‘Sex offence’ claims are passed to police after Noel Clarke allegations

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Scotland Yard today said it had received a report of a sexual offence from an unidentified organisation after actor and director Noel Clarke was accused of bullying and groping by 20 women.

The force said: ‘On Wednesday 21 April police received a third party report relating to allegations of sexual offences committed by a male over a period of time. Officers are currently assessing the information.

‘We would urge anyone who believes they have been subjected to a sexual offence to report this to police so the information can be assessed and investigated accordingly. There are specially trained officers ready to provide advice and support.’

A third party report is when claims are made to an organisation separate from the police. This type of report is anonymous and means the claims cannot be probed by officers but can be used as intelligence.

Police said there was no investigation underway at this time. 

The statement comes amid claims from Clarke’s female co-stars that he is a ‘sexual predator’ and say the raft of sexual harassment and bullying allegations against him are the British film industry’s ‘best kept secret’.

Alexandra Roach, who stars alongside the actor in ITV’s Viewpoint, said she ‘sees, hears and believes’ the women making the accusations.

Clarke’s Kidulthood co-star Jaime Winstone also broke her silence to throw her support behind the disgraced actor’s accusers in a poignant Time’s Up post.

The actress, 35, who appeared opposite the actor in the 2006 film as Becky, shared the image on Instagram alongside a caption saying: ‘When you’re late to the party but you’ve been on the list for 15 years.’ 

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’ 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’. 

Meanwhile, it was reported 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.  

A swathe of Clarke’s former co-stars have spoken out in support of the women who made claims against him, including Roach. She said: ‘I see you. I hear you. I believe you.

‘Thank you to the women for your incredible bravery in coming forward and helping to put a stop to this kind of behaviour in our industry.’If I could stop working with sexual predators…that would be great

‘Sending a big hug to all the cast and crew who worked so very hard on Viewpoint.’

Meanwhile Christina Chong, 38, who appeared alongside the actor in Bulletproof, 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 in the Sky One show, added: ‘About f****** time. Don’t @ me.’ 

Chong responded to her Instagram post, saying: ‘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, but filming on the fourth season has now been halted by Sky in light of the allegations.

Footage has also emerged of Clarke telling one of his accusers to ‘get your f**** out and pee’ on his friend during a prank that left her in tears. 

Co-star Jason Maza drinks a cocktail provided to him by Jahannah, before pretending to suffer from an allergic reaction to citrus fruit, saying he doesn’t feel well and dropping to the ground. 

Clarke then fakes a phone call to 999, asking whether Jason has to ‘swallow some of the ammonia to soothe it’, telling Jahannah: ‘Just take your f**** out and pee on him, what’s wrong with you?’

The actor came up with the stunt after hearing through the Brotherhood actress’ producers that she was planning her own prank on the pair.

Meanwhile, six more people have now come forward with further allegations of misconduct against the 45-year-old, including former students at the London School of Dramatic Art. 

It was reported that Clarke encouraged students to remove their clothes during improvisation workshops, titled Facing Your Fears, before the school’s founder Jake Taylor was alerted.

Mr Taylor told the publication that after being told about the alleged conduct he said he swiftly ‘stopped [Clarke] doing the classes’.

‘Nobody should ever be asked to take their clothes off by a member of staff, or anybody,’ he added

Clarke’s lawyers denied that the school had ever asked him to stop giving classes, according to The Guardian, adding that the exercise was designed to relax students’ anxieties and ‘normalise’ removing clothes in a safe environment.

They added that participation for the male and female adult students was not compulsory.

Following the claims by The Guardian, 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. 

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. 

Shaming of a Bafta icon: A starlet told to audition nude, claims of bullying and groping by a host of co-stars – so why was Noel Clarke given a major award just weeks ago?

By Alison Boshoff for the Daily Mail 

Noel Clarke has always had a confident swagger. The king of the famous Circle Bar at Soho House, Greek Street — where he likes to hold business meetings as much as to hold court — the acclaimed actor, director and writer has built up a reputation for being full of self-belief to an almost intimidating degree.

But then, with his successes, who wouldn’t be?

Clarke, 45, has a £1million home in Holland Park, not far from the council estate where he was raised in Ladbroke Grove.

Once an angry young man who went out with his friends to ‘case’ houses in advance of a burglary, he now takes pride in the fact he can afford to buy his wife Iris ‘the handbag she wants’.

