Things continue to look bad for John Barrowman.
Last week, the actor was accused of repeatedly exposing himself to cast and crew members while working on Doctor Who as well as its spin-off series Torchwood. Then, his future on the hit British reality competition Dancing on Ice appeared to be in doubt.
And now it’s being reported that the gay, 54-year-old actor has been cut from the upcoming Doctor Who: Time Fracture immersive theatrical production in light of the allegations.
Dr. Who and Torchwood crew members allege that in the 2000s, Barrowman on multiple occasions exposed himself, seemingly as a joke.
How about we take this to the next level?
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They described it as “larking about” as opposed to behaving in a sexually predatory manner.
Still, it’s not a great look from an HR perspective, or any perspective for that matter.
Barrowman admitted to The Guardian to what he described as “tomfoolery” and “high-spirited behavior… only ever intended in good humor to entertain colleagues on set and backstage.”
Dr. Who: Time Fractures is set to debut in London on May 26 and was originally billed to feature Barrowman in a prerecorded segment.
The production company, Immersive Everywhere, said in a statement: “Immersive Everywhere has taken the decision to remove [Barrowman’s] pre-record from Doctor Who: Time Fracture.
“We will continue to include content that pays tribute to the brilliant show that is Torchwood so as not to disappoint its fans, and are working on an exciting storyline to be announced soon.”
Speaking with The Guardian, former colleague Monica (who did not provide her last name to retain some anonymity), said: “Sometimes he’d 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.”
“It just felt really uncomfortable,” she added.
In his new statement last week week, Barrowman said that “since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behavior have also changed.”
Chrisk
I didn’t realize that Dr Who was such a family values show. Who the f*ck would be so offended that they would stop watching. I don’t think they know their audience.
ShiningSex
Hey Einstein, it’s not about their viewers, it’s about what’s wrong and right. He was wrong and deserves to be punished one way or another for his stupid behavior.
talktalktalk
Agree @shiningsex
Chrisk
Wow. Barrowmen’s got his own fan club from the troll farm. Lol
talktalktalk
excusemydust
ShiningSex
MissTerri
talktalktalk
so anyone who disagrees with you is a troll? Strange how you seem to think constantly exposing yourslef and slapping you genitals on a woman’s shoulder in a work context is perfectly acceptable?
tmball13
The practice of historic presentism is destroying everything in our culture. He apologized in 2008. If any transgressions after that can be discovered then he should wait, if not let him go on with his life this is stupid. If we don’t allow people to change direction in their lives, we become a society filled with rigidity and hate. Not to mention this could lead into a plethora of other issues where a simple alligation could destroy someone’s life. I’m not saying this didn’t happen, I’m saying he’s apologized let’s Move On. He’s a great actor and a phenomenal singer. I had a teacher when I was in rehearsal in college yell at me for wearing gray sweatpants on stage in rehearsal. It was in front of the cast and horribly embarrassing. The theater rehearsal process is usually fairly bawdy, that’s just the nature of it
gljriverview
I streaked in college, so I guess I should lose my degree. He showed poor judgment. Anyway, he did perform a couple of nude scenes in Torchwood. I do not think the punishment fits the crime.
winemaker
Never heard of Joh Barrowman. he’s kind of hot. That being said. hopefully the nude photos are worth the views and will appear soon.
Caine
@ShiningSex You exemplify everything that is wrong with everything. I am happy I do not have to live in your sad world.
James Hart
John Barrowman was just whipped by Cancel Culture.
theaterbloke
Big Finish also announced they won’t be releasing the latest Torchwood audio adventure, Absent Friends, that reteamed Barrowman’s Captain Jack Harkness with David Tennant’s Doctor, presumably in light of the current “scandal.”
Creamsicle
Why are these being discussed with such serious terms as “allegations?” Barrowman has admitted to his behavior and stated that he has long since stopped that kind of humor with cast and crew mates. No charges have been filed and there has been no public disclosure of legal arbitration related to these incidents.
Barrowman was very cavalier about nudity during filming. I think there was even some DVD commentary about it in one of the Doctor Who seasons because there were times that the production asked if he was comfortable with being naked for a bit or a shot if, and he jumped at the chance.
Hdtex
His IG account is 80% him flashing his flabby ancient ass. I had to unfollow him.
talktalktalk
gross @hdtex
MissTerri
Toodle-ooo, ya creepy old Queen!! NEXT!!!!
