Actress mercilessly mocked over London complaint video

This London actress took to the streets to record her one major gripe with London - but the video backfired spectacularly.

A prolific British actress has been mercilessly mocked online after posting a video complaining about noise from a music festival near her home in inner-city London.

Actress Catherine Russell, who has appeared in TV shows including Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Silent Witness and in the film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, took to social media on Sunday night, UK time, to complain about noise from the Mighty Hoopla pop music festival.

The annual festival runs over two days in Brockwell Park, South London.

In a 30-second video apparently filmed from outside her home in the nearby suburb of Streatham, Russell, 59, fumed at the noise.

“It’s gone 10 o’clock. It’s Sunday night. I’m in Streatham, and this is what I’m hearing from Brockwell Park,” Russell said, pausing for effect so viewers could hear the noise.

In the background, festival headliner Jessie Ware could be heard singing her final song of the night, the disco track Free Yourself. The entire festival would end for the year within minutes.

“That’s ridiculous. That is absolutely … not on, Lambeth, it’s just not fair,” she said, referring to the local council.

Russell posted the video to X, formerly Twitter, where it has since been viewed almost 700,000 times – and while some people were on her side, many instead mocked Russell for complaining about having to hear live music at 10pm in a city of almost nine million people.

Jessie Ware told festivalgoers to free themselves … Picture: AFP

Catherine Russell told her to shut it. Picture: Getty

“Is there any greater vignette of Britain that someone exhorting you to “Free yourself!” to a romping disco beat and someone else monologuing over it that you’re going to get reported to the Council,” one person tweeted.

“The gag is this was the last song of the night so all she had to do was wait 5 minutes,” another person pointed out.

“Good Lord will people ever stop moaning about accidentally hearing music and people having fun in this city – the curfew was 10pm! It was the weekend! Grow up!” another person tweeted.

Russell’s complaints had some people on social media calling for her to get a slot at next year’s festival. Picture: Getty

Aussie pop star Delta Goodrem on stage during the festival. Picture: Lorne Thomson/Redferns

“Sorry you don’t get to live in a lively capital city and then complain said capital city is lively. If you want a peaceful countryside lifestyle go live in the countryside!” another person advised.

Others declared the video “camp” and suggested it had earned Russell a slot at next year’s festival. Popular among London’s LGBT community, this year’s Mighty Hoopla line-up included Nelly Furtado, Banarama, Delta Goodrem and B*Witched, Real Housewives star Countess Luann amid a bevy of drag queens and other performers.

“Can she host the main stage next year @mightyhoopla,” RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Just May pleaded.

Don’t bet on it. Russell responded to the backlash, tweeting: “Every now and again I come back onto #Twitter and every now and again I’m reminded why I shouldn’t. Some people are just not very nice.”

Originally published as Actress mercilessly mocked over London complaint video