'Torchwood' audio drama axed amid John Barrowman exposure row

A Torchwood audio drama has been cancelled in the wake of the row around John Barrowman's historic on-set behaviour.

Allegations against the 54-year-old star resurfaced following sexual misconduct claims against Doctor Who co-star Noel Clarke, which led to an unearthed video of Clarke at a fan convention discussing Barrowman's alleged notoriety for exposing himself on set.

Several women subsequently came forward to The Guardian, detailing their own experiences of Barrowman's behaviour and saying exposing his penis was "kind of accepted that it was his thing".

Read more: MP urges Dancing On Ice to sack Barrowman

Now, production company Big Finish — which creates audio dramas featuring Doctor Who and Torchwood characters — has revealed to Metro that an upcoming release has been canned.

A spokesperson said: "We only have one upcoming title featuring John Barrowman – Torchwood: Absent Friends. We have no plans to publish this title at this time."

Absent Friends was due to star David Tennant as the 10th Doctor, as well as Gareth David-Lloyd as Torchwood character Ianto Jones, and would have marked the 15th anniversary of the spin-off.

The latest news comes just days after a pre-recorded segment featuring Barrowman was removed from the fan experience Doctor Who: Time Fracture.

In a statement, the show said: "We will continue to include content that pays tribute to this brilliant show that is Torchwood so as not to disappoint its fans, and are working on an exciting storyline to be announced soon."

Read more: Torchwood and BBC Three's other most memorable shows

Barrowman has admitted to "tomfoolery" on various sets, but said his actions were "only ever intended in good humour to entertain colleagues on set and backstage".

He told The Guardian: "With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behaviour and I have apologised for this previously."

The row around Barrowman's previous behaviour continues, with Conservative MP Alec Shelbrooke calling for ITV to sack him from the Dancing On Ice judging panel.

Some of the actor's co-stars have defended him, with Torchwood actor Gareth David-Lloyd saying Barrowman "would have never behaved in a way he thought was affecting someone negatively".

Read more: Barrowman spoke to Doctor Who showrunner about Torchwood return

Denise Van Outen is the latest celebrity to speak in defence of Barrowman, telling the Daily Star that he has "a very humorous and fun personality".

She added: "Anything that he has ever done has always been in jest and I have never been offended by anything he has ever done.

"I know people do joke about the fact he has exposed himself in the past but it has always been done in a fun, humorous way."

Watch: Noel Clarke accused of sexual harassment on Doctor Who set