The funnyman shocked theatre-goers during the first night of a new production of Educating Rita at the Minerva theatre in Chichester, England last month (Jun15) when he stumbled over the script and announced "I've completely gone," before walking off.

He later returned to finish the show, but Caine, who played the same role as Henry in the 1983 film version of Willy Russell's play, has urged fans not to be too harsh on the actor.

Caine tells Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, "We all fluff our lines occasionally. The first night is very nerve-wracking, and if you forget, then you forget. You're only human. I read the reviews (of Henry's play) and it was a shame he walked off stage, but at least he did the rest of the play perfectly - that's all that counts."