As Doctor Who continues work on Season 13, actor John Barrowman has faced a reckoning as allegations of past flashing incidents on set have dominated the headlines. On the heels of a Jack Harkness audio drama being shelved, the actor has reached out directly to fans who've stood by him during this time.
While John Barrowman has released statements on the flashing controversy, this is the first time he publicly spoke to fans since the controversy began. Barrowman posted a message on his Instagram page, and though the allegations were not explicitly mentioned, they're certainly alluded to in his short message.
Hi everybody, it's John here and I just want to say thank you very much to all of my fan family and to everybody who has reached out with countless messages of support over the last few weeks. It has meant such a great deal to me and has really touched me to know that people are supporting me and standing by me and sending their love, appreciation and kind words... Hopefully, we will all be together sometime soon and I look forward to it. Much love and thank you.
John Barrowman has faced a lot of controversy lately, as multiple sources alleged the actor had a habit of flashing his genitals on the set of Doctor Who in the series' earlier seasons. These reports aren't entirely new, as Barrowman publicly apologized in 2008 for incidents, and executive producers claimed his inappropriate behavior stopped after being confronted about it. Many who spoke on the past incidents also stressed that the flashing incidents were never sexual in nature but just meant as a joke that ended up falling flat with many.
With that said, Barrowman's past misdeeds were dragged back into the spotlight after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced regarding another past Doctor Who actor, Noel Clarke. Clarke and Barrowman's behavior called into question the level of professionalism on the set in Doctor Who's early reboot seasons.
As mentioned, John Barrowman has lost jobs related to Doctor Who in recent weeks, but nothing has been announced regarding his future with the series. The character returned to the franchise in Season 12 following a long absence, and due to a leaked book tie-in, it was believed the character could have a role in Season 13. For now, fans can only wait and see Barrowman's future with the franchise and whether the loss of smaller gigs is an indication they've severed ties.
Doctor Who has been on the air a long time, and as some would guess, this is not the first time in the series that it has faced controversy. Those looking to read more on that should certainly check out our list of the series' most controversial episodes and why some of them rubbed fans the wrong way.