Hdtex
You should go next skanky homophobic troll.
Charlie in Charge
So I mean… they knew about this already right? They had to have heard the stories and were moving forward until the recent resurgence over the issue. Kinda funky.
ShiningSex
It doesn’t matter how long it took to punish him for his stupid, gross behavior. People report rapes/assault weeks, years later. Doesn’t make it less wrong. Wrong is wrong! What’s funky is that he’s admitted to it and you’re defending the creep.
DuMaurier
@ShiningSex, but the puzzling part is that this already WAS “reported”; it’s not like a rape victim coming forward years later. It’s more like the rape victim going to the police when she’s assaulted, being told “Who cares”, and then ten years the police going, “Wait a second! Now I DO care—arrest that man!”
talktalktalk
@dumaurier notorious BBC sex offender Jimmy Savile was also reported to the BBC when he was alive, but nothing was done
DuMaurier
@talktalktalk, with Savile there was a coverup spanning more than the BBC, he denied the allegations and even sued some accusers; in other words, it was about whether he DID those things—neither he or anyone else suggested it would’ve been okay if he did. Barrowman did what he did, never denied it, and from what we hear was enabled in his behavior. And when the boom was finally lowered he stopped. Not at all the same.
talktalktalk
true @DuMaurier,,,,whcih makes this very problematic for the BBC, especially since Barrowman did stuff like placing his junk on a female co-star’s shoulder….Why would anyone think that’s ok? Suggests a wider problem with culture on set.
cuteguy
Even tho Fox News and all those MAGA losers are against “cancel” culture, I’d think they would be ok with this one exception. Bc like most on the religious right aka GQP, it’s convenient for them
MissTerri
Oooor…. another way of looking at it is those people who are always quick to ‘cancel’ people they dislike are now getting a taste of their own medicine when someone they like is being cancelled. Hi-LAR-ious!!!
Fahd
The pendulum seems to be swinging to cancel; it’s probably too late for him to stop the bandwagon effect that’s going on now. He should have been much more proactive in demonstrating regret and rehabilitation.
It’s too bad really – he of course did what he did, but like any other “compulsive”/”addict” there were no doubt enablers in the background. Open discussion of what happened, why it continued, why it was tolerated, etc. is a better way to go than denial and shunning. Personally, I think he deserves a chance to redeem himself. I hope someone/some entity finds a way to give him that chance.
talktalktalk
Given the fact he’s creepy, minimally talented and was past his sell-by date decades ago, I doubt that will happen
Fahd
@talktalktalk
You seem to really not like (hate) Barrowman, so it’s easy to see why you feel that way. I don’t get the exposing himself at all, but otherwise, I don’t have strong feelings about Barrowman myself. Please also see my response to your original comment below which I made before seeing your response to my comment here.
Ronbo
talktalktalk seems biased against living long – the ageism is repugnant. And it displays hypocrisy.
excusemydust
I’d love to know what about his genitalia made this an act designed “to entertain.”
hamsterboy111
Hard to say. Not having seen his genitalia myself, its entertainment value is still unmeasured.
ShiningSex
THAT’S WHAT HE GETS. DOING IT CONSTANTLY AS JOKE ISN’T FUNNY TO EVERYONE. HE IS AN IDIOT AND DESERVES WHAT HE GETS. THIS IS NOT CANCEL CULTURE, IT’S WRONG. HE’S WRONG. BYE NOW!
jw8890
It is cancel culture when it happened twelve years ago and he quit doing i and apologized for it.
Hdtex
He never quit doing it moron.
CONSEQUENCES not “cancel”.
Ken A.
They’re being ridiculous. Everyone is being ridiculous.
talktalktalk
Repeatedly exposing your genitals to other men and women on set and putting your genitals on the shoulder of a female co-star is not ‘tomfoolery’, it’s deeply deeply creepy. I don’t care how gay he is, he can’t know that everyone was ok with it.
He was past his sell-by date literally decades ago, so his cancellation is long overdue,.
Also the double standards from the industry is laughable. Noel Clarke DENIES all the allegations against him, and was cancelled by the entire industry within hours, yet Barrowman admits it all, and we have still yet to hear formally from the BBC, who continued to hire him even though they knew he did this because there was a complaint in 2008.
