Co-stars on Clarke’s Bulletproof say sex harassment claims are ‘UK film industry’s best kept secret’

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A female actress who starred alongside Noel Clarke in the Sky One drama Bulletproof has claimed the raft of sexual harassment and bullying allegations against him are the British film industry’s ‘best kept secret.’

Twenty women who knew Clarke in a professional capacity have accused the Kidulthood and Doctor Who actor, 45, of sexual harassment and bullying in a series of shocking claims published by The Guardian on Thursday.

Clarke yesterday apologised ‘deeply’ for his actions and said he will be seeking professional help, but has ‘vehemently’ denied sexual misconduct or criminal behaviour. 

The actor and producer, who is married to make-up artist Iris Da Silva, said it has become clear to him that ‘some of my actions have affected people in ways I did not intend or realise’, and offered an apology to those affected. 

His comments came amid reports that Bafta spent two weeks deciding how best to respond to allegations against Clarke prior to presenting him with one of its highest honours, the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award.  

The father-of-three was suspended from Bafta following the allegations, while Sky took the decision to ‘halt’ filming of the latest series of his east London crime drama Bulletproof. 

Following the allegations, a swathe of Clarke’s former co-stars have spoken out in support of the women who made claims against him, including Christina Chong who appeared in his Sky One series Bulletproof.  

Sharing the Guardian article to Twitter, she alleged the claims have been the ‘UK film industry’s best kept secret for years!’  

She said: ‘If in doubt, trust me, it’s true. Why would 20 women put themselves through reliving their traumas to bring down an actor who isn’t even a household name? He’s a sexual predator #stoppable.’  

Mandeep Dhillon, 30, who appeared as Kamali Khan, added: ‘About f****** time. Don’t @ me.’ 

Chong, 38, responded to her Instagram post: ‘Took the words right out of my mouth.’ 

Both actresses later posted identical messages to their social media accounts, reading: ‘We stand by the women sexually harassed by Noel Clarke #stoppable #timesup #metoo.’  

Earlier, Bulletproof actor Ashley Walters said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the allegations made against Clarke in a lengthy statement posted to Twitter.

He added: ‘My thoughts are with the women who have come forward and told their awful stories, I am in shock and deeply saddened by what I have heard on a multitude of levels.

‘I could never condone behaviour of this nature in nor out of the workplace, and whilst Noel has been a friend and colleague for several years, I cannot stand by and ignore this allegations.   

‘Sexual harassment, abuse, and bullying have no place in our industry. 

‘Every woman has the right to a safe workplace and moving forward I pledge my dedication to this.’ 

Walters has starred as Ronnie Pike in all three seasons of Bulletproof, an east London crime drama, with filming on the fourth cancelled by Sky in light of the allegations.

Following the claims, which saw Clarke suspended from Bafta, the actor said in a statement: ‘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.’  

His comments came amid reports that Bafta spent two weeks deciding how best to respond to allegations against Clarke prior to presenting him with an award. 

The film academy was made aware of the allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and verbal abuse shortly after it announced its intention to honour the director with an award for outstanding British contribution to cinema, according to The Guardian.

It added that senior figures within the film academy were worried about the potential reputational damage to the organisation over its handling of the claims against Clarke. 

Bafta chair Krishnendu Majumdar was reportedly aware there could be as many as 12 women making allegations against Clarke on the eve of the awards ceremony.

He sought to speak to anyone with first-hand experience of Clarke’s alleged misconduct and told an industry figure he was ‘trying to do something about’ the situation as it could ‘destroy’ Bafta ‘in the court of public opinion’, the newspaper said.

Majumdar is said to have described the allegations as a ‘desperately difficult situation for us’ as Bafta ‘cannot act as judge and jury’.

He also hosted a Zoom call with figures including Bafta chief executive Amanda Berry to discuss how to respond to the allegations, The Guardian said.     

Bafta has said it will not comment on the latest claims in The Guardian.

However, the academy previously said it was not aware of the allegations relating to Clarke before announcing he would be given the award and it was in the following days they received anonymous emails about the allegations from second or third-hand sources. 

In a letter to members published on the Bafta website, Majumdar and chief executive Amanda Berry said: ‘You may have seen the story in today’s Guardian regarding BAFTA member and recent Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema (OBCC) award recipient Noel Clarke.

