Actor John Barrowman has admitted to “tomfoolery” following accusations that he used to regularly expose himself to cast and crew members on the set of Doctor Who.
The 51-year-old actor was responding to a 2014 video from a sci fi convention that resurfaced late last week. In it, actor Noel Clarke accuses him of taking “his d*ck out every five minutes” when they worked together on this hit British series.
Later in the video, he asks his co-star Camille Coduri if she remembers “that time he put it on your shoulder in the makeup truck?” to which the actress replies, “Yes, I do.”
Several sources tell The Guardian that Barrowman would often expose himself on set, but they described it as “larking about” and “joking.” Still, it made them “uncomfortable.”
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One source said the actor would “get his genitals out on a regular basis … he’d just sort of have his balls hanging out his trousers or something, which he just thought was really funny.”
On one occasion, the source says, she witnessed Barrowman “slapping” his penis on the windscreen of one of the driver’s cars, “thinking it was really funny.”
Another source said he would “call me into his dressing room, and I would knock on the door and he’d say, ‘Oh, look at this’, and he’d just have his willy out, standing in the doorway.”
“It was kind of accepted that it was his thing.”
In a statement, Barrowman admitted to engaging in “tomfoolery” on the set of both Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, but he said that he no longer behaves that way in the workplace.
He went on to claim that his “high-spirited behavior” was “only ever intended in good humor to entertain colleagues on set and backstage.”
“With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behavior and I have apologized for this previously,” he said.
In 2008, Barrowman had to issue an apology after he pulled down his pants during an interview with BBC Radio 1, saying he “went too far” when getting into “the light-hearted and fun banter of the show.”
In his new statement this week, he reiterated that “since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behavior have also changed.”
Despite his apology, many fans are deeply disappointed in Barrowman…
Tomfoolery is apparently the new word for indecent exposure according to John Barrowman. It would appear he's a prick in every sense of the word.
— Bear Necessity (@BearNecessity3) May 7, 2021
I see people saying #johnbarrowman thinks he can get away with it because he’s gay. No, I know gay men and not one ever felt the need to do what he did. He did it because obviously that’s what kind of person he is. Don’t bring his sexuality in to it.
— Terry Tea (@tea_terry) May 1, 2021
Boss: Welcome to the office. This is Steve, he does the accounts. This is June who's in charge of PR. This is Nigel. He likes to rest his penis on women's shoulders.
New employee: Sorry?! What?!
Boss: Oh, he's larger than life. Everyone loves Nigel. #johnbarrowman— Julia Smith (@JuliaSm20632907) May 1, 2021
So, according to actor John Barrowman, repeatedly exposing yourself to work colleagues on the set of a TV show is ‘tomfoolery’? Interesting.
— Edward Baran (@edward_baran) May 7, 2021
There are people on here defending John Barrowman and his actions, by using terms like 'woke' and 'PC gone mad'.
Is it really 'woke' to not want an unsolicited penis planted on your shoulder then slapped on your face?!
I despair.#JohnBarrowman
— ???? ?????????? (@Phil_Havercroft) May 1, 2021
Also, in regards to the John Barrowman allegations, from a working actress' standpoint:
That type of behaviour on a set is NOT normal. No, it doesn't "depend on what humour you have". You just do not whip your penis out on a working set.
— Morgana (@Morgyn_S) April 30, 2021
As I read more about the Noel Clarke allegations and see that video regarding John Barrowman it starts to make a bit more sense as to why Christopher Ecclestone left Doctor Who.
And Russell T Davies has a couple questions to answer bout what he knew
— Jack Sharpe ? (@JackJacksharpe5) April 30, 2021
John Barrowman’s agent right now… pic.twitter.com/YLodrWZTUc
— Complexicated Cookie #AttackTheBok (@Johnboy_Cook) April 30, 2021
John Barrowman does look like the kinda guy who'd run around flashing his dick and calling it comedy.
— Adam Blackhat (@AdamBlackhat) May 7, 2021
No wonder Christopher Ecclestone decided to quit Doctor Who after one season. When is it ever appropriate to expose yourself and start putting it on another person’s body without their consent?? When was it ever funny?? #johnbarrowman
— Charlotte ? (@autisticya) April 30, 2021
gay men can still sexually harass women. just because you're gay it doesn't give you the right to make inappropriate comments to women, to touch women or to get your dick out anywhere near them. its not okay.
john barrowman shouldn't get away with it just because he's gay.
— christian (@thasminz) April 30, 2021
the reason, i think, i’m so sad about john barrowman, is because as jack, he was some of the only explicitly lgbt characters on tv for a long time. it’s the representation that is let down for me. it’s time to move on from jack harkness, and give us better, safer representation.
