Doctor Who star John Barrowman has irked some of the time-travelling show’s ardent fanbase on social media, after a comment referring to Jodie Whittaker’s Time Lord.
The 59-year-old celebrated his birthday this week, which a fan commemorated with a piece of cartoon artwork of the Scottish-American actor.
In the caption, the fan wrote on X: ‘Happy 59th Birthday to Mr John Barrowman, who played Captain Jack Harkness (companion to the 9th Doctor and the 10th Doctor) on Doctor Who and Torchwood!’
Barrowman then retweeted the tribute, with the comment: ‘Don’t forget 13. I was there to boost the ratings!!!’
Thirteen is Whittaker’s incarnation of the Doctor, as the first woman to take on the role, but whose run did indeed suffer from flagging ratings as Chris Chibnall also took the helm as showrunner.
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Barrowman appeared in a special episode of Whittaker’s run as the Doctor, in which his flirty captain attempts to rescue her from imprisonment in a distant asteroid, where she’s been trapped for decades. The episode was watched by 6.35million viewers, while the previous series 12 finale raked in 4.69m.
In the comments section on Barrowman’s post, he responded to one fan asking why he was being a ‘b****’, with the actor writing: ‘Why are you so upset? Truth hurts? B**** or not. It’s my Birthday!!!’
Other commentators were unhappy with the suggestion Whittaker needed help with viewership during her tenure, with some asking whether that had been articulated to him by Who bosses.
Tammy commented: ‘There is NO WAY you’re saying Jodie needed your holy presence to get ratings??? Buddy, she didn’t need you at all.’
Another commented with a meme reading, ‘Get in there and make it about you,’ alongside a man pointing at his own reflection.
But some agreed with Barrowman, with Vicki writing: ‘And boost the ratings you did! Not watched it since and won’t watch it unless you appear.’
Alix added: ‘Think we’d all like to forget 13… (love Jodie…hated the series)’
Metro contacted John Barrowman’s representatives for comment.
Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. The series is set to return later this year with a Christmas special.
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