Yahoo Finance BBC investigating misconduct allegations against Doctor Who stars Noel Clarke and John Barrowman
©BBC/BBC AMERICA Noel Clarke as Mickey and Billie Piper as Rose on 'Doctor Who'
People who worked on the set of Doctor Who in the 2000s are coming forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by some of the series' stars, and the BBC is pledging to take the issue seriously.
Noel Clarke, who played Mickey Smith on Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010 in addition to writing and directing his own films, was recently awarded the prestigious BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, but had the honor revoked last month after 20 women accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment in The Guardian. Clarke and his lawyers have vehemently denied all allegations against him, and responded to The Guardian with a 29-page letter that the publication has quoted extensively in its coverage.
This week, even more women came forward to The Guardian specifically accusing Clarke of sexual harassment on the set of Doctor Who. The surrounding discussion also resurfaced stories that another Doctor Who actor John Barrowman exposed himself to co-workers on set.
The Guardian reports that Barrowman, who is gay, "admitted to 'tomfoolery' that he now understood upset colleagues, but stressed it was never intended or interpreted as sexual in nature."
Frank Ockenfels 3/Starz John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness on 'Torchwood'
The Barrowman incidents were known at the time, and Julie Gardner, one of Doctor Who's executive producers at the time, told The Guardian she reprimanded Barrowman following an incident on the set of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, after which she believes the behavior ended. By contrast, Gardner and her fellow Doctor Who executive producer Russell T. Davies both told The Guardian they had no prior knowledge of the accusations against Clarke.
The Guardian quotes several sources stressing that the context of Barrowman's antics were different from the "sexually predatory" behavior of which Clarke is accused. Again, Clarke denies the allegations, but the BBC is taking them seriously.
"The BBC is against all forms of inappropriate behavior and we're shocked to hear of these allegations," a BBC spokesperson told EW in a statement. "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 behavior 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."
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