John Barrowman put his dick on co-star's shoulder

[Star555]

John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness has (had?) been my all-time favourite Doctor Who character. I knew JB has a history of indecently exposing himself on set multiple times, but today I learned that he not only exposed his dick repeatedly but also non-consensually touched fellow actors with it -- like Camille Coduri (who played Rose Tyler's mum)!

AIBU to think that he got away with this only because he is gay? If he had been straight, wouldn't non-consensually putting his dick on his female co-star's body from behind have landed him loads of trouble already? I was utterly shocked to watch the video -- I don't know how I should be feeling after learning that my favourite Doctor Who actor behaved in this despicable manner.

It’s almost like there’s one rule for one, and another rule for one. Hypocrisy.

Not exactly professional behaviour. Directing/producing staff should have carried out whatever the appropriate HR measures were and then got rid for gross misconduct or whatever the equivalent is. Utterly revolting.

Yuck. I don’t want anyone’s genitals on my shoulder thanks!

@BlackCatsRule88

Popbitch have reported other vile stories about him, including:

• To hear him talk, you'd think Barrowman just flops it out and taps it against things. As longtime Popbitch readers know, he's much more flamboyant than that. In his time, he's used it as a hanger for his castmates' props in panto, used it to wipe down his breakfast bar for guests, and – in one particularly memorable instance – used it to cut up a birthday cake.

This is the panto story:

• One lucky actor who starred in a pantomime with him some years back had a memorable scene in which he'd tell the audience he was just popping off to Tesco. He'd drive off-stage in a little golf buggy, collect a few prop carrier bags from the wings and re-enter with them.

Most of the time, these bags would be handed to the actor. On the occasions Barrowman could muster one in time however, he would kindly proffer them dangling from his erection – just out of the audience's sightline.

Vile.

The only point of doing that is getting amusement from someone being uncomfortable. Sick.

I was surprised how little news the John Barrowman story has made compared to Noel Clarke. It can't be one rule for one and not for JB.
I mean did everyone really think this was a laugh!?
It's indecent exposure, full stop, it's never ok

@OwlBeThere

I mean...she doesn’t seem bothered? It’s all about context and if you’re in company who you know are ok with that kind of joke, then that’s fine. If people are not ok with it...not so much.

Context is everything

In what universe can exposing and touching people with your penis be class as a joke?

He was one of the stars, she was less important, he could afford to be offensive and make others (women) uncomfortable, and they would be forced to laugh along or be thought of as 'difficult'. And maybe not get hired again.

This is exactly it. So disappointing in an actor I liked.

I worked in costume and production design in film and tv for years in my 20s-30s. This behaviour is rife to an extent but actually touching a woman with a penis is not in my experience, that’s way too far even for film/tv. I’ve seen countless willies over the years, but never been touched with one so I’d say that is very unusual and crosses the line into sexual assault.

I don’t think people should just say they’re different environments either, they’re not that different and shouldn’t be perceived to be, that’s just an excuse for predatory men. Lots of young women work in these industries and we should have been and should be protected from sexual harassment same as women working anywhere else.

Costume is particularly bad as actors are changing but I’ve worked with loads of actors who are completely professional and never make you uncomfortable. The predators are obvious. Everyone knows who to avoid and staff stick together so young women are not alone with them. I was at the BBC when the John Leslie stuff came out, I’d never worked with him but asked who everyone thought it was (before his name was leaked) and everyone knew who it was referring to, he was known.

Production crew in positions of responsibility are often male and they don’t always think or act in ways that help protect young women in my experience so you’re working in difficult situations with no understanding at all from any of the men on set (not just the actors who are ‘larking’ about). I was also often made to feel uncomfortable by other male crew members who were just as likely to be predators themselves and on a mission to have sex with as many of us women as possible, especially when we were away on location and all staying in the same hotel, it was incessant.

He's vile and predatory. I did post about my dislike and suspicion of him on Mumsnet a couple of years ago and the thread was overwhelmed with posters telling me how lovely he was and how wrong I was.

