Comedian sues theatre for libel over antisemitism row

A comedian is suing a London theatre for libel at the High Court after he was branded antisemitic and banned from ever performing at the venue again.

Northern Irish comic Paul Currie was embroiled in a row with Soho Theatre following an incident in February 2024 during the final show of a three-night run.

The incident, which was widely reported at the time, was prompted by his unveiling of a Palestinian flag on stage at the end of his hour-long set.

An altercation with an audience member followed when they refused to stand for an ovation due to the production of the flag.

Currie was accused of then aggressively asking the audience member, who is Jewish, to leave the theatre.

The Northern Irish comedian has now brought a libel claim, accusing the Soho Theatre Company of damaging his reputation in a press statement it released after the incident.

Currie has said he did not know the audience member was Jewish.

In a preliminary hearing, Mr Justice Nicklin rejected the suggestion that the theatre’s statement had alleged Currie abused audience members “because they were Jewish”.

With Currie’s legal team likely to appeal the judge’s ruling, the libel case is expected to move forward towards a possible trial.