He has influential friends, a thriving independent production company and critical success. Or rather, he did.

On Thursday, Noel Clarke’s reputation and once glittering career lay in tatters following a string of allegations from 20 women concerning a campaign of sexual harassment and bullying.

His Bafta for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema — handed out as recently as April 10 — has been suspended ‘in light of the allegations of serious misconduct’. How hollow the citation by Marc Samuelson, Chair of Bafta’s Film Committee, sounds now.

‘Noel is an inspiration to me and to many others, for his central and much-needed role in supporting and championing diverse voices in the British film industry,’ Mr Samuelson said last month. ‘He truly is able to do it all… I cannot think of a more deserving recipient for this year’s award.’

How quickly times change. The star whose credits include the film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood, TV shows including the Bulletproof series of dramas for Sky and Viewpoint on ITV, as well as the hapless boyfriend of Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler in Dr Who a decade ago, has now been dropped by his agent, manager and publicist.

Yesterday, ITV pulled the finale of Viewpoint — due to be broadcast last night — just six hours before transmission. ‘ITV has a zero tolerance policy to bullying, harassment and victimisation,’ it said.

Co-star Alexandra Roach said on Twitter: ‘If I could stop working with sexual predators, that would be great.’ She added: ‘Thank you to the women for your incredible bravery in coming forward and helping to put a stop to this kind of behaviour in our industry.’

Sky also cut him loose, saying: ‘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.’

The producers of Bulletproof, Vertigo Films, also severed ties, saying: ‘We are devastated to hear about these allegations and have launched an urgent investigation to find out if any apply to any Vertigo Films productions. Our immediate concern is for any cast or crew who may have had a negative experience on set.’

Clarke denies it all, and says he will be defending himself against the allegations. A statement from Noel Clarke to the PA news agency 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.’

It’s not the first time that Bafta has had to revoke an honour — it also terminated disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein’s membership — and I can reveal that the academy is now considering introducing a vetting procedure for those nominated for its highest honours.

But while the disgrace surely belongs only to Clarke if allegations are proven to be true, Bafta has found itself at the centre of its own storm over what it knew about these allegations, and when.

Bafta took the step of writing a long missive to members yesterday to explain what they knew — and why they were not able to act sooner. The academy said that it only had anonymous third-hand allegations, made after they announced that Clarke was to be honoured, two weeks before the award was handed over.

They say that they weren’t able to pursue them until the women were willing to come forward.

Not everyone is convinced. Actress Jahannah James, one of Clarke’s accusers, tweeted: ‘Bafta knew about the allegations before his award and decided they didn’t believe it’.

A source said: ‘That is 100 per cent false. If we’d had first-hand accounts of this kind of behaviour there’s no way he would have come within a million miles of a Bafta.’

Now, though, an ugly dossier has been made public by The Guardian newspaper. Twenty women have come forward to complain of what boils down to the manipulation and exploitation of young women in the film business by an influential older man.

The specifics involve sexual assault — kissing a teenage actress with his tongue, patting the bottom of another — harassment, voyeurism, bullying and professional misconduct, including most seriously a covertly filmed naked audition. Jahannah James says she auditioned for Clarke in 2013 just after leaving college.

She claims she was told to audition fully nude, and had no idea that this was not accepted practice. She says she was assured that the audition would not be filmed, and afterwards felt so upset by the experience that she took herself out of the running for the film.

Five years later, she was told by a producer that Clarke had filmed the audition and shared it, but he denies making or sharing the footage. James said yesterday: ‘I felt really betrayed and heartbroken. When you trust someone, that trust should not be abused.

‘The problem was people hailing him for being a shining example of a British black man. I just thought, ‘No, he’s not a shining example and he’s not my example.’ I think people deserve to know the truth about their heroes.’

She went on: ‘I thought about it a lot and decided that speaking out was the right thing to do. Standing up to someone is a hard thing but it’s even harder when they were a friend.

‘It’s been an emotional rollercoaster because we had to put the allegations to him and he said that we were all lying and slut-shamed. His response was literally to personally go after some of them.’

Another complainant is a producer who worked with Clarke between 2014 and 2017.

She told The Guardian Clarke would constantly harass her, on one occasion telling her that, when he hired her, he had planned ‘to f*** her and fire her’ before deciding to keep her on. She says Clarke showed her the recording of Ms James’ nude audition, and bragged about having sexually explicit pictures and videos.

