Doctor Who actor Noel Clarke has lost a High Court libel claim in a victory for investigative journalism. The 49-year-old sued the publisher of the Guardian newspaper over seven articles and a podcast, including a feature in April 2021 that said 20 women who knew him professionally had come forward with allegations of misconduct.

Noel Clarke has lost his libel case against The Guardian. In a highly-anticipated judgement that has felt years in the making, the judge rejected Clarke’s claim that for damages in a case against The Guardian’s feature that accused him of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women.