Russell Howard has put the story about walking offstage five minutes into a set into perspective in an interview in The Guardian.

Last month Howard started an impromptu low-key gig in Bristol to try out some new material and soon spotted a woman allegedly filming his performance. At first he tried to persuade her to stop saying: “That’s literally the worst thing you can do,” but then eventually when she continued to hold her smartphone in the air he left the stage saying that she had “ruined it”.

Speaking to writer Iman Amrani he said that he was shocked at how much coverage the incident had got. “It amazed me that it became a story. I mean, it’s not like there’s anything going on in the world, but oh my God a wonky-eyed comedian asked a lady at a live gig to be in the moment … I was tired is the truth.”

In a wide-ranging interview Howard also talks about the power of social media, being political onstage, spending lockdown back in his childhood bedroom (“The day of my 40th birthday, I was meant to be doing a sold-out arena in Amsterdam and I slept in my childhood bed.”) and recalls an unexpected tension-breaking moment at his grandfather's funeral.

Read the full interview here.

The Russell Howard Hour returns to Sky One on 10 September at 10pm.