Fahd
Your comments motivated me to research the Clarke part of the Dr. Who story. The Guardian wrote: In the statement released the day after the Guardian published allegations from 20 women, Clarke said: “I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing. Recent reports however have made it clear to me that some of my actions have affected people in ways I did not intend or realise. To those individuals, I am deeply sorry. I will be seeking professional help to educate myself and change for the better.”
As I read it, Clarke’s statement is different from denying all allegations and being deeply sorry and seeking professional help is also how Barrowman should have responded.
It definitely seems that Barrowman got less outrage because he’s gay while Clarke’s straight. (No doubt race also plays a role in the reactions.)
I would argue that neither Clarke nor Barrowman, not both, should be cancelled – In my opinion, society has to find mechanisms for working through these things without resorting to denial and shunning.
talktalktalk
I think the biggest probelm for the BBC is that they were told Barrowman did this, and that there had been a complaint from someone working on the show, as far back as 2008.
jw8890
Its almost as if owning up to your actions lessons your punishment. God you are so damn tiring with your bs. One would think you were jealous with your constant attacks on his acting ability
Heywood Jablowme
@talktalktalk: One thing you keep saying doesn’t make sense:
“He was past his sell-by date literally decades ago, so his cancellation is long overdue.”
Uh, he’s only 54. Are you saying actors should all quit show business at age 34? Or maybe 24?
CKNJ
@Haywood Jablowme all that one can do is talktalktalk… just bile and hate. I wonder what he might have done in his life that he should be canceled for. So easy to simply ‘remove’ people from society, AFTER they have admitted culpability, owned up, asked forgiveness and moved on to never doing it again. Sad.
dennisjlee
So do we stop viewing everything he has ever done? What about Kevin handsy Spacy or Michael pedophile Jackson or Bill rapest Cosby? Does their personal issues negate all the talented work they have ever done?
jw8890
They already handled the situation. The man apologized and stopped. All y’all bitchy queens talking about his behavior are acting like he’s still doing it. Especially talktalktalk (who seems to focus on his acting talemts which i guarantee are better than yours) and shiningsex. Move the hell on.
Toofie
That’s the problem. This was already resolved. But once someone rediscovers it, it gets life all over again. Why not get outraged over things happening NOW?
gregg2010
This is all so ex post facto in my mind. It was years ago, he apologized and stopped, and since that time the constructs of appropriate behavior have changed. Give the guy a break.
Woofy63
This whole cancel culture is going to come back and bite these people on the ass. No one is innocent in life, or very few people are, and I hope you never have to suffer under this cancel culture crap! Where is the forgiveness, when do we say enough is enough? How long did these people work with John Barrowman, and obviously never say a WORD?! I’m not blaming them for what he did but if they felt that strongly about it, why didn’t they try to stop him? I’m also not excusing him, I’m just saying that he’s apologized, and it sounds like it isn’t going on anymore, leave the man be. And if you don’t like what he did, don’t watch him, it’s that simple!
MOE-X
Maybe his costars thought he was a lovable scamp, but the people whose job it is to work behind the scenes of which there are many, don’t generally get paid enough to put up with that kind of f**kery. I also blame the show runners who had to have known what he was doing. It’s also not the responsibility of the people who were suffering because of his behavior to stop it, it was his. Have the same energy for him that you do for Noel Clarke.
BGreen1963
The Acting world is very different from the normal world. You are forced to become familiar with people, to the point of bearing your soul and your body. You must have complete trust and extreme comfort with each other. Quick changes in costume often cause you to get naked back stage. I have a body feature that can startle people. My right eye has two distinct colors, hazel and brown. It’s about a 60/40 split. It occurs to 1 in a 100,000 people and doesn’t effect your vision. I show this to everyone I work with on stage or back stage, because startling someone in those situations cause mistakes and could actually get someone hurt or even killed. You get extremely comfortable and relaxed with everyone. It’s why you see so many costars marry.
okbye
There are a couple things to keep in mind. The British are way less uptight about nudity than the US is. They put full frontal male and female nudity on tv after 9:30 pm. Funniest thing I’ve ever seen on broadcast tv was Billy Connelly skipping around Picadilly Circus completely nude. Flopping up and down like an extra loose arm. Boinga boinga boinga! Freakin’ hilarious. I have a couple screen captures but I don’t think you can post pictures here. I’ve watched a nurse hold a willy and insert a swab up the urethra showing how to take an STD test. On tv. But you almost never see any fictional blood or gore. Complete opposit of the US. We’ll splatter someone’s head across the screen but you want to see a boob? Forget it.
