What happened between Noel Clarke and Kidulthood star Adam Deacon?

Noel Clarke has been the subject of allegations of sexual harassment and bullying from 20 women this week, leading many to question what happened with his former co-star Adam Deacon. 

Adam, 38, had starred in Noel’s hit film Kidulthood in 2006 as well as the sequel Adulthood in 2008, but was missing from the third instalment in the series, 2016’s Brotherhood. 

The pair had had a public falling-out, which leg to Adam being found guilty of harassment without violence in 2015, after he claimed Noel had been trying to sabotage his career. 

Despite Noel and Adam having a friendly relationship and working together on several projects following Kidulthood, problems between the pair began in 2011. 

Adam had won a Bafta Rising Star award for his directorial debut, Anuvahood, which Noel claimed infringed on the copyright of the Hood trilogy of films, leading to the pair falling out. 

Noel alleged in 2014 that Adam had been sending him abuse on Twitter, saying during the court case that led to Adam’s eventual arrest: ‘He released a barrage of abuse, claiming I’d been bullying him for as long as he could remember and claiming I had stopped him getting an agent in the business.’

He also claimed that the messages threatened his family, as Adam allegedly posted photos of Noel’s children next to a gun emoji. 

The Evening Standard reports that Adam claimed in court that Noel ‘had it in’ for him from the start, adding: ‘he would bully and belittle me on set in front of people – it would be a constant thing.’

Adam was charged with harassment without violence in July 2015, with a two-year restraining order preventing him from contacting Noel and a fine of £500. 

Earlier in the year, Adam had also been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and his lawyers said he had a history of mental illness and that his actions were caused by paranoia and psychosis induced by the use of skunk cannabis.

Adam revealed in a 2017 interview with The Guardian that he believed Noel was trying to obstruct his career after the fallout from Anuvahood. 

He claimed: ‘When I got better I thought, why did I do this, what the hell was all this about? I didn’t want to hurt anybody.’

Adam also revealed that Noel had offered him a role in Brotherhood, which he thought might be a chance to mend their friendship, but Noel said that he wasn’t interested in being friends again and would not meet due to the restraining order still being in place at the time. 

He told the Guardian: ‘[Noel] said, “You should do the film for the fans. It’s not about me and you. Obviously I don’t like you but do it for the fans.” I was like, wow what the hell is this?’

Adam turned down the offer of the role and the pair have not worked on any projects together since. 

Fans were reminded of Adam’s claims of bullying after 20 women spoke out to the Guardian alleging that Noel had behaved improperly on set, including shouting at them and bullying them. 

Noel vehemently denied all of the claims against him, saying in a statement: ‘In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.

‘If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise.

‘I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.’

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