Doctor Who John Barrowman Cut From Experience Amid Allegations

After actor Noel Clarke was accused by over 20 women of engaging in repeated incidents of sexual harassment on set and off during his career—including his time playing Mickey Smith on Doctor Who—fellow co-star John Barrowman was also embroiled in accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior. Now, it seems like the BBC is starting to take some action against Barrowman’s recent resurgence in the series.

The Radio Times reports that scenes Barrowman recently filmed for Doctor Who: Time Fracture—an in-person “Immersive Experience” exhibition currently set to begin in the UK later this month, following the country lifting covid-19 lockdown restrictions—will no longer be included in the final experience. “Immersive Everywhere have taken the decision to remove this pre record from Doctor Who: Time Fracture,” a newly added comment in the FAQ for Time Fracture’s website reads, under the headline “What’s happening with Captain Jack Harkness and Torchwood in the show?” It continues, “We will continue to include content that pays tribute to this brilliant show that is Torchwood so as not to disappoint its fans, and are working on an exciting storyline to be announced soon.”

Recently, Barrowman was embroiled in the allegations surrounding Clarke’s history of sexual harassment accusations when a clip of both actors at a fan convention in 2014—appearing alongside actresses Camille Couduri and Tracy Ann Olbermann—went viral, which discussed Barrowman’s alleged frequent exposure of his genitals on the set of the show, framed as pranks. Following a report by the Guardian about allegations against Clarke specific to his time on Doctor Who, Barrowman released a brief statement to the paper about his own incidents, for which the actor was eventually reprimanded on-set for in 2008. The article reads: “Barrowman said his ‘high-spirited behaviour’ was ‘only ever intended in good humour to entertain colleagues on set and backstage,’ ‘With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behaviour and I have apologised for this previously,’ he added. ‘Since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behaviour have also changed.’”

“I met with John and reprimanded him,” Julie Gardner, former Doctor Who and Torchwood executive producer said in a statement to the Guardian, “[and made] it clear to both John and his agent that behaviour of this kind would not be tolerated… To my knowledge, John’s inappropriate behaviour stopped thereafter.”

After a long absence from the series since the end of Torchwood with the 2011 series Miracle Day, the actor returned to Doctor Who as Captain Jack Harkness in season 12 last year. After making an appearance in “Fugitive of the Judoon,” Barrowman played a starring role alongside current Doctor Jodie Whittaker in the 2021 New Year’s Day special, “Revolution of the Daleks,” leaving open the possibility for future appearances in the series. The actor also currently reprises his role as Harkness in officially licensed Doctor Who and Torchwood audio drama series at Big Finish. The decision to remove the actor from a current project at least seems to indicate that the BBC is looking at Doctor Who’s relationship with the actor in a different light for the moment. But for now, what this means for Barrowman’s future relationship with Doctor Who beyond his removal from Time Fracture remains to be seen.

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