckling the act throughout the evening. A physical altercation broke out.
“Our team responded swiftly to defuse the situation. We take the safety of our audiences, staff and performers very seriously and condemn acts of violence and discrimination in the strongest possible terms.
“We will not hesitate to take action, including liaising with the police should this be deemed necessary. We would like to remind all our customers to be respectful to each other, to performers and to our staff at future events.”