Doctor Who and Kidulthood star Noel Clarke has reportedly been declared bankrupt just months after losing a high-profile libel case regarding alleged sexual misconduct.
In September 2025, the 50-year-old actor was ordered to pay Guardian News and Media’s (GNM) legal costs after he took The Guardian to court and lost.
Clarke was reportedly seeking approximately £70million in damages from GNM after they published allegations of verbal abuse, bullying, and sexual harassment from 20 women who knew him professionally.
The actor, who denies the allegations against him, claimed The Guardian’s reporting was defamatory and had damaged his reputation.
However, the High Court found that The Guardian’s reporting was substantially true and it was in the public interest to publish the story, after which he was ordered to pay at least £3million of GNM’s legal bills.
Get personalised updates on Doctor Who
Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
The Sun now reports that official paperwork confirms Clarke was formally declared bankrupt on December 11.
Metro has reached out to Clarke for comment.
Sources told The Sun that Clarke was aware he would struggle to meet the costs if he lost the case, but he ‘blindly pushed on regardless’.
Mrs Justice Steyn, who presided over the case, ordered that Clarke pay £3million ahead of a detailed assessment into the total costs.
‘It seems to me that the sum of £3m sought by the defendant is appropriate and no more than what ought to be reasonably ordered in this case,’ she said.
‘It is substantially lower than the defendant’s likely level of recovery on detailed assessment, and so in my judgment, it does allow for a suitably wide margin of error.
‘The claimant maintained a far-fetched and indeed a false case that the articles were not substantially true, by pursuing allegations of dishonesty and bad faith against almost all of the defendant’s truth witnesses.’
Following the case, Clarke protested his innocence.
‘For almost five years, I have fought against a powerful media outlet and its extensive legal teams over inaccurate and damaging reporting,’ he said.
‘These stories started via anonymous emails portraying me as a monster to attract attention and outrage.
‘The goal was to damage my career, and they succeeded. I have never claimed to be perfect. But I am not the person described in these articles.
‘Overnight, I lost everything, the media outlet didn’t just ruin my life, they ripped through my family’s also.’
The allegations against Clarke were first reported in 2021. Following the reports, Bafta suspended his membership, and several of his upcoming projects were cancelled, including the fourth series of Bulletproof.
In a statement released at the time, Clarke apologised for making people feel uncomfortable but denied any sexual misconduct.
‘In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me,’ he said.
‘If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise. I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.’
The Metropolitan Police decided not to proceed with an investigation into the sexual harassment claims against Clarke.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
