Bill Nighy covertly filmed with Meta smart glasses in London prank

Bill Nighy was secretly filmed sitting outside a London cafe by a YouTuber using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, glasses fitted with a small camera in the frame that record without drawing attention.

The actor, 76, was drinking coffee when Jack Jones, whose YouTube channel has 500,000 subscribers and is known for making fake phone calls, began recording him covertly before approaching his table. Jones told the surprised actor he was going to "report" him. When Nighy asked "For?", Jones replied: "For being the best actor in the world", before questioning him about his life. Jones then uploaded the footage to his channel.

Reaction to the filming

A source close to Nighy described Jones's behaviour as very unpleasant and disrespectful, and said the actor had been left feeling unsettled after the exchange. Some viewers of the video called Jones a bully, with several describing the stunt as vile and a horrible thing to do.

It is not the first time Jones has approached the actor at what appears to be the same cafe. In a video posted two years ago, he crept up behind Nighy and shouted "Good afternoon, Philip" into his ear, a reference to the actor's character in the 2004 comedy Shaun Of The Dead. As Nighy jumped up and walked away, Jones kept filming and repeatedly asked "Where is Shaun, Philip?". A year later, Jones said he had "squashed the beef" with Nighy and posted a video of himself giving the actor flowers by way of apology.

Concerns over the glasses

Meta's AI glasses have drawn widespread criticism since their launch this year. The company says "videos are taken from your perspective using just your voice or a quick tap" and that "everything's saved effortlessly". Critics argue the design makes it possible to film people and gather personal data without their knowledge, and some have labelled the glasses "pervert glasses". Following public concern, a number of venues and businesses, including Wetherspoon pubs, theatres and schools, have banned the glasses.

Background: claims against Meta and other platforms

The incident comes at a time when Meta faces legal action in the United States over harm said to have been linked to its platforms. On 25 March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta (Instagram) and Google (YouTube) negligent in the design or operation of their platforms and in failing to warn, in the case of a young woman identified as K.G.M. The jury awarded a total of $6 million, about £4.5 million, splitting responsibility 70% Meta and 30% YouTube, and leaving Meta to pay $4.2 million and YouTube $1.8 million.

The first school-district test case against Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube settled before trial, with no settlement figure given. The next Los Angeles trial, brought by plaintiffs named as S.J. and K.D.B. against Meta and Snap, is due to begin on 28 October 2026, with further trials set for 16 March and 6 August 2027. In August 2026, the Ninth Circuit dismissed appeals by Meta and TikTok against orders that partly refused to dismiss claims on Section 230 grounds, saying it lacked jurisdiction at this stage.

For UK families weighing up a social media harm claim, a personal injury claim in England and Wales must normally be started within three years, running from the date of the harm or, if later, from the date the person became aware of it. The US cases do not determine the outcome of any claim here, but they are being watched closely by families considering who can claim.