Actor and director Noel Clarke is suing Bafta and claims to have fallen victim to “modern McCarthyism”.
Accused of multiple cases of school bullying and sexual misconduct for a period of 15 years, Clarke was deprived of the Bafta Award last year just nine days after receiving it.
Denying allegations of sexual assault, Clarke told The Mail on Sunday: “There have been no arrests, no charges, no trials, no verdicts, but I have been criminalized. This is a form of modern McCarthyism.”
The newspaper reported that Clarke is suing Bafta, the charity film and television organization that manages the Bafta Awards, for defamation. Clarke served on the Bafta Film Committee for nine years.
In a statement, Bafta said: “A year ago, Bafta was transparent about what led to the suspension of the award and Mr Clarke’s membership following serious allegations of palpitations, harassment and harassment by 20 published women. “We hold our own and we are very surprised by the news that he now wants to sue the arts charity. If the procedures are followed, we will of course defend ourselves.”
“Movies are no longer talked about”
He asked: “At what point did the stations in this country become judges, jurors and executioners of people? At what point did Bafta decide that it was no longer about movies but about judging people’s lives?
Clarke is also suing publisher Conde Nast, the newspaper reported, for an article in GQ magazine about the allegations. He is also suing the Guardian, which reported in April 2021 that 20 women had filed complaints of palpitations, harassment and school harassment among themselves. The allegations included a statement that Mr. Clarke had secretly filmed a naked audition and that he had shown his colleagues sexually explicit photos and videos.
The 46-year-old’s career is now in tatters. Mr. Clarke’s police drama, Bulletproof, was abandoned by Sky and the end of his thriller ITV Viewpoint was silently aired online instead of on television.
Clarke said he had considered suicide. “I was out of here. I didn’t care. My mind was destroyed.”
He denied allegations of harassment, palpation and exposure of Gina Powell, a producer. Ms. Powell also claimed that Clarke had shown her a secretly filmed video of actress Jahannah James. Clarke said, “I never showed Gina a nude video of Jahannah James, because I never had one.”
Saying “he’s not a predator,” Mr. Clarke added, “I’ve been a normal guy, I’m sure I’m flirting. Have I ever made a blatant comment? One hundred percent. But not to the point of justifying the destruction of my life “.