The creator of a new movie about the aftermath of sexual assault says comparisons with stars including Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Michaela Coel are flattering, but “aren’t ultimately helpful”.

Eva Victor, who rose to fame after creating viral comedy videos on X, wrote and directed their debut feature – Sorry, Baby – as well as playing the lead role.

They were encouraged to both write and then direct the movie by Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, after he saw Victor’s videos online.

The film was warmly received at Sundance and Cannes, and its creator was hailed a “superstar”. But along with such accolades come inevitable comparisons.

Victor told Sky News: “The thing that that moved us so much about [Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge] and about Michaela Coel and about Greta Gerwig and those people is that it’s just a true voice.”

They admit “that part of the comparison means everything”, but go on: “I’m non-binary, so I use ‘they’ and ‘she’ pronouns and I think it’s interesting that we feel pretty binary about comparisons.

“People are pretty interested in putting me in a category of women. I mean, Denzel Washington directed himself. Albert Brooks directed himself. Jodie Foster directed after acting.

“It’s an interesting conversation, and I think maybe comparisons aren’t ultimately so helpful. But also, I’m very honoured because they’re people I desperately look up to. Overall, it’s a very, very fine comparison.“

‘The bad thing’ at the heart of the movie

A triple threat, Victor studied acting and playwriting at Northwestern University, Illinois, before moving to New York in 2016 where they worked on the feminist satirical website Reductress. They later landed a role in Showtime drama series Billions.

A black comedy, Sorry, Baby tells the story of Agnes, a twenty-something New England literature student – and later academic – who is sexually assaulted by her college tutor.

Dubbed “the bad thing” in the movie, the assault – which occurs off camera – is a catalyst for the movie’s storyline but never becomes its focus.

Victor has called the writing of the project, “my soul on the page” – without speaking directly about whether any real-life experience inspired it – telling Sky News: “The process you go through privately, you’re exercising something very soul-forward. It’s very exposing.”

The impact of sexual assault around the world is something Victor calls “a big, big societal tragedy”. One in four women in England and Wales experiences sexual assault in their lifetime, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Victor says: “The reason I made the film was to try to make a film about an attempt at healing and much less about a kind of violence.”

They explain: “As someone who wanted to explore the intimate feelings of recovery from something like this, the only way through for me was to really think about Agnes and what is truthful to her story.”

‘Less about violence, and more about love’

Several instances in the film show the system failing to effectively deal with or even fully acknowledge the abuse – first a hospital, then a university – and those scenes are handled with a lightness of touch not always applied to trauma-based stories.

Victor says: “Humour in those scenes is used as a way for punching up people in power. And these institutions that create a really difficult, painful time for people.”

In the current climate, as convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein faces his third trial, and music star P Diddy awaits sentencing – where does Victor think the MeToo movement stands now?

Despite the movie’s themes, Victor is reticent to become a mouthpiece for the movement.

Measuring their words carefully, Victor offers a note of optimism in their answer – much like the message of the movie – looking to the future with hope, albeit in an imperfect world.

“I think there’s rehabilitation that is necessary for everyone, and I’m less interested in violence and punishment and much more interested in finding love and trying to hold each other.”

Sorry, Baby is in UK cinemas now.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

US rapper Lil Nas X has been arrested and taken to hospital after being found walking in his underwear on a Los Angeles street and allegedly charging at officers and punching one.

Police said in a statement that officers responded shortly before 6am on Thursday (2pm UK time) following reports of a naked man, according to Sky’s US partner NBC News.

The LA force said that as officers went to the 11000 block of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, the man rushed towards them.

“He was transported to a local hospital for a possible overdose and placed under arrest for battery on a police officer,” police said.

A law enforcement source confirmed to NBC News that the suspect was Montero Lamar Hill, also known as Lil Nas X.

The Old Town Road rapper punched an officer twice in the face during the encounter, according to the NBC source.

Officers were unsure whether he was on any substances or in mental distress, the source said.

A representative for Hill did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NBC News cited TMZ footage where Hill was seen walking down the middle of Ventura Boulevard at 4am on Thursday in a pair of white briefs and cowboy boots.

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In the videos, Hill tells a driver to “come to the party” in one clip and in another tells the person, “Didn’t I tell you to put the phone down?”

“Uh oh, someone’s going to have to pay for that,” Hill says as he continues to walk away.

In some clips, Hill struts as if he’s on a catwalk, posing for onlookers, and at one point he places an orange traffic cone on his head.

Actor Noel Clarke has lost his High Court libel case against the publisher of The Guardian, over a series of news articles which featured claims from a number of women.

The first article, published in April 2021, said some 20 women who knew Clarke in a professional capacity had come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.

The 49-year-old actor, writer and director, best known for his 2006 film Kidulthood and starring in Doctor Who, sued the publisher and vehemently denied “any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing” – but the court has found Guardian News and Media (GNM) successfully defended the legal action on the grounds of truth and public interest.

The meanings of all eight of the newspaper’s publications were found to be “substantially true”, the judge, Mrs Justice Steyn, said in a summary of the findings.

“I have accepted some of Mr Clarke’s evidence… but overall I find that he was not a credible or reliable witness,” she said.

In her ruling, the judge also said suggestions that more than 20 witnesses, “none of whom are parties or have a stake in this case, as [Clarke] does” had come to court to lie was “inherently implausible”.

From the evidence heard, it was “clear that women have been speaking about their experiences of working with Mr Clarke for many years”, she said.

‘A deserved victory for women who suffered’

Lucy Osborne and Sirin Kale, the journalists who carried out the investigation, told Sky News they had always been confident in everything published.

“I think that this is not a problem that’s going to go away,” said Osborne. “This kind of behaviour very much still happens in the TV and film industry and other industries. So I do hope this judgment gives other women the confidence to speak out about what they’ve experienced.”

Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner described the ruling as “a deserved victory for those women who suffered because of the behaviour of Noel Clarke”.

She continued: “Going to court is difficult and stressful, yet more than 20 women agreed to testify in the High Court, refusing to be bullied or intimidated.

“This is also a landmark judgment for Guardian journalism, and for investigative journalism in Britain… The judgment is clear that our investigation was thorough and fair, a template for public interest journalism.”

Clarke’s response

Clarke described the result as disappointing and maintained he believes the newspaper’s reporting was “inaccurate and damaging”.

“I have never claimed to be perfect,” he said. “But I am not the person described in these articles. Overnight I lost everything.”

He said he wanted to thank witnesses who supported his case, as well as his family, “who never stopped believing there was something worth fighting for”.

What happened during the trial?

The trial took place from early March to early April 2025, hearing evidence from multiple witnesses who made accusations against Clarke, including that he had allegedly shared nude photographs of them without their consent, groped them, and asked them to look at him when he was exposed.

Clarke also gave evidence over several days. At one stage, the actor appeared visibly emotional as he claimed the publisher had “smashed my life” with its investigation.

His lawyer told the court he had been made a “scapegoat” and was an “easy target”, as a star at the height of his success when the media industry “zealously sought to correct itself” following the #MeToo movement.

The actor had been handed the outstanding British contribution to cinema award at the BAFTAs just a few weeks before the report was published. Following the article, BAFTA announced it had suspended his membership.

But lawyers for The Guardian told how newspaper’s investigation was “careful and thorough”, saying it had been carried out “conscientiously” by the journalists involved.

In March 2022, police said the actor would not face a criminal investigation over the allegations.