Actor ear bitten, Clive Mantle, 55, A former star of Casualty had part of his ear bitten off after asking a group of fellow hotel guests to quieten down. Mantle is said to be ‘very badly shaken up’ after what he claims was an unprovoked attack at a Travelodge.
It is understood he was set upon in the early hours of Sunday after asking fellow guests to be quiet.
During a scuffle outside his room at the hotel in Newcastle, one man is said to have bitten off part of the actor’s ear – which was later found on the floor and sewn back on by doctors.
Mr Mantle, who also appears in the hit US fantasy series Game Of Thrones, was in the city to perform in a touring production of The Ladykillers at the Theatre Royal.
A spokesman for his agent, London-based Saraband Associates, said: ‘He sounds very wobbly.
‘He is very shaken and shocked by what has happened. You don’t expect this kind of thing to happen in a hotel.
‘He said the police, ambulance and hospital staff were amazing.’
The spokesman added that there was ‘no guarantee’ the ear would survive the trauma because it was ‘a while’ before it was found.
He said Mr Mantle had gone out barefoot in his pyjama bottoms and a T-shirt in the early hours to ask a man outside his room to ‘keep the noise down’.
The man, who had been drinking, went away and returned five minutes later with another man.
When Mr Mantle asked them again if they could quieten down, he was attacked and knocked to the floor.
He was taken to Royal Victoria Infirmary where he underwent surgery to reattach his ear.
He is now recovering at home and will see a specialist in Oxford today to determine whether the operation has been a success. Mr Mantle, who is separated from his wife and lives in Wiltshire with his young son Harry, was playing the role of Major Courtney in the Ealing comedy.
He has been forced to cancel his remaining performances as a result of the incident, because he has been warned by doctors not to get make-up near his wound.
An understudy will replace him until the end of the tour, which is in its final three weeks.
Jon Bath, of producers Fiery Angel, said the attack was ‘horrifying and disgusting and has shaken everyone up’.
There was an outpouring of support yesterday from Mr Mantle’s fans on Twitter. Neil Roberts wrote: ‘What the hell is wrong with people?’ Gazz Howie wrote: ‘I’d like to “thank” my town of Newcastle for living up to every horrible stereotype that’s said about it! ... Get well soon Clive Mantle!’
Police said a 32-year-old man from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, has been charged with wounding with intent. He will appear before Newcastle magistrates next month. Another man has been released on bail in connection with the incident while a third man was released without charge.
Mr Mantle played surgeon Mike Barrett in Casualty. In the 1980s he starred in Robin Of Sherwood, as well as a BBC Radio 4 comedy sketch show titled, by unfortunate coincidence, In One Ear.
Marianne Quayle, of the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, said: ‘He is a lovely man. It is very sad news. We all wish him a speedy recovery.’
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