It's all over the news now:

www.thescottishsun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/7075824/john-barrowman-doctor-who-apology-exposing-himself-noel-clarke/

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/john-barrowman-doctor-who-noel-clarke-b1843687.html

metro.co.uk/2021/05/07/torchwood-star-speaks-out-over-john-barrowmans-behaviour-on-set-14542226/

There is a whole page of publications with his "apologies"
I think he will regret his appalling bahviour now.

He is a nasty slimy man, and I have always thought there was something like this going on, glad I have been proved right

It doesn’t matter he is gay or straight, it’s unacceptable behaviour, ams whilst he might have apologised way back when he is not sorry at all

Nasty nasty nasty

You bond quickly not only for the sake of getting a good performance, but for security as, especially on travelling plays or location shoots, you’re exposed emotionally, away from your home support networks. I’ve travelled the world in my ‘showbiz’ jobs. You need to support each other & have that support yourself. You have to let your guard down to form a bond in performance..

Um, there are many professions where people form strong bonds with colleagues and have to deal with hugely emotional situations that far outweigh acting.

If a man came up to me in the street and got his dick out, that would be a crime, would it not? A crime that could lead to a conviction for a sexual offence.

Don't excuse this man, ther is no excuse, no context, no situation where slapping you cock all over people is any where near OK.

@ProfessorPootle

I worked in costume and production design in film and tv for years in my 20s-30s. This behaviour is rife to an extent but actually touching a woman with a penis is not in my experience, that’s way too far even for film/tv. I’ve seen countless willies over the years, but never been touched with one so I’d say that is very unusual and crosses the line into sexual assault.

I don’t think people should just say they’re different environments either, they’re not that different and shouldn’t be perceived to be, that’s just an excuse for predatory men. Lots of young women work in these industries and we should have been and should be protected from sexual harassment same as women working anywhere else.

Costume is particularly bad as actors are changing but I’ve worked with loads of actors who are completely professional and never make you uncomfortable. The predators are obvious. Everyone knows who to avoid and staff stick together so young women are not alone with them. I was at the BBC when the John Leslie stuff came out, I’d never worked with him but asked who everyone thought it was (before his name was leaked) and everyone knew who it was referring to, he was known.

Production crew in positions of responsibility are often male and they don’t always think or act in ways that help protect young women in my experience so you’re working in difficult situations with no understanding at all from any of the men on set (not just the actors who are ‘larking’ about). I was also often made to feel uncomfortable by other male crew members who were just as likely to be predators themselves and on a mission to have sex with as many of us women as possible, especially when we were away on location and all staying in the same hotel, it was incessant.

Agreed @ProfessorPootle - I worked in wardrobe for a time snd the male dancers would have competitions to see if they could hit us in the face when they threw their sweaty dance belts at us. Misogynistic and aggressively sexist behaviour was rife and by the sounds of it, nothing much has improved.

I guess I can see how it was intended as a joke rather than anything sexual, but if I think about the reality of it, how would I feel to suddenly and randomly have a colleague's penis on my shoulder? I'd feel violated, even if I knew he wasn't sexually attracted to women. It's a power thing, I guess - and a total breach of boundaries. I suppose if everyone else were laughing, you would feel obligated to laugh it off.

Having reflected on it, this behaviour is really not OK, and I do think the only reason he got away with it was because of who he is. Replace JB with another male actor (any straight one) and your first reaction is very different.

The Noel Clarke allegations are more shocking because he seemed to have a much more sinister intent. John Barrowman's behaviour wasn't acceptable, but from what's been revealed so far, it sounds like he didn't really think through how he was making people feel, and no one pulled him up on it, so he thought he was just the world's most hilarious human.

Noel Clarke didn't have people laughing things off in front of him, he had people outright sobbing. In his case, it's much harder to argue he didn't know exactly what he was doing.

It really does all add some colour to why Christopher Eccleston left a role he was great at, and that he got so much praise for.

Loving the way Barrowman describes it as "tomfoolery".
If he practised "tomfoolery" on either of my young DDs, he wouldn't have anything left to do "tomfoolery" with! I'd wipe the floor with the vile little sex pest.

I think he's ghastly. It must be quite a specimen to go over an adult shoulder?

