Michael Barrymore

In June 2026, Barrymore published a video denouncing a TikTok account which, he said, was turning the Stuart Lubbock case into a personal harassment campaign and disseminating claims that he had abused his former wife and had been close to Jimmy Savile. He denied those claims and stated that he had contacted the Metropolitan Police's cybercrime unit and initiated legal action.

Attribution

Protagonist is the complainant

In June 2026, a shop worker told the BBC that he had subsequently discovered he had been filmed in an identifiable manner using Barrymore's smart glasses and posted on TikTok and YouTube without being asked for consent. Trade union Usdaw used the incident to warn of growing risks from discreet filming of retail workers.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Directly implicated

Stuart Lubbock was found dead in the swimming pool at Barrymore's home after a party in March 2001. The 2002 inquest returned an open verdict. Barrymore was arrested in 2007, along with two other men, on suspicion of rape and murder, then released without charge. In 2021, another man was arrested in the investigation.

Barrymore sued Essex Police for unlawful arrest and false imprisonment in connection with his 2007 arrest. Police admitted that the arrest was technically unlawful. Following an initial favourable ruling, the Court of Appeal held in 2018 that he was entitled only to nominal damages. In 2019, he abandoned his claim, and no payment was made.

Attribution

Protagonist is the complainant

Following a car accident in Acton, police found cocaine in Barrymore's possession. He pleaded guilty in December 2011 and was fined £780.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Personally implicated

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim

On Celebrity Big Brother in 2006, the treatment of Jodie Marsh by several contestants, including Barrymore, George Galloway and Pete Burns, prompted major controversy. Beatbullying received hundreds of contacts from concerned viewers, and Marsh's parents accused three men of intimidation.

State of the evidence

Documented

In 2002, Lee O'Brien accused Barrymore of sexual assault after staying at his home, an allegation featured on the front page of News of the World. The allegation was false; O'Brien was subsequently found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim

Following the abrupt decline in his career and a reported tax demand of around £1.4 million, Barrymore petitioned for voluntary bankruptcy in the United Kingdom in 2004, explaining that it arose from an unexpected tax demand.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Cheryl Barrymore accused her former husband of physical violence, notably alleging that he had beaten her, attempted to strangle her with a telephone cord and pushed her down stairs.

After the inquest, Barrymore's former wife claimed that he had lied under oath when stating that he could not swim. The coroner referred the matter to police.

Attribution

Directly implicated

During the investigation following Stuart Lubbock's death, Barrymore received a formal caution in October 2001 for possession of a small quantity of cannabis and allowing his home to be used for smoking it.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated