A video of Noel Clarke, in which he accuses John Barrowman of inappropriate behaviour, has resurfaced online amid the allegations of sexual harassment against the Kidulthood star.
Clarke, most recently seen in ITV’s now cancelled drama Viewpoint, was the subject of a Guardian investigation on Thursday (29 April) in which 20 women came forward with accusations of sexual harassment, unwanted touching, groping, sexually inappropriate behaviour, bullying, and unprofessional misconduct between 2004 and 2019.
Clarke has “vehemently” denied “any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing”. In a statement, he said he intended to “defend myself against these false allegations”.
Following the report, people have been sharing old articles about Clarke as well as videos of the actor from interviews and press conferences.
One such clip gained traction on Twitter due to comments made by Clarke about the alleged behaviour of his co-star, John Barrowman, on the set of Doctor Who.
The video shows Clarke on the panel of Chicago TARDIS, a North American science fiction convention, alongside former co-stars Camille Coduri and Annette Badland in 2015.
During the panel, they appear to be discussing their time working on the episode “Boom Town”, which was filmed in February 2005.
Clarke, who has been accused of sending unsolicited nude photos of himself, reflected upon his time filming the episode, saying: “Barrowman is there, taking his d*** out every five minutes.”
Using his microphone, he then proceeds to imitate Barrowman allegedly tapping his penis on both Coduri and Badland, who are sat next to him, for an elongated amount of time. He talks about the alleged incidents for more than two minutes.
At one stage, Clarke asks Coduri: “Do you remember that time he put it on your shoulder in the makeup truck?” to which she responds: “Yes, I do.” She then stops herself from continuing.
As the crowd laughs, Clarke stands and recreates this alleged moment using his microphone. Coduri, collecting herself, then states: “I didn’t want to say. I was being really polite.”
Clarke adds: “For the record [to] any men out there, do not try that at work. You will be fired and possibly go to jail.”
When the moderator asks how Barrowman gets away with it, the trio are shown jumping to his defence by calling him “adorable”, “light-hearted” and “non-threatening”. Clarke then says that he believes Barrowman’s on-set actions evaded a backlash “because he’s a gay man”.
Many viewers of the video are pointing out the possible hypocrisy in the wake of the recent allegations against Clarke, which were made by several women who have worked with him behind-the-scenes as well as in front of the camera.
Barrowman has been accused of indecently exposing himself before, in a 2008 incident that led to him issuing an apology.
During an interview with Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac, Barrowman undid his trousers after being goaded into it by the Radio 1 presenters. The BBC issued an official apology.
Though only one complaint was received about the incident, a BBC spokeswoman said the show had “overstepped the mark”.
Barrowman told The Guardian at the time: “I apologise for any offence I have caused. I was joining in the light-hearted and fun banter of the show and went too far. I was wrong to do this and it will never happen again.”
He added: “I really appreciate the great support I have received from the BBC over the last few years and would never intentionally do anything to undermine the integrity of the corporation.”
The Independent has contacted a representative of Barrowman for comment.
