A NIGHT of comedy almost ended in tears after a fracas between hecklers at the Wyvern Theatre.

The incident happened at 9.45pm on Tuesday as comedian Jim Jefferies, pictured, was winding up his ‘I Swear To God’ show.

Three hecklers, who had yelled at warm-up act Pete Cain to ‘get off’, spent so much of Jefferies’ set shouting that the Australian-born comic ordered the lights up so he could put the trouble-makers in their place.

But within minutes one of the hecklers lashed out at a fellow audience member kicking him the head. The victim then returned a blow of his own, which resulted in a brawl in the stalls.

Siobhan Boyle, who had gone to see Jefferies with partner Phil Brady, said: “It was mad. One minute the guy was heckling Jim, the next he’s kicking the guy in front of him. I don’t know what was more entertaining, the comedy or the fight.

“Going to this kind of comedy night, you expect hecklers but this guy was an idiot and didn’t have anything interesting to say.”

The rumpus only stopped when Jefferies’ lighting technician broke it up. An usher then escorted the offenders out of the auditorium where police met them to ensure they left the premises. No-one was arrested.

Mr Brady, 36, from Pewsey, said: “When they had gone we were all just sat there thinking ‘God, how is he going to come back from that’. None of us were surprised when he said there was no way he could return to his material.

“The funny thing was, there were a few hecklers taking pot-shots at each other and Jim had been chanting ‘fight, fight, fight’ but no-one was quite expecting what happened.

“It was a real shame really, I was looking forward to the gig.”

Wiltshire Police spokesman said: “Officers were called to the Wyvern Theatre just after 9.45pm to reports of three men fighting. When they arrived the men agreed to leave the premises and no arrests were made.”

Derek Aldridge, Wyvern Theatre director, said: “It is always disappointing when there are disturbances in the audience and it is our job to ensure that the performance is able to continue and people are able to enjoy it uninterrupted.

“Fortunately all of our staff at the theatre can communicate via radio and our stage staff were able to alert other staff in the theatre that there was a problem in the auditorium.

“The issue was dealt with quickly and is an example of how anyone who behaves in that manner will be treated if they disrupt a performance in that way.”