Noel Clarke
Noel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, writer, director, and producer. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in Doctor Who, he received critical acclaim for writing, directing, and starring in the teen crime drama films Kidulthood, Adulthood, and Brotherhood. He has also either written, directed, produced and/or starred in the heist film 4.3.2.1., the sport drama Fast Girls, and the sci-fi films Storage 24 and The Anomaly. He co-created, co-wrote and starred alongside Ashley Walters in the Sky One action drama Bulletproof. His work in film and television has been praised for bringing the Black British working class experience to the mainstream.
As an actor, Clarke made his film debut in I'll Sleep When I'm Dead and since has gone on to appear in films including Centurion ; Star Trek Into Darkness ; I Am Soldier ; I Kill Giants ; Mute ; 10x10 ; The Corrupted ; Twist ; and SAS: Red Notice, some of which he also wrote, directed, or produced.
Following Kidulthood, Clarke founded the company Unstoppable Film and Television, which he ran with his friend and fellow actor Jason Maza, and they have written, directed, and starred in several productions. Clarke won numerous accolades, including the Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Performer in 2003 and the BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award in 2009, and received the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award in 2021.
In April 2021, twenty-six women raised allegations of verbal abuse, bullying, and sexual misconduct by Clarke. His BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award, announced in March 2021, was suspended shortly afterwards, and not reinstated. In 2025, a High Court judgement in a libel case Clarke brought against The Guardian found that the allegations of sexual misconduct were "substantially true".
Early life and education
Noel Anthony Clarke was born on 6 December 1975 in Notting Hill, west London, to Trinidadian parents Gemma, a nurse and part-time laundrette worker, and Alphaeus Baptiste "Alf" Clarke, a carpenter. He has an older half-brother. His parents divorced shortly after he was born, and he was brought up by his mother on a council estate in Ladbroke Grove. In 2018, when appearing on the BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?, Clarke discovered that his maternal great-grandparents emigrated to Trinidad from Saint Vincent, while his paternal grandmother, Menelvia Clarke, emigrated there from Grenada.Clarke studied media at the University of North London, and worked as a personal trainer before taking acting classes at London's Actors Centre.
Career
2001–2005: Early career in television and stage
Clarke had recurring television roles as Wyman Norris in the revived series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and as Mickey Smith in the first two series of the revival of the BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who. Starting with the episode "School Reunion", Mickey became a series regular for the remainder of the second series. Clarke also starred in the Doctor Who audio series Dalek Empire: The Fearless, which was released from September to December 2007. Clarke reprised his role as Mickey in "Journey's End" in 2008 and in "The End of Time" Part 2 in 2010.Clarke's other television work includes appearances in Casualty and Metrosexuality. He also wrote "Combat", an episode of the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood, and West 10 LDN, a pilot for BBC Three about the intense lives of the teenagers who live on a West London housing estate.
Clarke has also acted on the stage, and won the Laurence Olivier Award for "Most Promising Newcomer" in 2003 for his performance in the play Where Do We Live at the Royal Court Theatre.
2006–2012: Emerging success as actor and filmmaker
Clarke began his filmmaking career when he wrote the screenplay for the film Kidulthood, which depicted two days in the lives of a multi-ethnic group of West London teenagers, who are given the day off school after a bullied classmate's suicide. Clarke wrote the film based on his own experiences growing up in Ladbroke Grove, which he began developing with director Menhaj Huda and producer George Isaac. Made on a budget of £560,000, Kidulthood was released theatrically on 3 March 2006, earned £1,209,319 during the opening weekend of its release and received praise and some controversy for its depiction of teenage life in London.In 2008, following the success of Kidulthood, Clarke was hired to write and star in Adulthood, where he also made his directoral debut. On directing his first film, Clarke described his experience: "Directing for the first time was definitely a challenge and tiring at times. It was a steep learning curve and if you're willing to do stuff and go with it, then it pays off." Adulthood grossed £1,203,319 during its UK opening weekend, with an overall gross of £6 million, becoming the second-highest grossing British film of 2008.
In 2009, Clarke was awarded a BAFTA award in the category of Orange Rising Star Award. As a result of the success of Kidulthood, Adulthood, and his BAFTA win, he was ranked at number 83 in the MediaGuardian 100, an annual ranking of media people in The Guardian. In 2010, he signed a deal with Icon.
Following his BAFTA win, Clarke appeared in low-budget and commercially unsuccessful British films such as Heartless, Doghouse and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and Centurion.
In 2010, Clarke turned to mainstream films by writing and co-directing 4.3.2.1., a heist movie about four feisty girls who get caught up with a diamond theft heist, in which Clarke also appeared. 4.3.2.1. received generally negative reviews but was a decent box office success in the UK and overseas DVD sales.
Following 4.3.2.1., Clarke continued to either co-write or star in more mainstream British films, including Fast Girls, a sports film, and Storage 24, a science fiction-horror film.
2013–2016: Continuing career
After an uncredited and deleted role in the 2012 Marvel Comics Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, in 2013, Clarke played Thomas Harewood, a family man with a wife and a young daughter, in Star Trek Into Darkness. The film was released on 15 May 2013.In 2015, Clarke created a short-lived superhero series, The Troop, for Titan Comics. The first issue was released in December 2015, and received critical acclaim.
Also in 2015, Clarke's former co-star Adam Deacon was banned by West London Magistrates' Court from contacting Clarke after Deacon was found guilty of nonviolent harassment due to sending a "barrage" of abusive social media messages. The pair reportedly fell out in 2010, and among the messages he sent, Deacon also accused Clarke of "bullying" him and "sabotaging" his career. Deacon had a history of treatment for mental illness.
After years of reluctance, in 2016, Clarke returned to write, direct, co-produce and star in Brotherhood, a sequel to Adulthood and the third and final instalment in his Hood Trilogy. The film was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival and was released on 29 August 2016. It was a box-office success, earning £1.98m in its opening week.
2018–2021: Venture into television
''Bulletproof''
In 2018, Clarke co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in the Sky One police procedural series Bulletproof, alongside Ashley Walters. The series follows NCA detectives, and best friends, Aaron Bishop and Ronnie Pike Jr., who investigate some of the country's most dangerous criminals, including traffickers, drug dealers and armed robbers, while being overseen by their boss Sarah Tanner.Inspired by the film Bad Boys, the series had been considered for development for several years. The first season of Bulletproof was broadcast on Sky One on 15 May 2018 to positive reviews and successful ratings. The series was followed by a second season consisting of seven episodes. In December 2019 Sky TV announced that the second series would air on 20 March 2020. Further, in August 2019 it was announced that a new three-part special would be broadcast in autumn 2020. The special began airing on 20 January 2021, with all episodes released for on-demand viewing. It sees Bishop and Pike journeying to South Africa to investigate the country's criminal underworld.
On 15 January 2021, five days before the third series premiered, Bulletproof was renewed for a fourth series. The series was set to consist of eight episodes; filming had been scheduled to begin later in the year. However, following allegations against Clarke in late April 2021 of sexual misconduct and bullying, filming was suspended, and makers Vertigo said they would investigate whether any of the allegations related to their productions. In May 2021, the series was officially cancelled by Sky One.