Actor and filmmaker Noel Clarke has been arrested in connection with a historic allegation of attempted rape, police confirmed today. The 50-year-old was also detained on suspicion of exposure and sexual assault involving inappropriate touching. The allegations relate to an incident reported to have taken place in London in 2007. A female complainant alleges Clarke committed a series of offences against her at the time.

Clarke attended Islington Police Station in north London at 12.45pm by prior arrangement, accompanied by his wife, Iris, and his solicitor. After his arrival, Clarke was formally arrested and questioned by detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Central Specialist Crime Command. He was also re-interviewed in relation to a separate allegation of voyeurism, for which he had previously been arrested in September last year.

During that earlier investigation, officers spent several hours searching Clarke’s Kensington apartment in west London. A specialist police dog trained to detect digital devices and SIM cards was deployed, and officers removed boxes containing laptops and other electronic equipment from the property.

Clarke, who is married and has four children, was held for just over two hours before being released on bail while inquiries continue.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, exposure and sexual assault by touching on Tuesday, 10 February. He was interviewed by detectives. This arrest relates to an alleged sexual offence said to have occurred in London in 2007 against a woman in her 20s."

“The man was also interviewed in connection with a voyeurism allegation for which he was arrested in September 2025. This relates to an offence allegedly committed in 2013 at a London address against a woman in her 20s. The man has been released on bail pending further enquiries. The investigation remains ongoing.”

The arrest follows Clarke’s bankruptcy in December, which came after he lost a high-profile libel case against The Guardian newspaper concerning allegations of sexual misconduct. He was ordered to pay legal costs estimated to exceed £6 million.

It is understood that Metropolitan Police officers have been reviewing evidence that emerged during the civil proceedings.

Clarke has consistently denied all allegations. Following the outcome of the libel case, he said he had spent nearly five years fighting what he described as inaccurate and harmful reporting. “I have never claimed to be perfect,” he said at the time. “But I am not the person portrayed in these articles. Overnight I lost everything — not just my own life, but my family’s as well.”

During the trial, Clarke’s wife gave evidence in his defence, stating that the accusations against him were false and had been deliberately fabricated.

The Guardian’s legal costs, which are reportedly “significantly in excess of £6 million,” remain unpaid. Clarke failed to settle an initial £3 million payment and subsequently declared bankruptcy. He has said he exhausted his life savings, remortgaged his family home, and has had little to no income for more than four years.

Clarke rose to prominence for his role as Mickey Smith in Doctor Who during the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant eras between 2005 and 2010. He later appeared in major films including Star Trek Into Darkness and built a successful career as a writer and director, notably creating the Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood film series.

In 2009, he won the Rising Star award at the BAFTA Film Awards, and in 2021 he received BAFTA’s Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema honour. However, both his award and his BAFTA membership were suspended after multiple women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.