The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has filed a serious incident report with the Charity Commission after sexual harassment allegations were made against the award-winning actor Noel Clarke.
Twenty women spoke to The Guardian newspaper to outline allegations against Clarke, who strongly rejected the claims and said he intended to defend himself against them.
The newspaper alleged that Bafta knew about the allegations before presenting Clarke with the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema earlier this month – a claim denied by the charity.
The actor was an elected member of the charity’s film committee.
In a statement on its website, Bafta said: “In light of the allegations of serious misconduct regarding Noel Clarke in The Guardian, Bafta has taken the decision to suspend his membership and the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award immediately and until further notice.”
Following the revelations Bafta’s chair Krishnendu Majumdar and chief executive Amanda Berry put out a joint statement saying that in the days following the award’s announcement it had received anonymous emails of allegations in relation to Clarke.
But the statement said: “These were either anonymous or second or third hand accounts via intermediaries. No firsthand allegations were sent to us. No names, times, dates, productions or other details were ever provided.
“Had the victims gone on record as they have with The Guardian, the award would have been suspended immediately. Noel Clarke’s counsel received a legal notice to this effect. It was always very clear what our intentions would be.
“We want to reassure you that we have treated this matter with the utmost seriousness, care and proper process at every stage. The Bafta board of trustees has remained right across this matter, has met a number of times and are fully supportive of all actions taken.”
The TV companies Sky and ITV have since announced that shows being screened or in production featuring Clarke would cease and be removed from scheduled programming.
The Charity Commission said it was assessing the information it had received from the charity and could not comment further.