‘We are grateful that The Guardian was able to provide a platform where the victims were able to identify themselves, and to come forward and tell their stories.

‘As soon as The Guardian published firsthand accounts yesterday we immediately suspended the award and Noel Clarke’s membership of BAFTA until further notice.

‘We wanted to inform you of the background to this situation to give you the full picture.

‘To be very clear, we did not know about any allegations relating to Noel Clarke prior to the announcement of the OBCC award on 29 March.

‘We want to reassure you that we have treated this matter with the utmost seriousness, care and proper process at every stage. 

‘The BAFTA Board of Trustees has remained right across this matter, has met a number of times and are fully supportive of all actions taken.

‘The allegations against Mr Clarke are extremely serious and the behaviour they allege are contrary to BAFTA’s values and everything it stands for. 

‘But no matter how abhorrent these allegations are, they cannot be dealt with without due process. BAFTA is an arts charity that is not in a position to properly investigate such matters.  

‘In the days following the announcement, BAFTA received anonymous emails of allegations in relation to Noel Clarke. These were either anonymous or second or thirdhand accounts via intermediaries. No firsthand allegations were sent to us. No names, times, dates, productions or other details were ever provided.

‘Had the victims gone on record as they have with The Guardian, the award would have been suspended immediately. Noel Clarke’s counsel received a legal notice to this effect. It was always very clear what our intentions would be.

‘We asked for individuals to come forward with their accounts and identify themselves, as they have done with The Guardian, but due to the anonymous claims and the lack of firsthand specificity, we did not have sufficient grounds to take action.’

Bafta added it acted ‘as quickly and supportively as we could, even though we had only received the most generic of claims and no actual firsthand information to investigate allegations which were potentially of a criminal nature.’

They also claimed they would not have presented the award to Clarke had they been provided with this testimony.

Meanwhile, Clarke’s mother Gemma Clarke said she was proud of her son becoming an actor and only gave him this piece of advice when he was growing up: ‘Just don’t thieve or go to jail.’ 

She told MailOnline: ‘I am proud of him and I’m still proud of him but I don’t know what’s going on.

‘I haven’t managed to speak to him because his phone is switched off but I have spoken to his wife and kids. I’m not telling you how she is but the kids were in school today. He’s not at home. I don’t know where he is.

‘I can’t get through to him. I’m confused and upset but I can’t comment until I’ve spoken to him. I’ve tried to ring him but his phone is switched off.’

Mrs Clarke said Noel had wanted to be an actor since he was a child and filmed parts of Kidulthood in his mother’s home in a block of council flats and the grounds outside, which lie in the shadow of Grenfell Tower.

Born in Trinidad, she moved to Britain in 1969 and became a paediatric nurse in 1973. Noel was born in Hammersmith Hospital.

‘I wasn’t upset that he didn’t go into the medical profession,’ she said. ‘He always wanted to be an actor. I was very proud of him.’ She said his acting career began in 2003 with a role in Auf Weidershen Pet.

An actress friend of Noel Clarke told MailOnline yesterday that the 20 women accusing him of being a ‘sexual predator’ are pursuing a racist ‘witchhunt’ as the actor was sacked by Sky, suspended by Bafta and criticised by a co-star who backed his alleged victims.

The actress, who asked not to be named, said the 45-year-old actor, writer and director’s fall from grace is because ‘no one likes it when a man of colour gets to the top’. 

Clarke, who is married to former make-up artist Iris Da Silva with three children, wrote and starred in the acclaimed film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood as well as many TV hits including Doctor Who.  

He is accused of a campaign of sexual harassment, groping and bullying between 2004 and 2019.  

As the allegations emerged, a video from 2019 surfaced online showing Clarke on stage during a Doctor Who Q&A with fans where he joked about actor John Barrowman’s alleged proclivity for getting his penis out on set. Barrowman had apologised publicly after a similar incident on BBC Switch.

Clarke’s two female co-stars Annette Badland and Camille Coduri are seen as he uses microphone as a prop phallus, hitting them on their legs and even resting it on Camille’s shoulders, with viewers saying they were ‘squirming while watching’. 

Clarke says: ‘For the record, any men out there, do not try that at work. You will be fired and possibly go to jail.’ 

It has also emerged that Clarke once tweeted a photo of a couple having sex after snapping them through the window of his apartment. 

The star shared an image of the ‘doggy style’ couple in 2014, seven years before starring as a snooper policeman in ITV drama Viewpoint.

