John Barrowman 'covered up' sexuality as he feared losing BBC job
John Barrowman has accused the BBC of having a "cover-up" culture as he feared losing his job if he didn't follow suit. The actor, 58, claims he was "blacklisted" after accusations of flashing on the set of BBC shows were made against him.
He has now made a fresh claim about the corporation, as he says he hid his sexuality. John was one of the original hosts of BBC's children TV show Live & Kicking in the 1990s.
In a bombshell claim, 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."
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."
In a candid piece penned for The Guardian in 2008, John opened up about growing up in midwest America in the 1980s - where he remembered homosexuality being treated "like a curse". Although John "never doubted [his] sexuality," he felt he couldn't "make it a known thing," and put plenty of effort into fitting in.
John, who knew he was gay from the age of eight-years-old, came out in his 20s after a health scare left him fearing the worst. He met his now-husband Scott Gill back in 1991 and they declared their love for each other in a small civil service ceremony in 2006. John continued to work with the BBC – appearing on shows such as Torchwood – until 2021.
The Scottish-American star apologised in May 2021 when allegations emerged he had flashed cast members on the sets of both of his BBC TV shows, Doctor Who and Torchwood.
Describing his behaviour as 'tomfoolery' he would not repeat, he slammed critics who said it was 'sexual harassment'. No charges were brought against him but a public backlash meant he lost his job as a judge on Dancing On Ice and was forced to cancel an upcoming UK tour.
John said in a statement in 2021: "My high-spirited behaviour which was only ever intended in good humour to entertain colleagues on set and back stage has been well-documented, including in my autobiographies and even in song.
"There were a couple of times during filming where I'd resort to tomfoolery, but none of this was ever intended nor interpreted as being sexual in nature.
"With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behaviour and I have apologised for this previously. Since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behaviour have also changed. At no point was I ever made aware of any sexual harassment, bullying, or sexually predatory behaviour on set."
Speaking of the incident on the podcast, he said the allegations were "misconstrued" and the incident was just "a bit of a carry on". He added: "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 [jiggles] and it was nothing outrageous. I didn't see it as outrageous. It was a different time."
The Mirror has contacted the BBC for comment.
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