Noel Clarke ‘touched’ female Doctor Who crew member and ‘told another he liked sex from behind’
‘I like girls with long hair, it gives me something to hold on to’: Doctor Who costume assistant claims Noel Clarke made her ‘uneasy’ with sex comments while fellow crew member accused star of ‘touching’ her on set
- Noel Clarke, 45, is at the centre of new claims this time during Doctor Who spell
- Some 20 women accused Clarke of sexual harassment, groping and bullying
- Clarke has said he ‘vehemently denies’ sexual misconduct or criminal behaviour
Actor Noel Clarke – who is accused of inappropriate behaviour towards 20 women – was today at the centre of further allegations he sexually harassed or touched others on BBC hit Doctor Who.
The broadcaster appeared to be broadsided by the new reports today and said it would investigate specific claims made but was ‘shocked’ to hear of them.
Clarke, 45, is said to have told one costume assistant, who had long hair, working on series one of the rebooted sci-fi show he ‘liked girls with long hair’ so he could hold onto it when in a specific sexual position.
Another female runner and driver on the show alleges Clarke touched her inappropriately and repeatedly asked her to go to his hotel for sex.
She told the Guardian she pleaded to the assistant director: ‘I can’t drive him anymore. I don’t want to be on my own with him.’
Clarke denies any allegations of sexual misconduct, criminal wrongdoing or sexually inappropriate behaviour, including the latest accusations.
He was stripped of a Bafta award he was given earlier this month after the claims became public.
Noel Clarke with fellow Doctor Who stars David Tenant and Billie Piper on the hit sci-fi show
British actor Noel Clarke poses upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards in 2017
Noel Clarke had joked at a convention about co-star John Barrowman exposing himself
Doctor Who was where Clarke became a household name, playing the vehicle technician Mickey Smith from 2005 to 2010.
A statement from the BBC said: ‘The BBC is against all forms of inappropriate behaviour and we’re shocked to hear of these allegations.
‘To be absolutely clear, we will investigate any specific allegations made by individuals to the BBC – and if anyone has been subjected to or witnessed inappropriate behaviour of any kind we would encourage them to raise it with us directly.
‘We have a zero-tolerance approach and robust processes are in place – which are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect best practice – to ensure any complaints or concerns are handled with the utmost seriousness and care.’
Clarke’s co-star John Barrowman, who played Captain Jack Harkness, has also been accused of repeatedly exposing himself on the set of the show.
A recently resurfaced video from 2015 shows Clarke making jokes about Barrowman exposing his penis ‘every five seconds’ and ‘hitting it on everything’.
Actress Jahannah James, a star in one of Clarke’s hit movies, Brotherhood, is one of his alleged victims named in the Guardian
Adam Deacon and Clarke, pictured in 2008 in Adulthood, clashed in court where Clarke accused his former friend of death threats in a court case seven years later
Clarke pictured with his wife, former make-up artist Iris Da Silva, at the 70th EE British Academy Film Awards at Royal Albert Hall in February 2017
Noel Clarke: The Rags to riches Kidulthood star from Ladbrooke Grove who had ‘no choice’ but to write his own roles after realising he’d never land the jobs he wanted as a black actor
Noel Clarke always felt an outsider in the British film industry, claiming he wasn’t ever welcomed.
But just last month he was welcomed by Bafta and handed a Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema in London on April 10.
Clarke lives in the capital with his wife, former make-up artist Iris Da Silva, and their three children with an estimated fortune of £3million.
Noel rose to fame with the The Hood Trilogy, semi-biographical films about life in West London where he grew up.
He said recently that he had to write his own roles after realising he’d never land the jobs he wanted as a black actor
From 2006-2016 Noel wrote, directed and starred in the acclaimed trilogy of films Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood.
The well-received movies follow a group of teenagers as they navigate life outside the law in Ladbroke Grove, West London.
Noel told Interview magazine: ‘I grew up in Ladbroke Grove… which sounds really glamorous now, but at the time it wasn’t very glamorous.’
‘In the ’60s and late ’50s, it was a place where they shoved a lot of the black people that were coming over.’
And, in 2007, Noel set up his own production company Unstoppable Entertainment to try and promote more diversity in the film and TV industry.
He started the venture with his fellow actor Jason Maza, 33, who he later collaborated with on the next series he wrote – Bulletproof, which starred himself and Ashley Walters.
The pair originally struggled to get the show commissioned and Noel told Sky News at the time he didn’t ‘think the country was ready’ for their positive depiction of two black lead characters.
Noel recently accepted his BAFTA Award after being praised for his TV show Bulletproof and the film series Kidulthood which sees black working class characters take centre stage.
The former Doctor Who star’s prize came after he received the Rising Star Award in 2009.
Despite his huge success, with his ITV series Viewpoint set to begin later this month, Noel said he still feels like an outsider in the industry.
He added: ‘This is about class. My films aren’t [deemed] worthy. They’re written, directed and acted by working-class people and they’re about working-class people… For 20 years, I’ve been made to feel like I do not belong.
‘The business has always tried to say I don’t belong and push me out. I won’t sit here and lay blame on people, because it’s here’ – at this point he taps his head – ‘but that’s part of what fuels me’.
Sources told the newspaper they did not believe Barrowman’s behaviour to be sexually predatory and described it as misjudged ‘larking about’ and ‘joking’.
Barrowman told the Guardian his ‘high-spirited behaviour’ was ‘only ever intended in good humour to entertain colleagues on set and backstage.
‘With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behaviour and I have apologised for this previously,’ he said.
‘Since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behaviour have also changed.’
Barrowman added that he was at no point made aware of any allegations against Clarke.
Hundreds of members of the TV and film industry have signed an open letter demanding an end to the industry’s ‘sexist culture’ in the wake of allegations made against actor and producer Noel Clarke.
The letter was written by freelance producer Meriel Beale, an officer for trade union Bectu, and signed by more than 980 figures including former Channel 4 commissioner Kelly Webb-Lamb and broadcasters Dermot O’Leary and Joe Lycett.
Other signatories include Sherlock actor Rupert Graves, actor Jim Sturgess and Adeel Amini, chair of industry org Coalition for Change.
It said: ‘After reading the Noel Clarke allegations, many of us within the TV and film industry started sharing our own stories of sexual harassment and sexual abuse.
‘His case is not a one-off and, shockingly, is not an extreme example. It has happened to so many of us that it seems normal.
‘It has happened to so many of us at the hands of men in positions of power within the industry – whether industry colleagues, presenters or actors.
‘It has happened in plain sight.’
The allegations against Clarke which were made public in the Guardian include that he secretly filmed a naked audition of actor Jahannah James and that he showed sexually explicit images of women to colleagues – both claims he denies.
The letter called on men to point out bad behaviour and for more women to hold senior positions in the industry.
It added: ‘We don’t want to be seen as ‘killjoys’ and we don’t want to anger the men into violence. It is a constant, terrifying tightrope. We are exhausted and we are angry.
‘All of this contributes to us being undervalued in TV. Many men won’t recognise or notice sexist micro-aggressions – the low-level hum of sexism – and many women will accept it as part of the culture. It has been normalised, but it is not normal.
We need more women in senior positions in TV and film. We need them to be allies and to be empowered to make real change.
‘We need older women and women with caring responsibilities so that this filters down throughout the industry.
‘We need women to be taken seriously. We need men to call out bad behaviour.’
In a statement issued last week, Clarke said: ‘I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing.
‘Recent reports however have made it clear to me that some of my actions have affected people in ways I did not intend or realise.
‘To those individuals, I am deeply sorry.
‘I will be seeking professional help to educate myself and change for the better.’