He tweeted at the time: ‘You can just about see the doggy style portion of events. Phone makes it look so far away. It wasn’t.’

The sexual harassment claims were levelled against Clarke, best known for co-creating The Hood Trilogy, in The Guardian last night.  

Clarke vehemently denied the allegations in a statement to the newspaper, which claims it informed Bafta of the allegations by the 20 women 13 days before they handed him his outstanding contribution award on April 10.  

The allegations emerged last night, just before his new crime drama Viewpoint was due to air on ITV. Noel, 45, plays main character DC Martin Young, but the broadcaster, which was said to be in crisis mode, resisted calls to pull it, despite a sex scene involving him at the end of the episode. 

One viewer tweeted: ‘This should definitely have been pulled tonight and should be taken off itvplayer until this is settled’. Another wrote: ‘It featured a sex scene involving… him. Absolutely shouldn’t have been broadcast’. 

He said: ‘In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me. 

‘If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise. I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.’

The Guardian has spent months investigating the allegations. 

Actress Jahannah James, a star in one of Clarke’s hit movies, Brotherhood, is one of his alleged victims named in the Guardian. She has shared the article on Twitter, adding: ‘Bafta knew about the allegations before his award and decided they didn’t believe it’.

A former friend of Clarke’s and a movie producer, told Miss James that he had secretly filmed her during a naked audition.

James told the newspaper: ‘I was told 100% it was not going to be on camera,’ adding she was told that it was a practice run to ensure ‘she wasn’t going to ‘bottle it’ on the day’.

She added: ‘I was so upset. Now, years later, I still cry when I talk about it. I want people to know, because I hate the idea that he can secretly film young actresses – who have no idea that they’re not supposed to be getting naked in auditions – and go on to get a Bafta’.

Through his lawyers Clarke denied the claims were true. A casting director present told the Guardian there was ‘absolutely no way’ it would have been secretly filmed or covert.

Another woman in the film industry told the Guardian that on a 2015 trip to LA with Clarke he exposed himself in a car, and she said to him: ‘Noel that’s not right’

She claims they went for lunch the following day and she claims: ‘He told me I made him feel like an old man’. But later she claims he groped her in a lift saying he had said he had now got ‘what he was owed’, as she ‘pushed him away’.

The woman claims he also told her that he had planned ‘to f**k her and fire her’. She also claims that he had said he would ‘brag’ about ‘storing sexually explicit pictures and videos on his hard drive, including footage he told her he had secretly filmed during naked auditions’, according to the Guardian.

Through his lawyers, Clarke denied he ever sexually harassed her, and denied all her allegations.

Another film producer told the Guardian that Clarke smacked her on the bottom, and she said: ‘I didn’t like that’ She also claims that he later sent her a picture of an ‘erect penis’ on Snapchat, which the Guardian has seen.

Clarke denies he slapped her bottom and said he did not recall sending her the picture, the newspaper said.

A production assistant, who worked on Brotherhood, claims she once saw Clarke in the office, surrounded by a group of people who were ‘sniggering and looking at me’.

She told the Guardian ‘she remembers the image of her knickers on Clarke’s phone’, adding she believed the picture was taken when she did the splits at a party.

She said she went to grab the phone and it fell on the phone and smashed. Clarke then sent her to a repair shop to get it fixed, she said, adding: ‘It was the final act of humiliation’. Clarke strongly denies the allegations.

Leila, not her real name, claims she was subjected to an unwanted sexual contact from Clarke in a storage room on set, saying: ‘He is a bully as well as a sexual predator’. Clarke strongly denies the allegations. 

An intern on the film Doghouse, which Clarke starred in, said he ‘started trying to kiss me on the lips, in front of everyone’, which she resisted. ‘He probably tried it like three to five times with me, maybe more,’ she said.

An actress who worked with Clarke on the film SAS: Red Notice said he invited her for dinner and then allegedly told her he wanted them to go to where he was staying to have sex.

She claims: ‘He said he couldn’t help it: ‘It’s how you make me feel, I just really want to’. Really laying it on thick and grossly and quite explicitly’. She said no, and he allegedly said: ‘All right, fine, don’t tell anyone about this, yeah? ‘Cause if you do, it will get back to me, I will find out’. She later told a friend: ‘I’ve been #metooed’. Clarke strongly denies the allegations.

