Harington's defence comes in response to comments made by theatre producer Richard Jordan, who is quoted as saying, "Munching certainly seemed to be the order of the day."

"What amazed me most was this audience, many of them Game of Thrones fans, could see nothing wrong in talking, eating and taking pictures ... The couple to my left ate their way through a large tub of popcorn during act I, while the couple on my right chomped through a packet of crisps. It was like listening to eating in Dolby Stereo, and sadly at the expense of being able to properly hear the lines being spoken on stage."

Harington rebuts Jordan's words as "stereotypical and prejudicial."

Harington continues:

“I have been a theatregoer since childhood and I didn’t feel that our audiences were disrespectful in the slightest. In the whole run of 10 weeks I can count one time that a phone went off in the audience.

“Of course pictures were occasionally taken, as unfortunately cannot be avoided in any audience anywhere today, but on the whole it was not a huge amount and definitely not off-putting as a performer. I found our audiences to be hugely enthusiastic, energised and responsive. I can’t think of a greater support I’ve had as an actor on the stage.”

Harington believes that this type of stereotypical rhetoric could be the death of theatre. Younger generations of theatregoers need to take an interest in theatre for the show to go on, as they are the future of show business.