John Barrowman is poised for an ITV comeback as host of All Star Musicals after bosses opted to give him another chance following his flashing scandal.
Last year, in the wake of the far more serious allegations involving his Doctor Who co-star Noel Clarke, it re-emerged that Barrowman used to regularly expose himself while on the sets of the sci-fi drama and its spin-off, Torchwood.
The actor issued a second apology after a video clip from 2014 showed his disgraced co-star Clarke – accused of sexual misconduct by at least 20 women – suggesting that Barrowman used to flash at cast and crew.
Now, in a decision that will please many of his fans and the co-stars who have publicly supported Barrowman, ITV chiefs have lined him up for two more outings of All Star Musicals, which was won by Robert Rinder earlier this year.
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Barrowman, 54, has not yet signed a contract but the shows are in pre-production – one for Christmas and one for Easter – and insiders are confident that Barrowman will be on board when filming starts in the autumn.
“Talks with John are going well,” one insider explained.
“He’s the best man for the job and it’s been accepted that his behaviour was foolish rather than predatory. He knows it was a really daft thing to do but it was all a long time ago and there’s no chance of it happening again. We’re drawing a line and moving on.”
The brave move by ITV also bodes well for a return to the Dancing on Ice judging panel in January.
It comes after no charges were brought or more serious allegations made against Barrowman since his love of flashing came under the spotlight again earlier this year, thanks to old YouTube footage from a sci-fi fan convention.
This weekend he explained in an interview that he had a relaxed attitude to nudity, and would flash and moon as a joke to “diffuse any potential awkwardness” ahead of raunchy scenes.
He said: “As Captain Jack Harkness I was the star of Torchwood, so I felt it was down to me to lead the company and keep them entertained.
“When I was doing a nude scene or a love scene it was clear in the script I’d be naked and everyone would have known about that at least 48 hours in advance. So I’d be waiting in my trailer wearing just a robe with a sock over my ‘parts’.”
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Barrowman, who came third in 2019’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, insisted: “There was absolutely nothing sexual about my actions and nor have I ever been accused of that.”
His Torchwood co-star Gareth David-Lloyd, who played Captain Jack’s lover Ianto Jones, backs these claims, having previously said: “In my experience John’s behaviour on set was always meant to entertain, make people laugh and keep their spirits and energy high on what were sometimes very long working days.
“The John I knew on set would never have behaved in a way he thought was affecting someone negatively. From what I know of him, that is not his nature. He was a whirlwind of positive energy, always very generous, kind and a wonderfully supportive lead actor.”
Similarly, Barrowman’s Dancing on Ice co-judge Ashley Banjo has said he’d happily work with the star again.
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Banjo said: “I’d like to see him come back. The impression I get from this story is it’s something small and historic, something blown out of proportion. What I’m not a supporter of in regard to cancel culture is when the speed of allegation is much faster than the speed of investigation.”
Barrowman, who lives in California with his husband Scott Gill, says his flashing antics stopped overnight after he was given a dressing down by executive producer Julie Gardner, who’d received a complaint. “My antics had come to her attention and she told me I should rein in my behaviour,” he explained. “In blunt terms, she had just two words of advice: ‘Grow up!’
“That struck a chord. I did as I was told and my behaviour changed overnight.
“I can see now my actions were pretty juvenile but this was a different time and it’s something I would not do today.”
In response to the stories in May, a video of Captain Jack was dropped from the Doctor Who theatre show Time Fraction and Barrowman was also axed from an audio project for Torchwood featuring David Tennant.
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Apologising at the time, he said: “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.”
The family entertainer, who is known for calling everything ‘fabulous’, thinks he is suffering because of Clarke, who was stripped of his Outstanding Contribution Bafta shortly after receiving it.
“It seems to me that I’ve become collateral damage to a much bigger story,” he said.
All Star Musicals, in which celebrities are scored for their performances of big hits from well-known shows, aired for the third time on ITV in March, with TV lawyer Rinder beating the likes of actress Jessica Hynes, political journalist Robert Peston and TV doctor Ranj Singh.
It is not yet known which stars will take part in the upcoming festive special.
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