One costume department worker said that she was harassed by Clarke when he got changed on set. 

She told the Guardian: ‘He would say I had a really nice body and that, if he hadn’t married his wife, I would have been ideal… and how he could make my career. And then he would touch my knee’. Clarke strongly denies the allegations. 

An art director claimed that Clarke ‘violated industry norms for the ethical filming of sex or nude scenes’. She said that his production hired strippers to perform some scenes instead of actresses’, and that people didn’t feel safe on set.

She claimed on one occasion: ‘There were about 10 random people behind me, watching [on monitors]. It appeared they turned up to watch the naked girls, The duty of care was not there for the girls’.

She added that on one shoot in December 2015 an extra was ‘straddling’ a male actor. ‘The camera was right behind her. She was completely naked. And I know for a fact we could never have used that shot, because you could see up her bum hole’.

The art director told the Guardian that once another actor was asked to play with her naked breasts on camera. She said: ‘I remember thinking at the time: surely they wouldn’t be able to use half the stuff they were filming’. Clarke strongly denies the allegations.

A producer said Clarke acted inappropriately when she was asked to drive him to work.

She said: ‘It was just constant, inappropriate comments. He was always trying to steer the conversation towards sex’. Clarke then got her a small acting role.

‘He said to me: ‘So I’ve got you this nurse’s role, what are you going to do for me?’ And I was like: ‘I am going to act really well in the part.’ And he was like: ‘No, obviously. But what are you going to do for me?’ I didn’t know what to say.’. It felt like he took advantage of the fact that he was in a powerful position.’ She added ‘He’s a scary person’.

Clarke denies all the claims. 

The Guardian claims that Noel Clarke and his friend Jason Maza, an actor, have contacted at least five people spoken to by the paper since it started its investigation.

Clarke reportedly said: ‘If there’s someone that was like a consensual that’s changed their mind five years later, well, firstly, that’s fucking ridiculous. Secondly, they still have to prove it. And I’m not trying to be that guy that’s like: hahaha I’m guilty, prove it. I’m not trying to be that guy. But they still have to prove it.’

In the phone call he allegedly said: ‘If a bunch of people go: he commented on my bum, or he mentioned my tits, it’s like– why do you need to take it this far? I’ll just say sorry to you. Tell me and I’ll be like: I’m so sorry. You’re right, I said that, I was wrong’.

Maza allegedly made other calls, but Clarke’s lawyers deny he asked him to. Maza’s lawyers say he was approaching ‘friends in the industry’ to fight back against ‘untrue’ allegations.

He allegedly told one person: ‘I mean, we know Noel 100% has done things where he needs to put his hand up for and he has been inappropriate at times and whatever’. Maza’s lawyers said it was not a comment about any of the people who have come forward to the Guardian. 

Despite the claims, ITV last night aired the penultimate episode of Viewpoint, in which Clarke plays the lead. Clarke’s agent and manager, both at 42M&P, said last night they no longer represent him.

The statement from Bafta said: ‘In light of the allegations of serious misconduct regarding Noel Clarke in The Guardian, Bafta has taken the decision to suspend his membership and the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award immediately and until further notice.’ 

Management and production company 42 M&P said it stopped representing Clarke earlier this month. 

A spokesman said: ‘Noel Clarke was a client of 42 M&P until April this year but the company no longer represents him.’ 

He made his first TV appearance more than 20 years ago in the Channel 4 series Metrosexuality, and gained fame for his roles as Mickey Smith in Doctor Who and Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedershen, Pet.

He co-founded his own production company, Unstoppable Entertainment, in 2007, which has produced films including Jessica Hynes’ directorial debut The Fight, and 10×10, directed by Suzi Ewing and starring Luke Evans and Kelly Reilly.

In 2018, the company joined forces with All3Media and launched Unstoppable Film and Television to expand their remit to include television, which led to the launch of Sky One drama Bulletproof, in which he stars with Ashley Walters.

Clarke was first recognised by Bafta in 2009, when he won the Rising Star prize.

He accepted outstanding contribution award in early April. The gong is among Bafta’s highest prizes and is presented annually in honour of Michael Balcon, the British film producer known for his work with Ealing Studios.

Previous recipients include Andy Serkis and Ridley and Tony Scott. 

Bafta has said it ‘did not know about any allegations relating to Noel Clarke prior to the announcement of the OBCC award on 29 March’.