Find it incredible the mindset that as JB is gay the inappropriate behaviour has no sexual intent. So if a straight person and gay person do same act to a person of opposite sex one is committing an offence but one is just being childish. To flip that, if straight person and gay person do same act to someone of same sex, is the straight person therefore just being childish and the gay person predatory?

Also, play hard, work hard, I have always found is a phrase used to justify detrimental behaviours on the pretext of well I work hard so I can do what I want. Everyone I know that uses that phrase is usually either drinking too much, taking too many drugs or some other vice and use their work to square it. To me, it equates to I'm not actually coping.

I would not want a penis on my shoulder at anytime (partners aside although I would be ??!) there is no excuse, and agree with previous posters about it being a control thing.

I agree. Stupid behaviour does need rooting out. Just because he may have been doing it in jest, it is up to the cast to report any misconduct they see. In the theatre, that’s the stage manager. On location for film, my first port of call would be the 2nd AD who co-ordinates the production.

If you don’t like someone’s behaviour, speak out. Production staff in both areas understand the difficulty of juggling a fragile actor’s ego (who may be the ‘star’ of your production) with co-ordinating an appropriate response.

I’ll admit, I’ve been part of productions where an actor going rogue after a bollocking (not sexually behaviour in this case) then delayed the afternoon’s shooting as they refused to come out if their trailer, wouldn’t move until their agent came etc.
And delays like this, depending on the production, can cost £10s of thousands. If they leave the production, the cost of reshooting or editing can cost millions.

And I think that’s why, on film at least, disgusting behaviour is tacitly tolerated.

I think Producers who invest their reputations as well as money into productions (especially A list ones) sweep this behaviour, and worse, under the carpet. Time is money and they want a return on their investment. I’ve chaperoned on a production where a kid had d&v & had to work as the cost of reshoot on location is horrendous. Actors are insured (my son was for £5million on this production & the poor lad was so poorly insurances had be invoked & we ended up reshooting. Time is definitely money. And in this case we all came down with d&v...

It’s a high pressure, high stress environment as you’re at the behest of the money guys who want that return on their investment ASAP.

Same with the theatre. You have tour dates book & the curtain goes up at a set time every day. There is no room for shutting a production down as it costs money. Theatre wise, when I was a lowly stage hand, I’ve put buckets on each side of stage for actors to puke into with a bout of d&v ripping through the cast. The powers above wouldn’t suspend the production as tight deadlines with the next performance coming in or next town we played wouldn’t reschedule their play dates. It’s the easy it is, and it’s horrible.

Producers hold the power here to stop this. But they won’t. They’ll pay lip service to show the public they’re going to do something about it... but it still is happening.

My son is now a producer with his own company. Having grown up (as a child teenage actor) he’s seen all this shit & has no tolerance for this behaviour. The next generation of producers are beginning to rise & I hope we see a sea change to stop this for once & all.

A poster upthread said that they bet he regrets it now.

I don't think he does, I think he's probably annoyed because society is thankfully changing and he's getting called out on it. He was in his element when this was swept under the carpet and tolerated. Same as Clarke, all this "with hindsight I realise I might have offended people, blah, blah, blah, regret my actions". They don't - they regret the backlash and being forced to apologise.

I can't stand him. He ruined Dancing on Ice for me. It was one of my favourite programmes.

I’m hoping Russell T Davis comments soon. He needs to clarify what was and was not acceptable conduct in his productions.

A trick was missed a decade ago when JB “apologised” but still essentially dismissed his own behaviour as horseplay.

Added to the Noel Clarke revelations and Christopher Eccleston’s comments, this needs clearing up properly.

@OwlBeThere

I mean...she doesn’t seem bothered? It’s all about context and if you’re in company who you know are ok with that kind of joke, then that’s fine. If people are not ok with it...not so much.

Context is everything

You saying context is everything shows how people get away with this kind of behaviour. There is no context where it would be ok to get your knob out in a work environment.

The fact that he’s admitted it and said it was done in humour shows how absolutely tone deaf he is. I agree that he may have got away with it because he’s gay. The “I can’t be a sex pest to women because i’m gay” excuse. He’s a disgrace.

Being gay is a or excuse. I used to have a gay male friend in my social circle who constantly grabbed women’s boobs and bums and thought it was hilarious. It wasn’t.

poor excuse