— ?ozzy loves elevenriver? (@ozandwho) April 30, 2021
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
rbernard
Personally, I have seen pics of his d*ck before and don’t mind what he did, but if he was bothering his coworkers, that was a rude, stupid, foolish. kind of risk to take on in a “me too” kind of world.
ShiningSex
Exposing yourself to others without permission is ILLEGAL. he’s a POS
butchqueen
“The talent” thinks they are above the law. They are not.
talktalktalk
so true. And in his case, he’s minimally talented, and his ‘career’ has been based on the fact the BBC in the UK seems to love him
BoomerMyles
John Barrowman has been cited by the UK as a “National Treasure”.
Fahd
Keith Haring on the wall and all. Oh my. I suppose standards about exhibitionism have changed over time, but still this seems a little over the top, even for an Englishman. (Don’t they have that “dogging” thing in England? )
Although he maintains he no longer acts this way (in the workplace), I’d recommend he check himself into rehab for sexual addiction as a way of demonstrating his changed understanding of his “tomfoolery”. Exhibitionism can and has ruined people’s lives.
MissTerri
I always thought this OLD QUEEN was a bit too much. Cancel him like all of the other men who have been #metoo’d out of existence. NEXT!!!
LumpyPillows
Ah, a cancel queen shouting “off with her head”. I bet you’re no fin at a party.
Chrisk
Oh please troll. He’s done nothing wrong except live as an out gay guy. I’m sure that bothers you though.
Cam
Notice how the right wing troll accounts always use anti-LGBTQ pejoratives to attack people?
BoomerMyles
I bet you smell like a rancid herring.
talktalktalk
yup he’s a creepy old queen
Vince
talktalktalk
MissTerri
“old queen” Are you both teenagers or something?
mailliw110
Poor thing. Still looking for that “special” someone?
LumpyPillows
Quite a bit over the top, but no one really seems to be complaining, except for the nasty queens here. So, I’d leave it at that.
talktalktalk
WRONG. A complaint was made against him at the time, and the BBC ‘told him off’
ShiningSex
Exposing yourself to others without permission is ILLEGAL, maybe read “laws”. You can’t just do that. It’s not being funny. Someone who fills the need to expose your LOL dick, is doing it for a reason and being funny isn’t that reason.
talktalktalk
this pound shop Danny La Rue has always struck me as MASSIVELY creepy,.
BoomerMyles
Everyone is losing their sh*t over a simple willie.
Hdtex
He’s gross.
Fire him.
Creamsicle
Fire him from what? I don’t think he’s been in an episode of Doctor Who since 2014.
Reth
@Creamsicle. Just to be pedantic, he’s been brought back in the Chibnall era. I think he was in this year’s New Year’s special.
Donston
Seems like one of those people who “do too much” and might get off on making others uncomfortable. Unprofessional and deserves to be called out, though it’s not like we’re talking about Andy Dick type nonsense. But I would at least hope he’s grown up a bit.
jackscott
If he wants to get naked at work he should just do porn! Not appropriate behavior in other settings – grow up!
DuMaurier
The setting definitely matters. I’d think it was definitely weird and alarming if he were a bank teller and he did it behind the counter, somewhat less weird in a showbiz setting for whatever reason, etc; years ago I was in charge of security for my county, a cute male and straight employee came into the office to pick up his paycheck and teasingly flashed me on the way out (saying “Don’t get too excited now!”); my only complaint was it wasn’t out long enough for me to take a picture.
Wentz
OH NO! A PENIS! *Clutch Pearls*
Godabed
the penis isn’t the point, it’s the at work and being unprofessional, and sexual harassment part that is mainly the problem… *eye roll*
Cloud
Yeah, it’s so normal to have a colleague think it’s ok to show off their genitals to you without your consent? Give me a break.
ShiningSex
He’s a POS. How does one not see this as sexual misconduct. Exposing yourself to people is ILLEGAL!!!!!!!!!
boblrice
Wow. Given your comments here and your consistent comments on this site over and over you seem to have little more to contribute than knee-jerk all-or-nothing platitudes. I suppose you’re young and have limited perspective of time. It’ll come eventually if you’re lucky.
I also really hope that you’ve lived a life pure of all contradiction given the intense responses you have here. Oh and I also hope that you’re spectacularly beautiful since you seem to have a lot to say about the attractiveness of people discussed on this site. I mean you must be be the paragon of human beauty. Good for you.