Sky ‘halts’ all work with Noel Clarke and cancels filming of his Bulletproof show over sex claims – as ITV faces pressure to axe tonight’s final part of Viewpoint after viewers slam ‘crass’ decision to air sex scene with him

Sky has halted all work with Noel Clarke and cancelled filming of his new show over sexual harassment claims – as ITV faced pressure to axe tonight’s final episode of thriller Viewpoint after criticism of its ‘crass’ decision to air a sex scene with him. 

Sky said ‘effective immediately’ it would be ‘halting’ Clarke’s ‘involvement in all future productions’ until an undefined date. 

The actor has starred in three series of Bulletproof, an East London crime drama, with filming on the fourth set to start later this year. 

Young appeared in the penultimate episode of Viewpoint yesterday, which aired an hour after 20 women accused him of sexual harassment, groping and bullying between 2004 and 2019 in claims he has vehemently denied. 

TV presenter India Willoughby joined growing numbers of Twitter users calling on the channel to ‘do the right thing’ and axe tonight’s final episode of hit crime drama, which has been running every day this week.   

She wrote: ‘Let’s see if ITV do the right thing and drop tonight’s final episode of Noel Clarke drama #Viewpoint , while the allegations are investigated. Big on statements this year. One for the women, seeing it’s a female orientated channel?’ 

Others criticised ITV for continuing to air last night’s episode of Viewpoint, which included a sex scene involving Clarke as lead character DC Martin Young and the actress Alexandra Roach.   

A spokesperson for Sky said today: ‘Sky stands against all forms of sexual harassment and bullying and takes any allegations of this nature extremely seriously. Effective immediately, we have halted Noel Clarke’s involvement in any future Sky productions.’ 

Clarke said in response to the allegations: ‘In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.

‘If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise. I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.’ 

‘Incredibly crass decision to broadcast this,’ one Twitter user wrote last night, with a second adding: ‘Well this is uncomfortable.’ 

Others also vented their anger on the social network.  

Debbie Blackman tweeted: ‘Very awkward about showing #Viewpoint tonight. I want to see what happens but doesn’t seem right somehow.’ 

Christian Bevan said: ‘Why are @ITV still showing #Viewpoint? Surely you have to pull the programme.’ 

And Noel Elkins added: ‘Totally wrong decision for @itv to be showing #Viewpoint.’   

ITV bosses took urgent steps to remove all mention of Clarke from the continuity announcements for Viewpoint yesterday, according to reports. 

A source told Daily Star: ‘Viewpoint was billed as ITV’s big crime drama but it’s now in turmoil. 

‘The news broke an hour before episode 4 was due to air and ITV made an active decision not to mention Noel in the voice over announcement on Thursday.

‘Bosses are now in talks about how to proceed promoting the rest of the show which continues on Friday.’ 

MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.   

Bafta has now suspended the award-winning director’s membership and his outstanding British contribution to cinema award, which he was handed earlier this month at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Clarke, who is married to former make-up artist Iris Da Silva with three children, wrote and starred in the acclaimed film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood as well as many TV hits including Doctor Who.

But he has been rocked by allegations by women that he has worked with that he is an alleged ‘sexual predator’, who claim he harassed, groped and bullied at work, which he denied in a statement from his lawyers.

He said he ‘sincerely apologised’ to colleagues who felt ‘uncomfortable or disrespected’, but slammed claims of sexual misconduct or wrongdoing as ‘false allegations’.

The claims were levelled against Clarke, best known for appearing in Doctor Who and for co-creating The Hood Trilogy, in The Guardian last night. 

One woman, who worked as a producer alongside Clarke between 2014 and 2017, alleged that the actor had secretly filmed a naked audition of another woman and bragged about it.

She also claimed Clarke exposed himself to her in a car before groping her in a lift the next day.

According to several accounts, Clarke showed colleagues sexually explicit photos and videos of women, or implied he had access to them. He was also accused of unsolicited sharing of sexually explicit images.

Other women have alleged that the actor would subject them to unwanted physical contact, which included kissing or groping.

Another, who as a teenager starred in Kidulthood, Clarke’s debut film, said one day near the start of filming he ‘put his tongue in my mouth’ and afterwards would constantly grab her and try to kiss her. 

It is alleged that when Clarke heard about a newspaper investigation into the allegations, he attempted to contact several of his accusers.