The Dr Who and Torchwood star John Barrowman was blacklisted after reports of inappropriate behaviour during the filming of the two big BBC hit television series
Actor John Barrowman claims there was a “cover-up culture” at the BBC.
The Dr Who and Torchwood star was blacklisted after reports of inappropriate behaviour during filming of the two telly hits.
But the Glasgow-born thespian has now said the BBC turned a blind eye to actions backstage.
Barrowman was one of the original hosts of BBC children’s programme Live & Kicking in the 1990s.
He claims he was encouraged to hide his homosexuality – despite many of the top brass also being gay.
He said: “In those days at the BBC there was a culture, there was a lot of men who were married to women, but those men were clearly gay and they were running the stuff, or very powerful, strong single women who were running certain aspects of it, so there was a culture of cover-up, don’t say anything, and I just slotted myself in.”
And he added on the podcast Gay Old Time: “Because of the time, and it was children’s television, so you could lose your job.
“But, for crying out loud, everybody was on the queer spectrum there.”
Barrowman, 58, is alleged to have flashed on the set of both Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, filmed between 2005 and 2011.
But he says the claims were “misconstrued” and any incidents were probably just “a bit of carry on.”
“If I was in a nude scene, completely naked, and if somebody walked on set, which they weren’t supposed to, I might just do something like that and it was nothing outrageous,” he said.
“I didn’t see it as outrageous. It was a different time.”
Bizarrely he hasn’t been invited to a Torchwood fan convention due to be held next year, despite having been the star of the show, playing Captain Jack Harkness.
He moaned: “I haven’t been asked or invited.
“If you’re having a Torchwood convention and the star of Torchwood is not invited, you are the dumbest and the stupidest I have ever come across.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
