Actress ‘shell-shocked’ when asked to ‘bend further’ while filming with Noel Clarke, court hears

Published

16 hours ago

March 20, 2025

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An actress who worked in a film directed by Noel Clarke said she felt “shell-shocked” when he asked her to “bend over further” during a scene where she was naked from the waist down, the High Court has heard.

The woman, known only as Mila, gave evidence on Thursday in Clarke’s legal case against Guardian News and Media (GNM).

Mila told the court that although she felt uncomfortable about filming the nude scene, she needed the work.

In her witness statement, she said: “Noel was telling me to bend over, repeating things like ‘bend over further, come on’, and ‘do it properly’.

“I was clearly very uncomfortable and resisting doing this, I was doing the strip tease as requested and this extra request did not feel necessary.

“He repeated these comments until I bent over further and further until I was bent completely over with my bum in the air.”

Mila added that she felt “hugely embarrassed, blindsided and shell shocked” by the filming.

Mila also said that while Clarke’s tone “might have sounded jovial to some, it was very persistent”.

Philip Williams, for Clarke, asked her: “Noel’s tone was encouraging and jovial, that is why you put it in, because others knew it was jovial.”

Mila replied: “He was masking his persistent direction.

“If he had been aggressive, or really, really shouting at me, that would have been hard to get away with.”

Clarke, 49, is suing the publisher of the Guardian newspaper over seven articles and a podcast, including an article in April 2021 that said 20 women who knew him professionally had come forward with allegations of misconduct.

He denies the allegations, while GNM is defending its reporting as being both true and in the public interest.

In Mila’s witness statement, she said she later worked on another project with Clarke, but this had no sex scenes.

Some time after this she received a message from Clarke “out of the blue”, asking if they could speak, she said.

Mila said that during the call he asked her if they “were cool” in relation to the first film they worked on.

The actress said in her statement: “I told him that I was not ok with it and that I had felt very uncomfortable at various points and that I would not let something like that happen to me again.

“Noel said he was sorry if he had made me feel uncomfortable.

“He was talking about how becoming a father had made him reflect and that he wanted to raise his sons to be upstanding young men. He said he was ringing round people to apologise.”

She added that he seemed “panicked” on the call, and it seemed to her that “his purpose was either fishing to see whether I was unhappy about his treatment of me on the film, or he was trying to cover his tracks in some way”.

Clarke’s denial

Clarke denies the allegations Mila has made, and in his witness statement, said: “The reiteration of the scene is highly distorted and exaggerated.

“This scene was not filmed to procure any kind of personal or sexual gratification, nor was that ever the intention.”

He added: “I did not comment in the way pleaded, and did not ask Mila to bend over in any way which made her uncomfortable, or in a way which was not true to the script.”

In relation to the phone call, Clarke said he got in contact with Mila after being made aware of comments she had made about her experience filming the nude scene.

He added: “I apologised for any hardship she may have felt or if, in retrospect, Mila felt uncomfortable.

“I confirmed that no untoward behaviour had been engaged in, and reassured her that protocol had been followed by the crew at all times.

“Mila accepted my apology, admitting that in retrospect, she had changed her mind about her involvement in the scene, and felt uncomfortable taking part in an explicit scene.”

The hearing before Mrs Justice Steyn is due to conclude in April, with a decision expected in writing at a later date.

Entertainment

Unreleased Eminem music stolen and sold online – man charged

Published

1 day ago

March 20, 2025

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Unreleased Eminem music stolen and sold online - man charged

A former studio engineer has been charged with stealing Eminem’s unreleased music and selling it online.

FBI prosecutors say more than 25 songs from the Detroit rapper have been played or distributed online without his or Interscope Capital Labels Group’s consent.

A federal affidavit said Joseph Strange, a 46-year-old from Michigan, was charged via a criminal complaint with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods.

Acting US Attorney Julie Beck in Detroit said the man, who lost his job at Eminem’s studio in 2021, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of both counts. He denies the charges.

The affidavit said the music stored on password-protected hard drives kept in a safe at Eminem’s studio in Ferndale, a Detroit suburb.

Studio employees reported the theft to the FBI in January this year, saying unreleased music still in development was live on various websites such as Reddit and YouTube.

A review found files were transferred from a hard drive in a safe to an external hard drive in October 2019 and January 2020, when Strange was a sound engineer at the studio.

Investigators also found buyers after Eminem’s business associate Fred Nassar posted an online warning to fans not to distribute the music.

A Canadian resident who used the screen name Doja Rat told investigators he had purchased 25 unreleased songs from Strange for about $50,000 (£38,435) in Bitcoin.

Doja Rat added he raised the money from a group of fans of the Lose Yourself star, and added Strange was trying to sell some of Eminem’s handwritten lyric sheets.

The affidavit added another group of fans, organised by someone in Connecticut using the screen name ATL, also purchased a “couple” of songs from Strange for about $1,000 (£768.70).

In a statement, Strange’s attorney Wade Fink his client is a married father of two “with decades of dedication to the music industry”.

He called the charges “untested allegations” that haven’t been vetted by a grand jury or a judge, adding: “We will handle the matter in a courtroom and we have great faith in the judges of our district.”

Entertainment

Starmer backs campaign to show Adolescence in schools

Published

2 days ago

March 19, 2025

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Starmer backs campaign to show Adolescence in schools

Sir Keir Starmer has revealed he is watching Netflix’s Adolescence with his family and supports a campaign for it to be shown in parliament and schools.

