David Tennant, 54, branded one of ‘most dislikeable people I’ve spent time with’ by former colleague amid latest show blow
David Tennant has faced a double setback, with his ITV game show reportedly being dubbed the network’s “most expensive flop in years,” while a former co-star has described him as “dislikeable.”
The 54-year-old former Doctor Who star’s programme, Genius Game has struggled with disappointing viewer ratings, prompting ITV to reconsider its future.
Sources indicate the show’s high production costs and lacklustre audience numbers have made it one of the broadcaster’s most costly misfires in recent memory.
Adding to Tennant’s woes, a former colleague has launched a scathing personal attack against him on social media.
The show’s first episode attracted 1.2 million viewers, significantly behind BBC One’s Race Across the World, which pulled in 3.1 million in the same timeslot.
A source told The Sun: “Genius Game was a reflection of ITV’s rush to create the next big challenge show following the huge success of The Traitors.”
The source claimed that Tennant’s involvement increased production costs, making the disappointing ratings hit harder.
ITV has confirmed that Genius Game will now air only on Wednesdays over the next seven weeks, with celebrity specials of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? taking its Thursday slot.
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Following the move by ITV, filmmaker and writer Michael O’Bernicia took to the social media platform X to publicly criticise the actor, responding to a GB News article about Genius Game’s poor performance with a scathing personal attack.
“Having shared a car journey with him before he was famous, when we were both working on Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) 25 years ago, I have no hesitation in saying that he is one of the three most dislikable people I have ever had the misfortune to spend time with,” O’Bernicia wrote.
The Irish producer claims the pair worked together on the comedy series in the early 2000s. Tennant starred as Gordon Stylus, a murderous conceptual artist, in the series “Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)”.
O’Bernicia specifically mentioned sharing a car journey with Tennant “before he was famous”, suggesting the encounter occurred early in the actor’s career.
The Broadchurch actor has not yet responded to the scathing comments.
Since his time on Randall & Hopkirk, Tennant has gone on to work on numerous successful projects, including Doctor Who, Good Omens, Rivals, and Marvel’s Jessica Jones.
Addressing Genius Game’s shift in the schedule, an ITV spokesperson told Metro: “Genius Game remains in the peak schedule on ITV1 at 9pm on Wednesdays and is available to view on ITVX.”
The spokesperson also stressed that views had since been added thanks to repeat broadcasts and on-demand streams on ITVX.