Actor Noel Clarke has been declared bankrupt after losing a libel trial against The Guardian newspaper related to their reporting of allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

West London-born Clarke, best known for his roles in Doctor Who and Kidulthood, and later for his work as a filmmaker and television creator, was ordered to cover legal costs that could total as much as £6 million.

The actor first came into disrepute in April 2021, when The Guardian reported that 20 women had come forward with claims of verbal abuse, bullying, and sexual harassment by Clarke. By the next day, the newspaper had interviewed an additional six women with further allegations. Among Clarke’s accusers were Jahannah James, who stated that Clarke filmed a nude audition without her consent and showed it to a producer who worked with him. That same producer also alleged that Clarke exposed his genitals to her in a car and groped her in a lift. British actress Jing Lusi, best known for her role in Crazy Rich Asians and who starred alongside Clarke in SAS: Red Notice, also claimed that he made sexual propositions and threatened her during the time they filmed between 2018 and 2019.

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Following the mounting accusations that Clarke pressured women to perform nude sex scenes and became hostile when they refused, BAFTA suspended both his membership and his award, ITV announced that it would not broadcast the final episode of Viewpoint, in which Clarke starred, Sky halted his involvement in any productions, and his agency, Industry Entertainment, dropped him. Overall, The Guardian published seven articles and a podcast related to the allegations.

Following his downfall, the disgraced 50-year-old sued a newspaper for libel, but a High Court judge ruled that the allegations of abuse made by 20 women were “substantially true” and further labelled Clarke’s allegations of defamation as a “far-fetched and indeed a false case” against the newspaper’s reporting. Mrs Justice Steyn initially ordered Clarke to pay £3 million in legal costs to the Guardian News Group by the end of 2025, but he filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to avoid payment. Sources close to Clarke claim he knew he would be unable to cover the costs if he lost the case but “blindly pushed on regardless.”

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Official documents show that Clarke, who resides in London’s affluent Kensington and Chelsea with his wife, Iris Da Silva, and their children, was officially declared bankrupt on December 11.

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Clarke, whose numerous accolades also include a Laurence Olivier Award, has continued to maintain his innocence despite the large volume of allegations. After the Metropolitan Police confirmed it would not be launching a criminal investigation into the claims against Clarke, he pushed forward with his libel case against the publisher of The Guardian newspaper and website.

Opening Clarke’s case at trial on March 7, 2025, his barrister Philip Williams claimed The Guardian had acted as the “judge, jury and executioner” of Mr Clarke’s career. He added that Clarke “is absolutely not, and never has been, a sexual predator.”

After losing his case against the newspaper, Clarke stated:

“For almost five years, I have fought against a powerful media outlet and its extensive legal teams over inaccurate and damaging reporting…

These stories started via anonymous emails portraying me as a monster to attract attention and outrage…

The goal was to damage my career, and they succeeded… I have never claimed to be perfect. But I am not the person described in these articles.”

However, Guardian News and Media (GNM) defended its reporting as both true and in the public interest, and in a judgment in August, Judge Mrs Justice Steyn agreed. Dismissing Clarke’s claim, she said the newspaper had “succeeded in establishing both truth and public interest defences to the libel claim.”

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