He has played a pivotal role in bringing black drama to British screens – but Noel Clarke must still battle for recognition. As his hit cop show Bulletproof returns, he talks about fighting prejudice, returning to the Tardis – and saying no to America
“I would love to stay out of the papers,” says Noel Clarke. “I don’t even like speaking to journalists.” It’s not what an interviewer wants to hear, but in this case it is understandable. Whether he’s pointing out his omission from a movie poster, or simply finding himself the subject of an article about how the 45-year-old has maintained his six-pack, Clarke’s name is never out of the headlines for long.
His aversion to the press does perhaps explain why he has embraced social media – despite Clarke’s belief that Twitter contains “the worst of humanity”. “I love all the platforms I have, even if Twitter can be vile,” he says. “I’m older and wiser now. You have to be really offensive or catch me on a bad day to get me to bite back. When I was younger I bit back all the time. People would review stuff and I’d be like, ‘I’m coming in to find you.’” He laughs – although it’s clear that though age might have calmed him, there’s still much that he finds grating about the industry he works in.