Anyway, that’s a long way to say nudity isn’t as big a deal in the UK. And John Barrowman is a nut. I can totally see him doing those things, that’s his sense of humor. I can guarantee you there was nothing sexual about it.
Torchwood last filmed in 2010. Barrowman claims he apologized about it years ago. And he was quite shocked and distraught that anyone was offended back then. He’s a super nice guy, offending someone would never be intentional. He amd Scott have been together like 30 years. It’s not like he was making a move on her.
No one should be made to feel uncomfortable especially at their work space. I do wonder though if it had been brought up years ago and he apologized why bring it up again now?
Woofy63
I completely agree! Here in the states, we can show people getting their heads blown off or shot 50 times with blood squirting everywhere, but Heaven forbid we show a penis or breasts! Barrowman is a funny guy, who I’m sure was not trying to sexually harass any one. He apologized for this repeatedly. What the hell is wrong with this new society? Again, where’s the forgiveness?
Ellipse Kirk
ShiningSex is horribly misnamed.
Chrisk
I just call it a troll. Saves time since it usually just logs out and logs back into one of it’s other handles frequently.
baggins435
We as a society are such hypocrites. People are punished their entire lives for incidences where they were either punished, or apologized and it keeps getting dragged back up. He did it, admitted to it, apologized and it was, supposedly, forgiven and forgotten. Until someone brings it back up today and suddenly he is, again, a bad guy and must be punished.
I can’t remember who, but there was another actor who had multiple nude scenes and had a habit of not covering up between takes. Is he going to get dragged through the mud now for that? There should be a statute of limitations on bringing up prior behavior that someone has already been called out on. It shouldn’t be brought up years later unless the behavior also happens again.
BoomerMyles
I’m so tired of the unforgiving woke, cancel culture and MeToo bloodthirsty cultists who want to destroy everyone.
They’re just like the French Reign of Terror that annihilated their own and paved the way for authoritarian despot Napoleon.
They will be screaming “off with their heads” until there are no people left. Circular firing squad.
Hdtex
What a moronic comment.
Grow up.
Read a book.
Chrisk
Hdtex
Based on his knowledge of history not reading enough books is probably not an issue here.
Cam
Oh Please, is you went to work and your female boss was pulling down her underwear and rubbing her vagina on your shoulder when you were sitting down, please don’t pretend you would think she’s the victim if H.R. intervened.
Winsocki
OMG close Bourbon St and Mardi Gras…….. What fools so shocked about this past. How about the present. Gays cancel Fulsom St Fair Dory Alley etc etc …we don’t want sensitive gays to have the vapors. Women have flashed me … should I faint? This is the past it is over. My God… the history of hijinks I have done would be frowned upon. I don’t care. It’s today. We learn . Acting like Fundamentalist Evangelical Trump Cult with their clutching pearls …. How about a pearl necklace, my dears. Obla di obla da life goes on Yah
Caddy4J
My god, I can’t believe this story has turned one against the other. This happened many years ago, yes, it was wrong, yes, he also apologized and no, he wasn’t reported nor arrested. (He also wasn’t past his sell date) when it happened, and that’s why he wasn’t canceled. I can be almost certain that everyone that posted regarding this subject, that in your party days filled with booze and drugs, you more than likely did something really stupid, maybe not on this level, but something really stupid that you probably look back and regret it now. Again he apologized. Stop The redundancies! Next subject please…
Prax07
I imagine the outrage would be quite different if it was someone like Tom Holland or Chris Hemsworth running around with their junk out.
Chrisk
Ha. Excellent point. The bitchers here would be licking their monitors thinking about it.
talktalktalk
IT IS IMPORTNAT TO state that, yes, maybe cast members and crew members did not want to see Barrowman’s junk
inbama
It’s so sad seeing how feminism has turned gay men into artistically ignorant old biddies. Artists have never been role models for conventional morality.
If the MeToo philistines had existed in 1865, they’d have cancelled Oscar Wilde.
Cam
AAAAaaaaand the right wing troll account back under a different name to turn a story about a guy exposing him into an attack on feminism.
Sweetie, your trolling is sad and boring.
inbama
@ Cam
I’m boring? You think you’re predictable paranoid twaddle is entertaining to anyone other than yourself?
