John Barrowman’s comeback from hell: How the Doctor Who star’s attempts to relaunch his career have fallen flat after leaving SAS instructors ‘disgusted’ with short-lived stint

John Barrowman‘s career is hanging in the balance after leaving instructors ‘disgusted’ with his short-lived stint on SAS: Who Dares Wins.

The actor’s stint on the Channel 4 show had been tipped as his grand TV comeback after losing a string of gigs in the years since he apologised for historically exposing himself on the set of the BBC One sci-fi series Doctor Who.

However, viewers slammed John as ‘pathetic’ after it was revealed he decided to quit the show after just 32 minutes.

While John has since revealed he clashed with Channel 4 bosses while on the set of the show, chief instructor Mark Billingham said that he was ‘disgusted’ to see him fall at the first hurdle.

It’s just the latest setback for John in a string of bids to kickstart his career again after suffering backlash over historic accusations that he exposed himself on the Doctor Who set.

His stint on the Channel 4 show had been tipped as his grand TV comeback, however viewers slammed him as ‘pathetic’ as he quit the show after just 32 minutes

John made a brief appearance on Celebrity SAS during its first episode on Sunday night, and was seen vomiting before throwing in the towel.

In an interview with The Sun, John claimed his sickness was a result of being ‘made’ to eat ‘vile tofu’ after being offered no other food.

John, who is not a vegetarian or vegan, said: ‘I would never eat tofu in my life, but you’re so hungry, you just eat it.’  

The motion sickness sufferer was then forced to endure a two-hour car journey for the task, leaving him feeling unwell. 

However, chief instructor Mark Billingham has since told The Mirror: ‘He gave up at the first opportunity and wasted a space that another person could have taken, so it was very disappointing.

‘I was absolutely disgusted, to be honest. You have a chance here to do so many great things and you just can’t be bothered – he didn’t even get past day one. I couldn’t believe it.’

Meanwhile instructor Chris Oliver added: ‘He turned up with the wrong mindset and for the wrong reasons and wasn’t willing to apply himself. He didn’t even give it a go. He took the easy option and quit.’

Viewers also had little sympathy for the actor and taking to X branding him ‘pathetic’ and a ‘diva’.

It’s just the latest setback for John in a string of bids to kickstart his career again after suffering backlash over historic accusations that he exposed himself on the Doctor Who set

While John has since revealed he clashed with Channel 4 bosses while on the set of SAS, chief instructor Mark Billingham said that he was ‘disgusted’ to see him fall at the first hurdle

During an appearance on Monday’s Lorraine, John insisted that he has no regrets after quitting Celebrity SAS.

Speaking about his experience on the show with Lorraine Kelly on her daytime TV programme, John told of how ‘he already knows who he is’ and recalled the moment bosses tried to make him stay. 

The actor explained: ‘They said we would find out who we really were on the show. I thought, “I know who I am”, then I started to get sick and I just thought “I’m out”.

‘I couldn’t have carried on if I was sick anyway.’  

John added: ‘They said that we would find out who exactly we were and the show did what it was meant to do. I know who I am. I’ve helped people, with their sexuality. 

‘It was the best decision for me, it did was it was meant to do, just in a short period of time. I would say to anyone else who is thinking about going on Celebrity SAS to just go for it.

‘That lightbulb went off, the moment was when I was walking through the cafeteria, the psychologist agreed after and said, “yes we could see it in your face, it changed”. They tried to keep me in but I know who John Barrowman is.’

During the episode, John also addressed the accusations that he had repeatedly exposed himself on the set of the BBC One sci-fi series Doctor Who and its sister show Torchwood.

John claimed his sickness was a result of being ‘made’ to eat ‘vile tofu’ after being offered no other food 

In 2022, he was forced to cancel his 2023 UK tour due to poor ticket sales, admitting at the time that the last few years proved to be the ‘hardest of his life’ 

However, in March he revealed he would going on the road again for a string of shows, and it’s tipped as ‘an intimate look at John’s life and career in song’

He said: ‘The press made the allegation that I was going around putting my d**k on everybody’s shoulders.

‘Having that happen to me ruined me, but this course is going to help me push through this and I want people to see the kind of person that I really am.’

