Noel Clarke seeks £10m damages over 'false' Guardian articles

Noel Clarke is seeking astir £10m damages from the Guardian implicit articles astir his alleged behaviour towards respective women, according to tribunal documents seen by BBC News.

In the 8 articles, 20 women who had worked with Mr Clarke implicit a 15-year play marque misconduct allegations.

The histrion and producer, who denies the allegations, says the articles person had a "catastrophic" effect connected his career.

Should helium triumph his case, a justice volition determine what damages helium is entitled to.

According to documents lodged astatine London's High Court arsenic portion of a defamation assertion against the Guardian, arsenic good arsenic claiming for wide damages which screen harm to reputation, Mr Clarke is seeking peculiar damages which screen circumstantial fiscal losses.

Mr Clarke's assertion says "the interaction connected him financially has been devastating".

The assertion adds that arsenic good arsenic "every existing oregon upcoming contract" being cancelled, Mr Clarke has "not had 1 azygous enactment contract" since the archetypal Guardian nonfiction astir him was published successful April 2021.

Sky TV amusement Bulletproof, bid 4

ITV TV amusement Viewpoint, bid 2

Channel 5 TV amusement Highwater (a greenlit amusement which helium says would astir apt person begun shooting successful wintertime 2021)

BBC TV amusement Crongton (a greenlit amusement which helium says was apt to beryllium changeable astir precocious summertime 2022)

StudioCanal movie Something successful the Water

Former accumulation institution Unstoppable

Legal fees connected dealing with Guardian allegations erstwhile archetypal published, involving 2 instrumentality firms

The full approximate figure, excluding VAT, comes to

Mr Clarke is besides claiming aggravated damages, for what his lawyers picture arsenic the "relentless, targeted, vicious and persistent quality of the wholly unjustified defamatory campaign" launched against him by the Guardian.

The adjacent important signifier owed successful the lawsuit is simply a proceeding astatine the High Court to find the nonstop meaning of the articles, whether they are defamatory and whether they are statements of information oregon opinion.

This was scheduled to instrumentality spot this week connected Thursday 20 July. But the tribunal has been told that Mr Clarke wishes to instruct caller solicitors.

High Court justice Mrs Justice Steyn has present made an bid that successful bid to springiness Mr Clarke the clip to bash this, the proceeding has been rescheduled to instrumentality spot successful October oregon aboriginal November 2023.

The Guardian does not yet look to person filed an authoritative defence with the court, but Mr Clarke's ineligible squad asseverate successful tribunal papers that "it appears from the pre-action correspondence" that the Guardian appears "to beryllium intent connected robustly defending" the case.

According to an bid made successful May by Mr Justice Murray, the Guardian is not required to taxable its defence to the tribunal earlier the effect of the autumn proceeding is known.

The ineligible papers successful the lawsuit person lone precocious been obtained by BBC News. The bulk should person been made publically disposable much than six months ago.

The BBC has been told that that the applicable Government section is investigating to spot what went wrong, and is improving processes to guarantee it doesn't hap again.

The allegations against Mr Clarke were archetypal published by the Guardian successful 2021.

As a result, Bafta suspended his rank arsenic good arsenic the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema grant that helium had been presented with days earlier.

The Metropolitan Police said successful March 2022 determination was not capable grounds against him to warrant a transgression investigation.