Jam mobile signals, say theatregoers

Theatregoers favour a zero-tolerance policy over mobile phones interrupting West End shows, new research shows today.

In a poll by The Stage newspaper, 72 per cent of respondents backed the installation of technology to block mobile signals and 83 per cent said theatre managers were not doing enough to prevent disturbance from phones.

The move is supported by actors' union Equity but would require new legislation as phone jammers are illegal. Nearly half (44 per cent) of London theatregoers said they were often, or more than often, disturbed by phones compared with a national average of 33 per cent.

Actor Richard Griffiths halted performances of The History Boys in London and New York to lambast persistent phone abusers and won a standing ovation when he asked a woman to leave the Wyndham's Theatre during a performance of Heroes.

Alastair Smith, news editor of The Stage which polled more than 1,000 theatregoers, said: "Something must be done to address this nuisance - it should not be left up to actors. "Surely blocking signals into theatres is the way forward, especially if there is a way to allow emergency frequencies to be unaffected."