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Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has pleaded with theatre-goers to stop filming his stage performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet, describing seeing red lights in the auditorium as "mortifying".

Speaking outside the stage door of the Barbican in London, where his show is currently in previews ahead of its official opening night later this month, Cumberbatch told a crowd of fans to spread the word online and stop people from spoiling the production by filming it. "I can see cameras, I can see red lights in the auditorium. It may not be any of you here that did that but it's blindingly obvious," he said. "I don't use social media and I'd really appreciate it if you did tweet, blog, hashtag the sh*t out of this one"


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Tickets for Cumberbatch's Hamlet sold out in three minutes when they were released in August last year. People have been queuing up around-the-clock to pick up day-sale tickets, with some being resold online for more than £600. "I could see a bright light in about the third row on the right. It's mortifying," Cumberbatch said. "There is nothing less supportive or enjoyable as an actor than being on stage and experiencing that. "And I can't give you what I want to give you, which is a live performance that you will remember hopefully in your minds and brains whether it's good, bad or indifferent, rather than on your phones"

He warned theatregoers that the venue would be getting "strict" on people filming the production from now on, explaining that anyone detected would be evicted from the auditorium. "I don't want that to happen," he said.