An Irish producer has dubbed David Tennant ‘one of the three most dislikable people he has ever had the misfortune to spend time with.’
Michael O’Bernicia claims the pair worked together 25 years ago on comedy series Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), which starred Tennant as Gordon Stylus, a murderous conceptual artist.
Tennant has since gone on to work on the likes of Doctor Who, Good Omens, Rivals, Marvel’s Jessica Jones, and most recently, gameshow Genius Games, which has been hit by low ratings and a schedule change.
Director and producer O’Bernicia took to social media to take aim at the acclaimed actor, responding to a GB News story about Genius Games’ low ratings.
O’Bernicia wrote on X: ‘Having shared a car journey with him before he was famous, when we were both working on Randall & 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.’
The Broadchurch actor is yet to respond to the claims.
It comes after Tennant’s show Genius Games was branded an ‘expensive flop’ for ITV after its launch.
Only 1.2 million viewers tuned in for the first episode (via Broadcast Now), significantly behind Race Across the World, which pulled in 3.1 million in the same timeslot over on BBC One.
Speaking to The Sun, a source said: ‘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 then claimed that, while David is a household name, costs went up as a result of his involvement with the show, which means the disappointing ratings have hit harder.
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ITV has confirmed that Genius Game will air only on Wednesdays over the next seven weeks, with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? celebrity specials taking the Thursday, May 8 slot.
However, 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.’
A spokesperson also stressed that views had since been added thanks to repeat broadcasts and on-demand streams on ITVX.
Metro has contacted representatives of David Tennant for comment.
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