ITV faces pressure to axe final part of Noel Clarke drama Viewpoint

ITV faces pressure to axe tonight’s final part of Noel Clarke drama Viewpoint after he’s accused of sexual harassment and bullying – as viewers blast ‘crass’ decision to air sex scene with him in last night’s episode

  • India Willoughby joined a chorus of Twitter users calling on the show to be axed
  • Police drama viewpoint, in which Clarke plays the lead character, aired last night
  • Claims of sexual misconduct – which Clarke denies – dropped hour before airing 

ITV was today under pressure to pull tonight’s final episode of Noel Clarke thriller Viewpoint after 20 women accused him of sexual harassment, groping and bullying between 2004 and 2019.

TV presenter India Willoughby joined growing numbers of Twitter users calling on the channel to ‘do the right thing’ and axe the hit crime drama, which has been running every day this week.   

She wrote: ‘Let’s see if ITV do the right thing and drop tonight’s final episode of Noel Clarke drama #Viewpoint , while the allegations are investigated. Big on statements this year. One for the women, seeing it’s a female orientated channel?’ 

Others criticised ITV was continuing to air last night’s episode of Viewpoint, which included a sex scene involving Clarke, 45, who plays lead character DC Martin Young. The allegations – which the actor vehemently denies – were published an hour before broadcast.   

Noel Clarke pictured in the five-part drama Viewpoint, which follows a tense police surveillance investigation into a tightknit Manchester community. The show went ahead on ITV last night despite the furore

TV presenter India Willoughby joined growing numbers of Twitter users calling on the channel to ‘do the right thing’ and axe the hit crime drama, which has been running every day this week

Clarke said in response to the allegations: ‘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.’ 

‘Incredibly crass decision to broadcast this,’ one Twitter user wrote last night, with a second adding: ‘Well this is uncomfortable.’ 

Others also vented their anger on the social network.  

Debbie Blackman tweeted: ‘Very awkward about showing #Viewpoint tonight. I want to see what happens but doesn’t seem right somehow.’ 

Christian Bevan said: ‘Why are @ITV still showing #Viewpoint? Surely you have to pull the programme.’ 

And Noel Elkins added: ‘Totally wrong decision for @itv to be showing #Viewpoint.’   

Bafta has suspended Clarke’s membership following allegations of misconduct (pictured: Clarke as DC Martin Young in Viewpoint) 

Others also vented their anger against ITV on the social network. MailOnline has contacted the channel for comment 

ITV bosses took urgent steps to remove all mention of Clarke from the continuity announcements for Viewpoint yesterday, according to reports. 

A source told Daily Star: ‘Viewpoint was billed as ITV’s big crime drama but it’s now in turmoil. 

‘The news broke an hour before episode 4 was due to air and ITV made an active decision not to mention Noel in the voice over announcement on Thursday.

‘Bosses are now in talks about how to proceed promoting the rest of the show which continues on Friday.’ 

MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.   

ITV bosses took urgent steps to remove all mention of Clarke from the continuity announcements for Viewpoint yesterday, according to reports. Pictured is Twitter reaction against ITV 

Bafta has now suspended the award-winning director’s membership and his outstanding British contribution to cinema award, which he was handed earlier this month at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Clarke, who is married to former make-up artist Iris Da Silva with three children, wrote and starred in the acclaimed film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood as well as many TV hits including Doctor Who.

But he has been rocked by allegations by women that he has worked with that he is an alleged ‘sexual predator’, who claim he harassed, groped and bullied at work, which he denied in a statement from his lawyers.

He said he ‘sincerely apologised’ to colleagues who felt ‘uncomfortable or disrespected’, but slammed claims of sexual misconduct or wrongdoing as ‘false allegations’.

The claims were levelled against Clarke, best known for appearing in Doctor Who and for co-creating The Hood Trilogy, in The Guardian last night. 

Paul Ritter as Leonard Vance, Alex Kingston as Ruth Hattersley, Reece Shearsmith as DS Sean Stone and Clarke as DCI Carl Prior in the TV programme ‘Chasing Shadows’

One woman, who worked as a producer alongside Clarke between 2014 and 2017, alleged that the actor had secretly filmed a naked audition of another woman and bragged about it.

She also claimed Clarke exposed himself to her in a car before groping her in a lift the next day.

According to several accounts, Clarke showed colleagues sexually explicit photos and videos of women, or implied he had access to them. He was also accused of unsolicited sharing of sexually explicit images.

Other women have alleged that the actor would subject them to unwanted physical contact, which included kissing or groping.

Another, who as a teenager starred in Kidulthood, Clarke’s debut film, said one day near the start of filming he ‘put his tongue in my mouth’ and afterwards would constantly grab her and try to kiss her. 

It is alleged that when Clarke heard about a newspaper investigation into the allegations, he attempted to contact several of his accusers. 

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