Doctor Who's Noel Clarke has been under fire in recent weeks following claims of sexual harassment and misconduct on the sets of his shows. Now, past known allegations are also rising against another prominent actor within the franchise. John Barrowman has apologized again to the fandom after past accusations of flashing on the show's set have resurfaced.
Public interest in the claims of John Barrowman exposing his genitals on the sets of Doctor Who and Torchwood was reignited by the recent allegations of misconduct against actor Noel Clarke, who was also on the series around the same time. Allegations made years prior by various cast members (including Clarke) claimed that Barrowman would randomly expose himself on set and even hit cast members with his penis at random.
The Guardian then spoke to several sources who then confirmed John Barrowman repeatedly exposed himself on set, though not in a manner that one would perceive as sexual. One woman, who had her name changed for the article, stated that while Barrowman exposing himself to her and others on set made her uncomfortable, there was never a time in which it happened that she felt unsafe. While Barrowman's lawyers said he "could not recall" specific instances mentioned in the article, the actor did give a statement apologizing for any resurfaced claims and new ones from his early years on the show:
With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behaviour and I have apologised for this previously. Since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behaviour have also changed.
As the quote above mentioned John Barrowman had to answer for the flashing allegations over a decade prior. Executive producer Julie Gardner confirmed she confronted the actor in 2008 about allegations on the set of Torchwood and that to her knowledge, the activity halted soon after. Barrowman apologized later that year in a BBC Radio 1 interview saying that his behavior went too far.
The past claims about John Barrowman and any new ones sprang up after a viral video surfaced in which Noel Clarke spoke of the actor's flashing habit to convention-goers at a Chicago TARDIS convention in 2014:
Barrowman was there taking his dick out every five seconds. Every five seconds just hitting it on things like [taps microphone against thigh]. You can't help but laugh. Chris would be like 'Be serious I'm concentrating on my acting.' [taps microphone on woman next to him]. John Barrowman.
Not long after telling that story, Noel Clarke asked Doctor Who co-star Camille Coduri, who played Rose Tyler's mother Jackie, if she remembered the time John Barrowman "put it on her shoulder in the makeup room." Coduri confirmed that she did but didn't want to bring it up. Clarke then followed up with a warning to men at the panel not to try it, or they'd get fired and go to jail.
Barrowman recently returned to the Doctor Who franchise, years removed from the allegations and apology that he gave for past actions. It's been rumored the actor will return to the series in Season 13, though there are no guarantees given how tight-lipped the franchise is during production.
Season 13 of Doctor Who is on the way, but fans can binge prior seasons of the series over on HBO Max. For more on the franchise, check out Matt Smith's recent talk about the series and the reason actors who play The Doctor likely don't stick around too long.