BTW, the idea that I would bother to have more than one account is not just a lie but an imbecilic lie. Why would anyone bother?
mailliw110
Um….I believe he was sent to prison for being gay. Maybe you should pick someone else for your example.
jman
Agree @ Prax07 and @ Haywood Jablowme
Some of the comments here are so ageist, which is just as offensive as being homophobic or transphobic. Comments like “past his sell-by date” or “flabby ancient ass” do not enhance or promote your point of view. They just immediately reduce you to ageist bigots.
gorpalm
That behaviour would get anybody thrown out in a professional work environment – And I refuse to believe that a film set is somehow exempt from that description. You wouldn’t do that as a lawyer, a doctor, a hairdresser, a shopkeeper, and you wouldn’t do that as an actor. Not without consequences. It’s inexcusable, unless he has mental health issues. In which case he didn’t belong on a set whilst suffering from such matters. But it’s typical of the BBC to look benevolently and indulgently on the sexual Awfulness of it’s stars – It was also the BBC that passively/actively protected that ghastly criminal pedophile (and BBC “star”) Jimmy Savile whilst he was alive.
DuMaurier
On the one hand you “refuse” to concede that a film set is different from any other professional setting, yet your own post tacitly acknowledges that it is. I work in a public middle school office, and anything close to this kind of grossly inappropriate behavior would get someone canned (and probably reported to law enforcement) the first time, period. Yet that didn’t happen with Barrowman, which by definition means it IS different. Actors have come to the set blind drunk, and they’re taken care of, had coffee poured down their throat, worked around, with onerous measures taken to get them in front of the camera to get at least some usable footage out of them. Nothing like that would be done for, say, a bank teller.
What you mean is a film set SHOULD be treated the same as a lawyer’s office or whatever. I don’t disagree with that–but it ISN’T. Or wasn’t then. His behavior was tolerated, people looked the other way, rolled their eyes, etc–until finally a complaint was brought to his attention and (it seems) he stopped. Wagging your wee-wee at people is either shockingly wrong, assaultive–or in fact it IS tomfoolery. And what determines that is the setting and the reactions of the environment. If it’s terrible the “environment” needs to say so or it’s complicit. When I was in charge of security for my county a cute, straight co-worker came to my office for his check and on his way out pulled it out and waggled it teasingly, saying, “Don’t get too excited!” That was undeniably a fireable “offense”–but when I laughed and shrugged it off (while wishing I had time to get the employee picture camera out of my desk drawer) I told the guy it was okay. Because right or wrong, for me it was more than okay (!)
mastik8
In any event Mr. Barrowman has been very naughty and deserves a good sound spanking.
Ronbo
I’m cancelling you for turning non-abusive nudity into a physical act of violence. That said… me first!
Gever
Oh yes lets cancel EVERY actor who acted in a foolish fun loving manner because someone is scared; offended; or put off. He showed his willy? So what? It’s part of the human body. He wasn’t being sexual or making sexual advances. He was being silly. He showed a bit of immaturity. Big deal! Barrowman apologised. He changed his behaviour. Frankly that should be enough. Puritanical beliefs and cancel culture just need to stop.
Cam
It’s a workplace.
Flashing co-workers would get you immediately fired from any other job in the world outside a strip club.
Cam
I love all of the pearl clutchers attacking metoo and feminism over the fact that some people are complaining about this.
If you think he is being singled out, try whipping out your d*ck at work and putting it on a co-workers shoulder, I can assure you that you will find out that this guy isn’t being singled out. You would most likely not even be allowed back to your office as security would probably hold you and call the police to report sexual assault.
inbama
“We must keep a sharp lookout, however, for Miss Mackay, as she is rather narrow which arises from an ignorance of culture and the Italian scene.”
Jean Brodie could’ve been speaking about YOU.
mateo
I’ve seen more than one comment in which Barrowman is refered to as “an old queen”, with the emphasis, I’d imagine, on “old”. So I’m left to assume that these comments come from dewy-eyed twenty-somethings who deem that anyone over 40 is ancient. First of all, 54 isn’t what it used to be; if you’re 54 you defintely still fall into the category of “middle-aged”, and more so if you’re in good shape–as in this case. Secondly, addressing those youngsters who are so quick to judge, someday–if you’re lucky–you’ll make it to that age.
mailliw110
My ex took his straight brother to a gay bar. The brother asked if the grey haired older men were gay. My ex replied, “Yes, they do make gay old men.” I still think it’s funny!