Channel 4 yesterday apologised to Tom Cruise after the actor was squirted with water as part of a stunt the broadcaster said was meant to be a "light-hearted comedy prank".
Cruise, 42, was talking to the media gathered for the premiere of his latest film, War of the Worlds, in London, when a man posing as a reporter squirted Cruise with a water pistol disguised as a microphone.
"The stunt was intended to be light-hearted rather than malicious and we would apologise to Mr Cruise for any offence that was caused," Channel 4 said in a statement.
The incident on Sunday evening involving Cruise was for a new Channel 4 show, part of which involves playing pranks on celebrities and members of the public.
The incident, which left Cruise repeatedly calling his unidentified assailant a "jerk", has been shown around the world. But Channel 4 said that it might never screen it.
"The tape is with the police," a network spokesman said. "No decision has been made whether it will air."
When the bogus reporter offered an excuse after the stunt, Cruise said: "Do you like thinking less of people, is that it?"
The joker went to walk away but Cruise said: "Don't run away. That's incredibly rude. I'm here giving you an interview and you do that ... it's incredibly rude." Cruise then said: "You're a jerk ... jerk ... you're a jerk. I really work hard to make people feel good."
One commentator likened the incident to "happy slapping for grown-ups", referring to the practice of youths assaulting people and filming the violence on their mobile phone cameras.
The Channel 4 programme, believed to have the working title Grand Classics, targeted Sharon Osbourne last month. A cameraman squirted the reality TV star with water in central London after pretending to film her.
In contrast to Cruise, Osbourne, the wife of the veteran rocker Ozzy Osbourne, retaliated by throwing a champagne bucket with water over the cameraman.
Four men allegedly involved in the water pistol stunt on Cruise in Leicester Square were scheduled to return for police questioning last night.
