Michael Barrymore TikTok videos prompt concern over filming on smart glasses

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Former TV presenter Barrymore has become hugely popular on TikTok in recent years By Steven McIntosh Entertainment reporter Published 24 June 2026, 17:54 BST Updated 25 minutes ago Retail staff being filmed by members of the public without their knowledge or consent is an "increasing problem", a shop workers' union has said. It comes after a sales assistant told the BBC he had appeared in a video uploaded to TikTok and YouTube by former TV presenter Michael Barrymore without being asked for his permission. Barrymore often films videos, including trips to the shops and interactions with the public, via a small built-in camera on his smart glasses, and uploads them to his several million followers. Although Barrymore's exchange with the staff member was good-natured, Jayne Allport from the union Usdaw said other filmed encounters the public have with shop workers can "get heated" and are "really concerning". There is no suggestion that Barrymore and other users of the smart glasses who film in shops are committing a criminal offence, although their actions are a breach of data protection laws. Barrymore has been asked for a response. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's The Media Show, Allport noted some retail staff could have serious concerns about their occupation or location being made public because of their own personal circumstances. She told presenter Katie Razzall: "They could be filming someone who has escaped an abusive relationship or violent past and they don't want anybody to know where they are." Unlike filming in public places, shops are private premises where permission to take photos or film should be sought from the owner. Sales assistants at work would generally be considered to have a reasonable expectation of privacy, and for their consent for any use of film or photographs of them to be obtained before they are shared. But many social media users who film interactions may not be aware of the law on this. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Smart glasses have tiny built-in cameras, which mean people around them might not know they are being filmed Barrymore was a hugely successful TV presenter in the 1980s and 1990s, known for shows such as My Kind of Music, Strike It Lucky and Kids Say the Funniest Things. But in recent years, he has become better known, particularly to younger people, for his videos on social media platforms, particularly TikTok. They often show him doing everyday activities such as "munchie runs" to supermarkets or shopping malls, visiting restaurants or running other errands. The videos are hugely popular, and often humorous or entertaining. But one staff member at a shop in England expressed concern after he appeared in a clip. The sales assistant, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that he had only found out Barrymore had filmed him on one visit to the store several days later. "One of the customers comes in and she says, 'I've seen you on a video'," he recal