Noel Clarke has left his production company, Unstoppable Film and TV, after allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct first reported in the Guardian in April.
Clarke, 45, has left the firm – which produced his Sky series Bulletproof as well as films including Adulthood and Brotherhood – along with co-founder Jason Maza, 34. The company was founded by the pair in 2017, and was backed by the “super indie” distributor All3Media, who confirmed their departure in a statement to Variety. Clarke and Maza had been suspended from the company after the Guardian’s initial reporting.
Best known for his work on the “hood” series of films, beginning with Kidulthood in 2006, and Doctor Who, Clarke has been a high-profile figure in British film and television since the early 2000s as an actor, producer and director, and received an honorary Bafta for his contribution to British cinema earlier this year.
However, the award was later withdrawn, along with Clarke’s Bafta membership, after testimonies from 20 women who alleged he had either bullied, harassed or behaved in a sexually inappropriate manner towards them, having met them in either a work capacity or in his role as a mentor to aspiring actors. Among the claims against Clarke were indecent exposure, secretly filming a naked audition and groping colleagues.
After the Guardian’s investigation, Sky, the BBC and ITV all cut ties with Clarke, with the final episode of Clarke’s ITV series Viewpoint moved from linear broadcast to on-demand. Further allegations levelled against Clarke in May saw him accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour on the set of Doctor Who between 2005 and 2010.
Scotland Yard has confirmed there are currently no criminal legal proceedings against Clarke; in a statement released last week they said that “a number of other women have since come forward” with claims which police are investigating.
Clarke has denied any sexual misconduct. In a statement at the time, 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.” After the Guardian’s initial investigation he said that he was “deeply sorry” for some of his behaviour, and that he would be seeking professional help “to educate myself and change for the better”.
Variety reports that junior production staff at Unstoppable have also left the business, with All3Media potentially looking to transfer its existing projects to its other companies. According to Companies House documents, Clarke and Maza resigned from Unstoppable on 29 July, with All3Media CEO Jane Turton, chief financial officer Angela McMullen and Stephen Lambert – the boss of the All3Media company Studio Lambert and Unstoppable’s non-executive chairman – remaining on its board.
The allegations against Clarke have led to increased conversations around the nature of the film and TV industry, where many workers – often on precarious freelance contracts – may feel unable to speak up about workplace abuse. An open letter by the Unseen On Screen anti-bullying campaign, part of the Bectu union, was signed by more than 2,000 members of the British entertainment industry, calling for “an end to this culture that turns a blind eye to predators and harassers operating in plain sight”.
Meanwhile, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has begun consulting representatives from the creative industries to formulate a plan of action to target bullying and harassment.
