Allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and groping have come out against actor, producer, screenwriter and director, Noel Clarke. Broken by The Guardian, the allegations were made by 20 women who knew Clarke in a professional capacity.
In a statement, Clarke has said: ‘I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations’.
The allegations made against Clarke include acts such as boasting about storing sexually explicit images and videos, secretly recording naked auditions, and sending unsolicited sexually explicit images of himself, among others.
Several of those who have made allegations against the actor have used pseudonyms, though others have agreed to go on the record using their real names in the hope that their accounts will be believed. Named claimants include producer Gina Powell, who produced Brotherhood with Clarke in 2016, Jahannah James, who featured in Brotherhood, actress Jing Lusi, and Norwegian film producer Synne Seltveit.
According to The Guardian, Jason Maza, a business partner of Clarke, made phone calls to a number of the alleged victims. On one call, Maza is reported to have said ‘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’. On a separate call, Maza noted that Clarke had hired private investigators to look into the allegations made against him. Clarke’s lawyer has said that any admissions made by Maza do not constitute an admission made by Clarke, or evidence that the allegations are true.
At the 2021 BAFTA ceremony, Clarke won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Following the announcement on 29 March that Clarke was to be given the award, BAFTA confirmed that it had received ‘anonymous emails and reports of allegations via intermediaries, but no evidence was provided’. Lawyers for the organisation have also said that BAFTA had no duty to investigate the claims made against Clarke.
In light of the allegations made against Clarke, BAFTA have suspended his award and membership to the organisation.
Work on an upcoming season of Clarke’s award-winning series, Bulletproof, has been halted after broadcaster Sky read the allegations. In addition to this, ITV will not air the final episode of the drama series, Viewpoint, which stars Clarke in response to the allegations. The episode was due to air on 30 April 2021.
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