Filming of Danny Boyle's new Sex Pistols series has been shut down due to a Covid outbreak.
The six-episode series, which began principal photography in March, will focus on the iconic punk band during their heyday in the late 1970s, and stars Anson Boon as the group's frontman Johnny Rotten.
It's thought that indoor scenes featuring a 'mosh pit' with hundreds of people packed together may have sparked the outbreak, with cast and crew informed filming has been temporarily halted.
Drama: Filming of Danny Boyle's new Sex Pistols series has been shut down due to a Covid outbreak (Louis Partridge is pictured in character as Sid Vicious)
Extras who were due to take part in a crowd scene this week have since been told to avoid using public transport to prevent a further spread of the virus.
Cast and crew were each sent an email from a health and safety officer assigned to the set warning them about the Covid outbreak.
The email said: 'We have had more reports of positive cases and so have decided to cancel walk-in testing tomorrow to avoid any potential spread via public transport.
'I am very sorry for the sudden change of plans and any inconvenience this may have caused, as you can understand this is an evolving situation and I would like to reassure you that we have now shut down filming.'
On hold: The six-episode series, which began principal photography in March, has been paused after it's thought filming for a mosh pit scene caused the outbreak
Coming soon: The drama will focus on the band's rise to fame in the late 1970s, shocking the establishment with their wild behaviour (pictured in 1977)
One crew member told MailOnline that recent 'mosh pit' scene where hundreds of extras were packed into a concert venue could have led to the spread of the virus.
MailOnline has contacted representatives for FX and Danny Boyle for comment.
Sex Pistol concerts always featured fans packed tightly together and 'pogoing' up and down to the songs such as Anarchy in the UK and Pretty Vacant.
The Sex Pistols series is being made for the US based FX TV Channel, part of the Disney network.
Based on guitarist Steve Jones’ 2018 memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, the supporting cast also includes Sydney Chandler as Chrissie Hynde and Emma Appleton as Nancy Spungen.
Offering a fascinating new perspective on one of rock's greatest ever stories, Pistol moves from West London's council estates, to Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's notorious Kings Road SEX shop, to the international controversy that came with the release of Pistols album Never Mind the B******s.
Stay at home: Extras who were due to take part in a crowd scene this week have since been told to avoid using public transport to prevent a further spread of the virus
Their single God Save the Queen was banned by the BBC and reached Number 1 on the UK's NME chart, but appeared at Number 2 on the Official UK Singles chart, leading to accusations that the song was purposely kept off the top spot.
Director Danny Boyle
