Crossword Genius

On TV, follower of Doctor King left a bit of an impression (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

whorl

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'on tv follower' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't see how they can define each other.

'doctor king left a bit of an impression' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'doctor' could be 'who' (as in the TV show Doctor Who) and 'who' is found within the answer.
'king' could be 'r' (abbreviation of Latin rex) and 'r' is located in the answer.
'left' could be 'l' (common abbreviation) and 'l' is found in the answer.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'of' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for whorl that I've seen before include "Convolution eg in the ear" , "ring of leaves" , "Fingerprint's circular ridge" , "A turn in a spiral shell" , "Helix" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.