See the backstage photos of Craig McLachlan and actress he is suing for defamation following sexual misconduct claims

Actor Craig McLachlan is suing Fairfax, ABC, and Christie Whelan Browne McLachlan is suing for defamation following sexual misconduct claims The media outlets are defending the 2018 claims on the basis of they are true They alleged he behaved inappropriately to six women he worked with in 2014

Craig McLachlan’s defamation trial has been shown photos of the actor posing backstage with co-star Christie Whelan.

The pictures, which were released by Sydney’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, were taken during a 2005 production of the musical Grease, where the pair reportedly met.

The court was also shown footage of The Rocky Horror Show ‘bed scene’ where he has been accused of misconduct.

The pictures, which were released by Sydney’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, were taken during a 2005 production of the musical Grease, where the pair reportedly met

The images were released on Tuesday after being tendered as evidene on Monday during the trial

McLachlan was shown photos of the pair taken backstage, likely in Sydney, describing them as ‘quasi porno shots’ of them in their ‘fabulous’ 1950s costumes

The Gold Logie winner is suing the news outlets and Ms Browne for defamation over claims made in 2018 reports of assault, indecent assault, harassment and that he exposed himself to female cast members during a 2014 production of the rock musical.

The 56-year-old is also suing over claims about his conduct in other shows.

The media outlets are defending the claims on the basis of truth.

On Tuesday, the NSW Supreme Court jury trial was played a scene from the musical’s Act Two where McLachlan, as Frank N Furter, performs underneath the covers of a king-size bed placed vertically on the stage.

The trial has been told there will be evidence from women who played Janet in the scene that the actor would ‘kiss down’ their bodies while hidden from audience view.

McLachlan testified that in the scene he kissed the deltoid, shoulder and back of the tricep of the Janet character, but denied kissing elsewhere on the body.

Asked if he ever kissed lower than on the Janet character’s arm during the ‘bed scene’, McLachlan said: ‘No, I did not’.

Quizzed about Frank’s ‘spitting motion’ in the scene, the actor described the action as a ‘fairly course joke about Frank having performed cunnilingus, and he’s coughed up a hair’, testifying it was a performance aspect workshopped in rehearsals.

There will be evidence from three women – including Whelan Browne (above) – who played Janet in the 2014 Rocky Horror Show production, with their testimony expected to include that he would ‘kiss down the body’ of actresses during ‘the bed scene’ while hidden from view

He said there were physical displays of affection backstage on the production including actresses in a ‘comical lesbian routine’, ‘smacks on the bottom’, ‘wedgies’, ‘spectacular vampire kisses’ and ‘goosing’, which he described as a ‘poke up the buttocks’.

Whelan Browne would flick the elastic of people’s pants, try to ‘whip’ down cast members’ warm-up pants and talked about the penis size of Rob Mills, he said.

On one occasion McLachlan said the actress asked him: ‘Can you see my vag?’

Earlier, McLachlan said he met Ms Browne on a 2005 stadium production of Grease, with him playing lead Danny Zuko and her as cheerleader Patty Simcox.

McLachlan was shown photos of the pair taken backstage, likely in Sydney, describing them as ‘quasi porno shots’ of them in their ‘fabulous’ 1950s costumes.

The trial has previously been told the photos showed the pair simulating sex.

Defence barrister Michael Hodge QC told the NSW Supreme Court that McLachlan behaved inappropriately to six women who worked on a 2014 Rocky Horror Show production

Asked by his barrister Kieran Smark SC about his relationship with Whelan Browne during Grease, McLachlan replied ‘terrific’.

He said there were lots of laughs and ‘Christie and I got on fabulously well’.

In his opening, defence barrister Michael Hodge QC told the court that McLachlan behaved inappropriately to six women on the 2014 Rocky Horror Show production, with five of those women being performers and one a crew member

Another five women alleging misconduct worked with McLachlan on Neighbours, City Homicide and The Doctor Blake Mysteries, and a 2018 Rocky Horror Show production.

Craig McLachlan (pictured with partner Vanessa Scammell) is suing Fairfax Media, the ABC and actress Christie Whelan Browne for defamation over claims made in 2018 reports of

The court was told that the defence case included that McLachlan, in the bed scene, on one occasion ‘traced down’ part of Whelan Browne’s vagina with his finger after telling her earlier that he could ‘see her little slit’ through see-through stage underpants.

McLachlan, on another occasion during the same scene, pulled her stage underpants to the side and kissed her on the buttock, the barrister said.

Other actresses, one of whom cannot be identified, would tell of uncomfortable encounters with McLachlan, including him running his hand up an actress’s leg when she was on a hidden platform, and forced kissing in a dressing room, Mr Hodge said.

Witnesses set to appear for the plaintiff include his longtime partner, conductor Vanessa Scammell, several actors and around 10 reputational witnesses.

McLachlan will continue his evidence on Wednesday.