The drama, starring Stephen Graham, depicts the aftermath of the stabbing of a teenage girl – as a 13-year-old boy from her school is arrested for her murder.

Politics live: PM challenged over tax rises

Graham and co-writer Jack Thorne have said they want it to be a show that “causes discussion and makes change”, after it was hailed by critics and topped Netflix’s charts around the world.

Asked by Labour MP Anneliese Midgley if he backs the creators’ calls for it to be aired in parliament and schools, Sir Keir said he does.

He told PMQs: “At home we are watching Adolescence. I’ve got a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, and it’s a very good drama to watch.

“This violence carried out by young men, influenced by what they see online, is a real problem.

“It’s abhorrent, and we have to tackle it.”

MPs want tougher action on online safety

Sir Keir’s commitment came as Sky News learned around 25 Labour MPs who want tougher action on online safety have formed an informal group and are due to meet next week.

It could pressure the government to take more radical steps, after a private member’s bill to raise the age of social media consent from 13 to 16 was watered down because ministers didn’t support the measure.

The changes were criticised by Thorne in a recent interview with Sky News, accusing the government of being “frightened of big tech”.

Johnathan Brash is among the MPs who backs showing Adolescence in parliament and schools, telling Sky News he found it “so powerful and distressing I immediately went upstairs and gave my son a hug”.

The Labour MP for Hartlepool, whose son is eight, said elements of the show could be shown in primary school “with discretion” so children understand the dangers before they are using social media.

He said he will raise the issue with officials at the Department for Education to ensure Sir Keir’s “extremely supportive” words are followed through on.

Mr Brash said the government must “protect children from an environment that is increasing hostile and dangerous”.

It comes after Sky News revealed teenagers are regularly being served up “horrific” content on social media apps, including violent and sexually explicit material.

Government ‘alert’ to ‘toxic influencers’

Speaking after PMQs, Sir Keir’s spokesman called Adolescence “an incredibly powerful programme that shows the threat of young men carrying out violence from seeing things online”.

“Insidious misogyny taking root will be tackled,” he added, though he did not say how.

He also said the government is “alert to and taking on” issues raised by Sir Gareth Southgate, after the ex-England manager hit out at “manipulative and toxic influencers” who trick young men into thinking women are against them.

The Online Safety Act, which is being implemented this year, is intended to protect young people from illegal and harmful content with fines for platforms who break the rules coming in this summer.

However, MPs from across the political spectrum want further action to tackle the amount of time children spend on their smartphones.

The Tories want the government to force teachers to ban smartphones from schools, with shadow education secretary Laura Trott revealing she is so concerned she won’t allow her children to have one until they are 16.

The government has resisted the measure, saying teachers already have the power to ban phones.

Entertainment

Drag queen The Vivienne died after taking ketamine, family says

Published

4 days ago

March 17, 2025

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Drag queen The Vivienne died after taking ketamine, family says

Drag queen James Lee Williams – known as “The Vivienne”- died after taking ketamine, their family has said.

Williams, who won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019 under their drag name, was found dead at the age of 32 at their home in Cheshire on 5 January.

In a statement shared in an Instagram story today, Williams’ manager Simon Jones said the “family and I feel it is important to say how James tragically died”.

Mr Jones continued: “We hope that by us releasing this information, we can raise awareness about the dangers of ongoing ketamine usage and what it can do to your body.

“Ketamine usage is on the rise, particularly amongst young people, and I don’t think the full dangers of the drug are being discussed.”

Mr Jones added that he and the family are working with mental health and addiction service Adferiad on a campaign to “raise vital awareness and give information on how to get help if you are struggling with ketamine usage”.

Williams reportedly died after suffering a cardiac arrest caused by ketamine – a general anaesthetic that is also used as a recreational drug,

Donna Chaves, from Adferiad, said: “We are incredibly grateful to James’s family for choosing to support and work with us on this campaign.

“Their courage in sharing James’s story will help raise vital awareness of the devastating impact substance use can have. We are seeing a worrying rise in the number of people using ketamine, often unaware of the serious risks it poses to their physical and mental health.

“Addiction can affect anyone, and too many people suffer in silence due to stigma and lack of understanding.

“By opening conversations and challenging misconceptions, we can help prevent further tragedies and support those in need to find hope and recovery.”

An inquest into the death of Williams was opened and adjourned at Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington last month.

The TV personality, who grew up in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, before moving to Liverpool, came third in the 2023 edition of Dancing On Ice.

The star performed as the Wicked Witch of the West in a UK and Ireland tour of The Wizard Of Oz musical and reprised the role in the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre last year.

They were due back on stage this month as the Childcatcher in a tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a role they first played last year.

Their funeral in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, North Wales, was attended by RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestants Tia Kofi and Baga Chipz, along with Steps singer Ian “H” Watkins, TV personality Kim Woodburn and Coronation Street actress Claire Sweeney.

The government is seeking expert advice after illegal use of ketamine surged to record levels.

In the year ending March 2023, an estimated 299,000 people aged 16 to 59 had reported use of the substance, which is controlled as class B, according to the Home Office.

According to the UK national anti-drug advisory service Frank, ketamine reduces sensations in the body which can make users feel dream-like and detached, chilled, relaxed and happy, but also confused and nauseated.

A full inquest into the death of The Vivienne was listed to take place on 30 June.