Benedict Cumberbatch pleads with fans to stop filming his Hamlet performances

In the spotlight: Benedict Cumberbatch leaves with wife Sophie Hunter after his performance
Nigel Howard
Tom Marshall10 August 2015
The Weekender

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Benedict Cumberbatch has pleaded with audience members to stop filming his performances of Hamlet - in a video recorded and shared by fans.

The actor, who is starring in a 12-week run of the Shakespeare play at the Barbican, asked a crowd of supporters to film his message and then "hashtag the s*** out of it" so others would take note.

He said it was "mortifying" to spot red camera recording lights in the audience while on stage.

"It means I can't give you what I want to give you," he said in the clip posted on YouTube.

The Sherlock star had emerged to speak to a group of cheering fans outside the stage door after yesterday's performance.

He began by saying "can I ask you all a huge favour?" before urging them to put their phones and cameras "to good use".

"What I really want to do is try and enlist you," he said.

"I don't use social media, and I'd really appreciate it if you could tweet, blog and hashtag the s*** out of this one for me."

He continued: "I can see cameras, I can see red lights in the auditorium.

"It's blindingly obvious... it's mortifying and there's nothing less supportive or enjoyable as an actor being on stage experiencing that, and I can't give you what I want to give you."

He urged people to instead remember the performance in their "minds and brains" before warning the theatre would become far stricter in future performances.

He said devices will be detected and people evicted, which is "a horrible way to have to police what's a wonderful thing".

The play, which is running until October 31, has seen some fans travelling from as far as the US and China, with tickets reportedly changing hands for up to £1,500 on eBay.

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