Bafta suspends special prize for TV Awards following Noel Clarke accusations

Bafta has announced they will not give out special individual prizes during the upcoming TV Awards.

The ceremony, which will air on Sunday, will be the first time in the show’s history that prizes of this calibre are removed.

Bafta made the decision after filmmaker and actor Noel Clarke, 45, received an outstanding contribution award in April, despite the organisation being aware of on-set bullying and sexual harassment claims made against him.

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Clarke has vehemently denied the allegations, but has since been stripped of the award, and suspended by Bafta.

The organisation has now announced all awards not voted for by an industry panel are on hold for the foreseeable future.

A Bafta spokesperson said: “We have recently announced that we are conducting a review of the processes governing awards that are in the gift of the academy, so we have temporarily paused the special awards and fellowships and they will not feature in this Sunday's ceremony.”

More than 20 women came forward with allegations surrounding Clarke, for a report subsequently published by The Guardian.

At the time, Bafta received criticism for knowing about the allegations, but nonetheless handing out the award to Clarke, whose work includes Kidulthood, Doctor Who, and Bulletproof.

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They defended the decision and said in a statement that the claims they had been made aware of were “either anonymous or second or third-hand accounts via intermediaries".

"No first-hand allegations were sent to us," it said. "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."

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In a statement in response to the claims against him, Clarke said: “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.

“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.”

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