She adds that on a work trip to Los Angeles, Clarke exposed himself in a car. She told him: ‘Noel, that’s not right.’ Later he allegedly groped her in a lift. Clarke’s lawyers deny the incidents in LA and say he did not sexually harass or bully the woman.

Also named is a film producer who met Clarke in Soho House where his company Unstoppable held meetings. She says that he smacked her buttocks at a party and later that month sent her a ‘d*** pic’ via Snapchat. Clarke’s lawyers call this ‘highly unlikely’.

Another actress says that on the set of one film, Clarke tried to kiss her on the lips ‘three to five times’ in front of others. He denies this.

A well-known actress who worked with Clarke on the film SAS: Red Notice, shot in Budapest in 2018, said that he propositioned her over a meal ‘grossly and quite explicitly’ and that when she turned him down he told her to keep quiet and sent her an emoji of a person with a finger to their lips.

Clarke denies he either harassed or threatened her to keep quiet — saying that there was only consensual flirting. Also named is a production runner who felt humiliated after Clarke took a picture of her doing the splits on the dance floor at a wrap party. She said he made ‘constant inappropriate comments’.

Finally, Helen Atherton, an art director on the 2016 film Brotherhood, says that sex scenes were shot in an unethical way, with ‘random people’ turning up to watch naked female performers.

Atherton added that Clarke also showed her naked photographs sent by women to his phone and made ‘constant comments’ about her bottom. After she complained, he admitted to the harassment, apologised and said that he was embarrassed by his behaviour.

She told the Mail yesterday: ‘After what he did, I confronted him and he apologised but he clearly did not change his behaviour. To me, an apology means you learn from it and don’t do it again, but he carried on so it was not a sincere apology and worthless.

‘There are many more women coming forward as we speak. He should apologise to each and every one of them. I want a change in the industry — there are many changes needed. That behaviour is not welcome, it sets a bad example.’ One anonymous teenager who appeared in his 2004 debut film Kidulthood said that Clarke was a ‘sexual predator’ ten years her senior and put his tongue in her mouth one day and sexually harassed her almost constantly during filming. He denies this.

And yesterday internet footage appeared of Clarke making lewd gestures with a microphone in the face of an actress.

Bafta, criticised by its president Prince William for a lack of diversity in 2020, appears to have been tripping over itself with eagerness to honour Clarke.

The notorious ‘upskirt’ opening of the film 4.3.2.1. might have given a clue, as might the explicit sex scenes in other films which he wrote and which some critics have deplored. However, the industry was (largely) impressed by his distinctive vision of London life, and nobody wanted to question his authentic artistic vision.

Clarke was raised on a council estate by his mum Gemma, a nurse, who also worked in a laundrette. His father Alf, a carpenter, left when he was a baby. ‘She was my one and only role model,’ he said. Both were immigrants from Trinidad. He added: ‘I had a lot of friends and people who kind of just gravitated towards me. I never bowed to peer pressure and I wasn’t scared to say no.’ After gaining just two GCSEs he was working as a water slide attendant and gym instructor when he met writer Rikki Beadle-Blair, who got him an audition for the C4 series Metrosexuality.

‘I didn’t have the money to get the bus both ways. I decided to get the bus there so I could be calm and unhassled, and then walk two miles back home. On the way home I got the call to say the part was mine. I thought, ‘This is it. I’m on my way’.’

He then appeared in Auf Wiedersehen Pet before writing the script for Kidulthood — controversial for its frank depiction of sex, violence and drug taking. The character he created for himself in Kidulthood ends up killing a schoolmate in a street fight. He said: ‘He is 100 per cent a life that could have been mine. A lot of my good friends went to jail. I was always around it, but never involved in it.’

In 2009, he won the Bafta Rising Star Award. In 2016, he completed his film trilogy with Brotherhood, described by one critic as a ‘one-two punch of urban rage.’

In interviews, he spoke often about the exclusion of working-class voices, and about how he insisted on diverse crews and cast. On social media, he shared his support for Black Lives Matter.

But all of that bold campaigning stands to be overshadowed by a scandal which seems to have blown up out of nowhere. Ever the pugilist, he is fighting it. The only accusation which he admits is that he made inappropriate comments to Helen Atherton.

In a statement 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.’