Doctor Who’s John Barrowman teased on social media over business-class flight complaint

Doctor Who star John Barrowman has come under fire over a Twitter/X post in which he complained about not receiving the same service as his fellow business class passengers. The actor, known to Whovians for the role of Captain Jack Harkness he also played in Torchwood, took to the platform in a since-deleted post that was deemed out of touch by some social media users.

Earlier today, the former Dancing on Ice judge shared a video from his airplane seat and detailed the issue, addressing the airline directly.

"Hey @AmericanAir we are about to takeoff from Los Angeles to London and a flagship service which everybody in business class has and apparently some get things that others don't," Barrowman began in the caption.

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"Can you explain in particular because this is three full fair tickets that I have purchased and we're not getting the same service as everybody else," he continued.

The actor concluded: "I find that shady and bad customer service. You're supposed to be pushing this flagship and at the moment it's not hitting the ball out of the park."

In the since-deleted video that accompanied the post, the actor lamented that he, as well as his husband and father who were travelling with him, weren't given pyjamas that he claimed were instead handed out to the first rows.

Barrowman's post was met with several mocking comments from users who ironically responded to his plea.

"Heart goes out to John Barrowman this morning, what a horrible set of circumstances to endure," one user commented, adding a broken heart emoji.

"No pyjamas???? Oh my god the worst thing has happened!! The people of Gaza have just started a petition for John Barrowman," was another post in response to the actor's video.

"Who is going to set up a GoFundMe for John Barrowman," a third person joked with another broken heart emoji.

Meanwhile, another commenter defended Barrowman for simply pointing out that he hadn't received a service he'd paid for.

"I'm in no way a fan of John Barrowman, but how do people have an issue with him asking for something he's paid for? You can bet your bottom dollar, a lot of the people in the replies probably complain about things they HAVEN'T paid for! Stop hating on successful people," they offered.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).