“Leave my house”: Anglican bishop in gown interrupts concert in London church

Outraged bishop in a bathrobe. Photo: anglican.ink

On July 25, 2025, a scandalous incident took place at St. Andrew’s Church in Holborn, London. Bishop of Fulham Jonathan Baker interrupted a concert by the choir City Academy Voices, suddenly appearing on stage in a bathrobe and demanding an end to what he called a “terrible racket.”

The incident occurred when the choir was coming to the end of their performance. The lights suddenly went out, and the barefoot bishop appeared on stage with a microphone. Footage that has gone viral on TikTok shows bemused performers and a 300-strong audience watching the scene in astonishment.

“You are in my house. It’s gone past 10pm and this is a terrible racket,” he said. “Goodnight. You are in my house – can you leave it now please. Thank you, it’s over.”

Following the bishop’s remarks, a church staff member asked the audience to leave quietly and told the musicians to step down from the stage, prompting boos and whistles from the crowd. Despite the disruption, the choir performed one last song – an a cappella version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” – before bringing their show to a close.

One of the concert attendees said that at first, the audience thought it was a prank or a staged joke.

Jonathan Baker is not only the Bishop of Fulham but has also served as the rector of St. Andrew’s Church in Holborn since 2015, which explains his presence in the building. Renting out church premises for various events is a common practice in the Church of England.

The incident sparked widespread discussion on social media and in British media, raising questions about the balance between the commercial use of church buildings and their spiritual purpose.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Anglican Church of St. Peter in Shipley, northern England, began hosting wrestling matches to attract more parishioners.

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