BBC ‘not progressing with any Noel Clarke projects’ after misconduct allegations

Corporation has halted work on Alex Wheatle adaptation

The BBC has said it is “not progressing” with any projects involving Noel Clarke.

A Guardian investigation published in April reported testimony from 20 women accusing Clarke of sexual harassment, bullying and verbal abuse.

The Doctor Who star has vehemently denied all claims.

The BBC has now announced that it has halted work on an adaptation of Alex Wheatle’s YA novel Crongton Knights, which was being made by Clarke’s production company Unstoppable Film & Television.

A BBC spokesperson told Deadline: “We are not progressing any projects with Noel Clarke at this time.”

Crongton Knights is one of a series of books by Wheatle, who was one of the subjects in Steve McQueen’s BAFTA-winning Small Axe series.

Wheatle, now an award-winning author, spent his childhood in a predominantly white institutional care home and was imprisoned after the Brixton riots of 1981.

Crongton Knights follows a boy called McKay, whose mother has died and whose father is working tirelessly to keep the bailiffs at bay. He finds himself with even more to deal with after a friend of his has problems with her ex-boyfriend. The story raises awareness of issues such as cyber-bullying, gang rivalries, poverty, debt and knife crime.

In the wake of the allegations against Clarke coming to light, Sky halted production on Clarke’s drama Bulletproof. He was also suspended by Bafta, which had awarded him with the prize for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.