AUDIO CLIP: THE PATRIOTIC TRAITOR's Laurence Fox Apologizes For Scolding Audience Heckler

"Can I just start by apologizing to the other 199 people in the theatre for my use of language?," Laurence Fox asks at the outset of his guest appearance this morning on BBC Radio 4's Today.

"It was a very emotional part of the play and I was very upset about it."

Fox plays Charles de Gaulle in London's Park Theatre's production of playwright/director Jonathan Lynn's THE PATRIOTIC TRAITOR, opposite Tom Conti as Philippe Pétain. The play is based on the true story of how French General Pétain, who became a national hero during World War I, was tried for treason after World War II for collaborating with the Nazis.

As reported by The Telegraph, Fox stunned theatregoers last night by scolding a rude audience member sitting in the front row before walking off stage and not returning for the curtain call.

The actor was heard to say, "I won't bother telling you the story because this c*** in the front row has ruined it for everybody."

"What happened was," Fox explains, "the gentleman in the theatre started muttering and heckling early on during the play and then towards the end started telling me to f-off and sort of moaning about various things. It became so loud and so impossible to deal with."

Fox said he had spoken to his father, the actor James Fox, who told him he should have had a little speech prepared, perhaps politely suggesting that the audience member leave or talk about it afterwards.

A part of Fox's interview can be heard on the audio clip below.

"It's not an interactive, stand-up comedy show and therefore if someone is hell-bent on heckling they are ruining it for everybody," Fox added. "So it becomes an unperformable play. The play stops at that moment because that person is defying the device of what the theatre is."

A spokesperson for the venue said: "Park Theatre takes the welfare of its performers, staff and patrons very seriously. We are investigating the incident, and have no further comment at this time."

The playwright/director did have a comment, which he posted on Twitter.