Since the last episode aired in 2011, John Barrowman has been doing everything that he possibly can to keep Captain Jack Harkness and ‘Torchwood’ alive. Along with his sister, the actor has penned novels and comic books featuring his character from the beloved ‘Doctor Who’ spinoff. He has also participated in a series of meetings with BBC about bringing the show back. But the closest thing that we’ve gotten to that happening so far has been the Big Finish audio dramas. Earlier this year, the studio released a series of brand new ‘Torchwood’ adventures that saw Barrowman reunite with his co-stars Eve Myles, Kai Owen, and Gareth David-Lloyd to mark the show’s 10th anniversary and save the world along the way. Now he’s coming back for more to dive deeper into Jack’s past.
Over the weekend, Barrowman exclusively revealed on his Facebook page that he will star in ‘The Lives of Captain Jack’ from Big Finish. Set for release in June 2017 and written by Guy Adams and James Goss, the four stories will explore what Captain Jack was up to when he wasn’t leading the Torchwood team or traveling around with the Doctor. However, he won’t be alone. In addition to guest star Alexander Vlahos of ‘Versailles’ and ‘Merlin’ fame, Whovians will be happy to hear that Barrowman will be joined by other fan favorite ‘Doctor Who’ stars Camille Coduri and Russell Tovey as they reprise their roles as Jackie Tyler and Midshipman Alonso Frame. The announcement went on to share the actor’s excitement to return to one of his most memorable roles:
“I find it really easy to slip into Captain Jack. There’s a bit of Jack in John and vice versa. What’s great about these stories is that they’re the kind of episode we didn’t have time for on TV – exploring aspects of Jack that you’ve never seen before in a timey-wimey way. And getting to work with Camille was amazing. If you’re a fan of Captain Jack, or ‘Torchwood’ or ‘Doctor Who’, then I say get them.”
Co-writer and producer James Goss also weighed in on these all-new audio dramas by discussing the different time periods that fans will be finding Jack in next summer:
“We love John. He understands Captain Jack like no-one else, and easily provided the various versions of him – having just spent three days playing Torchwood Jack, he suddenly delivered preppy Time Agent Jack, Satellite 5 Jack, End of Time Jack, and effortlessly locked horns with Jackie Tyler. Watching him together in the studio with Camille was genuinely one of the happiest days of my life. We were so lucky to get John, and can’t wait to get him back.”
I can already sense the masses thinking about what Jack and Alonso will be getting up to in these new tales from the ‘Doctor Who’ universe (or ‘Doctor Who’-niverse, if you will). But before you delve too deeply into that fan-fiction forming in your head, here are the titles and synopses for the upcoming audio dramas (which you can preorder now at the Big Finish site):
‘The Year After I Died’: Set in the year 200,101, on an Earth ravaged by the Daleks, we see Jack struggling to save humanity from its oldest enemy.
‘Wednesdays For Beginners’: Jack and Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri) must unite to rescue the Powell Estate from a force whose name Jackie can never say.
‘One Enchanted Evening’: Captain Jack and Alonso Frame (Russell Tovey) have only just met. But why did the Doctor want them to be together?
‘Month 25’: Jack’s the young star of the Time Agency, and his whole life is about to fall apart. But that’s not going to stop him winning.
What do you think about these brand new adventures featuring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness? Which guest star are you most excited to hear alongside Barrowman? Let us know in the comments below.
Despite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences far too much. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