He later added: ‘On Doctor Who and Torchwood, I had to do a lot of nude scenes. If I were being stupid, I would do something stupid.’

John has faced a series of career setbacks ever since the accusations resurfaced about his stint on Doctor Who. 

In 2022, he was forced to cancel his 2023 UK tour due to poor ticket sales, admitting at the time that the last few years proved to be the ‘hardest of his life’.

The scandal-plagued star also briefly deleted his Twitter account after fans slammed him for leaving a comment accusing his Torchwood co-star Eve Myles of ‘spewing rhetoric’.

The Centre Stage tour would have seen the former Doctor Who star perform songs from his new album of the same name in Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester as well as London’s Adelphi Theatre. 

He wrote on Instagram: ‘It is with huge regret that we have decided to cancel the UK tour. Unfortunately, tickets sales in certain parts of the UK have been slow, and with the increased costs of touring it is no longer economically viable to continue.

‘This is a decision that has not been taken lightly, and I know many of my fans will be very upset, as am I.’

He continued: ‘Personally I am devastated and like many people I have found the last years extremely difficult, possibly the hardest few years of my life. When it gets tough it is sometimes better to stop and re-evaluate and that is exactly what I am going to do.’

Signing off, he wrote: ‘I am so sorry to all my fans. Jb.’

John was forced to apologise in May 2021 in response to historical claims of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ on the set of Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood (pictured as Captain Jack)

The fallout led to him being axed from his role as a judge on Dancing On Ice after two years 

At the time, John also deleted his Twitter account after fans slammed him for leaving a comment accusing his Torchwood co-star Ms Myles of ‘spewing rhetoric’. 

John, who appeared alongside Eve in the Doctor Who spin-off from 2006 to 2011, responded to a video showing the pair at a press conference, gushing about how much they cared for one another. 

The fan asked in their post: ‘Not saying anything else, and I kinda don’t want to bring this up, but whatever happened to this? Especially that last part.’

John replied: ‘One is telling the truth! One is spewing rhetoric for an audience.’

On Tuesday, an eagle-eyed fan noticed that John’s account had disappeared, writing: ‘Hold up, what’s happened to @JohnBarrowman’s account? 

‘Has it gone because it keeps throwing up and error message when I try to click on his name? Anyone know what’s up there?’

Another user then shared a screenshot of John’s last post, which was the reply to the fan who had shared the video of him and Eve.

The reply was deleted along with John’s account, but had already been reposted by a Doctor Who fan account.

John’s reply sparked a flurry of comments from users slamming him for airing his outrage publicly, insisting he should reach out to Eve privately.

At the time, John also deleted his Twitter account after fans slammed him for leaving a comment accusing his Torchwood co-star Ms Myles of ‘spewing rhetoric’ 

No charges were brought against John after allegations about him exposing himself were revealed in May last year, following more serious allegations of sexual harassment made against his Doctor Who co-star Noel Clarke.

Just five months after accusations about his conduct on Doctor Who resurfaced, John was also dropped as a judge from the ITV show Dancing On Ice.

A source told The Sun: ‘This will be devastating for him. Clearly ITV feel it’s not a good look to have someone like John centre-stage on a family­-friendly show.’ 

While he did return to host the festival special All Star Musicals, his appearance sparked huge backlash from viewers.

A Big Finish Audio drama, where John was set to reprise his role as Captain Jack alongside David Tennant and Gareth David Lloyd, was also shelved.

John’s next career plans will include a tour of the UK, which is being tipped as ‘an intimate look at John’s life and career in song’.

The West-End performer will be at venues including Shrewsbury, Chelmsford, Crawley, Exeter and Newcastle.

The tour, which is set to kick off in Basildon on October 11, will continue to a string of other cities in February and March 2025, including Weston-Super-Mare, Swansea and Aberdeen.

John first announced plans to head back on tour on Instagram in March, telling his followers: ‘From the theatre to television, from the TARDIS to Torchwood, Anything Goes to Arrow and the UK to the USA, I’ll share tales straight from the horses mouth.

‘Stories and the gossip all happening around my heartfelt renditions of some of your favourite songs from my albums.’

John has also been a fixture at Comic Con events for years, and took to the stage at Oz Comic Con in Sydney over the weekend, and he’s set to appear at Comic Con Liverpool in November.