Journalists Lucy Osborne and Sirin Kale discuss the allegations of verbal abuse, bullying and sexual harassment by 20 women against Clarke
On 10 April 2021, the actor, director and writer Noel Clarke was awarded one of the most prestigious accolades bestowed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the prize for outstanding British contribution to cinema. But 13 days before presenting Clarke with his award, Bafta was informed about the existence of several allegations of verbal abuse, bullying and sexual harassment against Clarke. Bafta does not dispute it received anonymous emails and reports of allegations via intermediaries, but said it was provided with no evidence that would allow it to investigate.
Journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne tell Rachel Humphreys about their investigation into Clarke. They spoke to 20 women, all of whom knew Clarke in a professional capacity. They variously accuse him of sexual harassment, unwanted touching or groping, sexually inappropriate behaviour and comments on set, professional misconduct, taking and sharing sexually explicit pictures and videos without consent, and bullying between 2004 and 2019.