But most importantly, knee-jerk responses like yours and several others on here just proves to me that y’all are doomed. Why? Because I know, without question that world will find a way to turn on you too, after some shift in culture and attitudes. You think you’re devoid of offense? Hardly. I’ve seen you offensive on this site. And you think that these comments won’t perchance haunt you someday too? Well then good luck with that.
A little empathy goes a long, long way.
Again, best of luck. Life is really, really hard. And it doesn’t get easier when you’re go-to response is a never ending moment of being angry and offended.
ShiningSex
He’s ugly anyways
talktalktalk
yup he’s a fat old queen. Nobody wants, or has ever wanted, to see it
Gadfeal
On one hand, having lived in England, I can see the “bawdy humor” trait many times, especially in the “Benny Hill” or “Carry on…” movie series for heterosexuals. However, he must know by now how rigid and uptight some Americans can be, with excessive legal quagmire laws that can lead to anyone being charged of some “crime” or infraction if one really wants to make life difficult – between municipal, county, State and Federal legal systems, there is usually something that is illegal.
I, as a gay man, would have objected to this sort of behavior, however jestful. It obviously wasn’t “sexual” in nature to the women. Quite honestly, if it were something I hadn’t seen before, I’d have thrown a shoe at it.
What I am stoked about is the double standard. We have draconian laws that had one elderly professor telling me that he would not even give a pat of encouragement to a female scientist. Yet, we have “celebrity” women wearing “clothing” that even hookers would have been arrested for. decolletés down to the pubis? “Side silicone boobs” that would be comical if they were not so insanely obnoxious in “dressy occasions”… Lyrics that even pre-teens hear without control, so that vulgarity has almost become normative. Has anyone complained about “sexual aggression” when confronted with females who display their “wares” in public without invitation?
When I was a shy teen, not even realizing I was “attractive” to others, I was frequently “sexually aggressed” by females, one of whom even grabbed at my genitals, threatening to tell that I was “gay” (way before even the AIDS crisis). I used to accompany a doctor who did health visits to brothels, and the unwanted attention I got from lascivious females was unsettling (if light-hearted).
Mehki
Yeah, but Benny Hill read actually funny.
ScottOnEarth
Is anyone else as genuinely surprised as I am by the number of men who apparently cannot keep from exposing themselves at every opportunity? It’s bad enough they have the compulsion to do it but they think it’s ok to do it at work, around people who clearly have no interest.
Lancealot
It seems like most of the commenters here aren’t realizing that the guy making the complaint, Noel Clarke, was himself accused of sexual harassment by dozens of women. On the youtube page, lots of people were also criticizing Clarke’s reenactment of Barrowman’s behavior because he kept slapping the microphone on the women sitting next to him.
Essie
I’m from the U.S. and I avoid most British shows because I can’t understand what they are saying without close captioned. However, if it’s okay to expose your genitals to everyone and to slap your dick on a colleague’s shoulder because you are having “fun” on a movie set then I’m happy to never see or hear Brit “humor.” Doing something like that in the U.S. would be illegal and can get you jail time.
P.S.: I have no clue who John Borrowman is. Probably won’t get a chance since he will most likely never work again.
talktalktalk
he’s a minimally talented z list UK ‘celebrity’ and, with luck, will never work again
Joshooeerr
There’s a fine line – often non-existent -between “tomfoolery” and sexual harassment and abuse. There’s an Australian actor who, like Barrowman, was infamous for whipping it out on set. For years. To anyone. More recently he was accused and charged with more serious sexual assault. Naturally, he protested his innocence and was ultimately acquitted, largely due to legal technicalities. But anyone who ever worked with him is rolling their eyes still.
talktalktalk
On one occasion, the source says, she witnessed Barrowman “slapping” his penis on the windscreen of one of the driver’s cars, “thinking it was really funny.”……..I somehow doubt the driver found the sight of this fat tired old queen’s genitals as funny…..
cuteguy
How old is this moron? That behavior is only acceptable in kindergarten. Does he get a pass bc he’s gay?! He’s an entitled prick and should be shunned like a heterosexual would be (or should be)
talktalktalk
the old queen is nearly 60. And I quite agree!
mateo
So as a gay man, am I allowed to register a complaint because some buxom woman on the street or at the beach is showing too much of her boobs, and that offends me? Goose/Gander….
Cam
ShiningSex and talktalktalk’s comments seem like they were written by the same person.
mailliw110
It’s rather obvious who the troll accounts are. They tend to show up suddenly and say the same thing. Since Yahoo stopped the comment section, they have appeared here more.
gaypalmsprings
Photos, or it didn’t happen.