London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

London theatres ‘could ban phones’ after photos of James Norton leaked

London theatres ‘could ban phones’ after photos of James Norton leaked

Images of the actor appearing nude on stage in London were published on a tabloid newspaper website
West End theatres could decide to lock away audience members’ mobile phones, after nude images of James Norton appearing on stage were leaked to the press.

The Happy Valley actor is currently starring in a stage adaption of American editor and novelist Hanya Yanagihara’s 2015 best seller A Little Life, at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

Audience members watching the acclaimed production are reportedly warned before it begins that photography is strictly prohibited.

But photographs of Norton, who appears nude in the play, were leaked to the MailOnline which published them on its website, sparking widespread outcry on social media.

The photos are understood to have been removed from the website following the backlash, and industry experts feel the incident could be a landmark moment for theatres.

Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage newspaper, told the Guardian: “I’d be very surprised if this latest incident doesn’t act as a trigger for it to become the norm for audiences to have to put their phones in lockboxes at shows starring famous people or with musical numbers that people want to film.”

Dr Kirsty Sedgman, a cultural studies scholar based at the University of Bristol, told the Guardian the photos taken of Norton were an “absolute violation of the unwritten contract between audiences and performers”, agreeing it could lead to changes being made to prevent repeat incidents.

One Twitter user, named Caity, described the incident as “devastating”. “As if the entire play isn’t the most beautiful and emotional and intense thing to exist and that’s the thing [people] are choosing to focus on,” she wrote.

Others slammed the taking of the photographs as “disgusting” and “vile”.

A Little Life is running at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End for 12 weeks, until June 18.

It is directed by award-winning Belgian theatre director Ivo van Hove, whose acclaimed productions include A View from the Bridge, which went to the West End and Broadway, West Side Story and Network at the National Theatre.

The cast includes Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson, alongside Omari Douglas - who appeared in It’s a Sin-, The Witcher’s Zach Wyatt, The Crown’s Elliot Cowan and Tammy Faye’s Zubin Varla.

Norton stars in the highly emotive play as Jude St Francis, a highly intelligent disabled lawyer who has a spinal injury, experiences excruciating pain in his legs, self-harms and suffers from mental trauma which is the result of the sexual abuse he suffered when he was young.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×