Noel Clarke will no longer be seen on The CW’s streaming services following the numerous explosive sexual misconduct allegations made against him by former colleagues, Variety has confirmed.
“Bulletproof,” the British police procedural that Clarke created, stars in, and even penned several episodes of, has been pulled from The CW Seed following a thorough investigation published by The Guardian on April 29. The British daily newspaper unveiled extensive sexual misconduct allegations against the actor made by 20 women who have worked with Clarke in a professional setting. These allegations include sexual harassment, unwanted touching or groping, sexually inappropriate behavior and comments on set, professional misconduct, taking and sharing sexually explicit pictures and videos without consent, and bullying between 2004 and 2019.
Through his legal team and a 29-page letter sent to the paper, Clarke has vehemently denied all but one of the allegations published by the outlet. He has admitted to repeatedly making inappropriate comments about one woman’s body, Helen Atherton, and later apologizing.
In spite of issuing a pledge to seek professional help, the fallout from the story was immediate and has resulted in several repercussions for the actor.
The actor’s representatives at Industry Entertainment told Variety that “it will no longer be representing Noel,” and BAFTA suspended Clarke’s membership until further notice, withdrawing his Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award that he was presented in March. BAFTA has said it was unaware of any of the allegations made against Clarke before naming him as the recipient.
Sky also halted Clarke’s involvement in any future productions effective immediately. “Sky stands against all forms of sexual harassment and bullying and takes any allegations of this nature extremely seriously,” a spokesperson told Variety.
And, the much-buzzed-about “I May Destroy You” creator and star Michaela Coel issued a statement on the allegations against Clarke on Friday morning:
“I am here to support great support for the 20 brave women who have come forward; those who have shared their identities with us, but also those who have preferred to use an alias; the mental hurdles a black woman must overcome to do such a thing as reveal their identity within a narrative of rape abuse or bullying at the hands of someone within our own community can sometimes be too much,” Coel wrote.
Clarke is now under investigation by “BUlletproof” producer Vertigo Films and All3Media (“Fleabag”), which backed the actor’s production company Unstoppable Film and Television.