The BBC has taken action against long-time Doctor Who character actor John Barrowman after he admitted to inappropriate behavior on the set.
The Radio Times reported that the BBC removed the finished segments Barrowman filmed that were to be included in Doctor Who: Time Fracture — an in-person “Immersive Experience” exhibition set to open this month in the U.K. Barrowman plays the recurring character Captain Jack Harkness, who first appeared on the series in 2005. He went on to star in his own series, Torchwood, which launched in 2006.
A new announcement has been posted to the Time Fracture website reading, “Immersive Everywhere have taken the decision to remove this pre record from Doctor Who: Time Fracture.”
The BBC left a somewhat cryptic note to the site saying that it still has plans for the Torchwood spinoff of Doctor Who, and that series may include Barrowman’s character.
Barrowman recently delivered a public apology after several years of accusations of inappropriate behavior on set. He admitted to having engaged in frequent displays of “jokes” that included exposing his genitals to workers and cast members.
Barrowman, who played an “ominisexual” character who lustily sought encounters with every species, recently said that “hindsight” showed him that his behavior was not acceptable.
“With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behavior and I have apologized for this previously,” Barrowman said this month in the statement. “Since my [first] apology in November 2008, my understanding and behavior have also changed.”
Barrowman insisted that he was just having fun and did not realize that his behavior was offensive.
The actor was also reprimanded by Doctor Who and Torchwood executive producer Julie Gardner. “I met with John and reprimanded him,” Gardner said, “[and made] it clear to both John and his agent that behavior of this kind would not be tolerated… To my knowledge, John’s inappropriate behavior stopped thereafter.”
Barrowman’s admission itself came on the heels of accusations by more than 20 women against actor Noel Clarke, who was also a Doctor Who cast member. Clarke has vowed to change his behavior but still denies any misconduct.
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