Our ongoing saga with John Barrowman continues.
Last week, we reported on the rumors that were raging through the Doctor Who fan community that claimed the actor is set to return as Captain Jack Harkness in the upcoming eleventh season of the sci-fi show opposite new Doctor Jodie Whittaker. Barrowman himself then saw our article and shared it with an ambiguous caption: “??”
?? JB https://t.co/4lzYPjMPoE
— John Barrowman MBE (@JohnBarrowman) June 2, 2018
In my follow-up report, I theorized that perhaps Barrowman was attempting to play down the rumor in order to keep his return in season 11 a surprise. It turns out that this was just wishful thinking on my part, though, as he’s now replied to us again and clarified that he wasn’t attempting to “mislead” the fans and that his “??” represented that this was the first he’d heard of the rumor.
Not misleading, I just have no answers that’s why the ??….I get asked the question all the time and the #whovian fans know my answer: I don’t know, it’s not up to me. But if asked I would do it at the drop of a hat cause we all love Captain Jack. JB https://t.co/dnwaATpzN9
— John Barrowman MBE (@JohnBarrowman) June 6, 2018
So, it seems that we can put this to bed for good now. As we pointed out in our initial report, all the talk of Captain Jack coming back didn’t have a clear source, but it’d swept through the fandom so much that it was being taken as fact – there’s no smoke without fire and all that. The original rumor stated that Jack’s return would be teased in a short trailer released later this month. Unfortunately, though, that’s also been debunked by a BBC reporter.
On the plus side, Barrowman’s response above reiterates his affection for the world of Doctor Who and the immortal Time Agent he played opposite both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennnant’s Doctors. “I get asked the question all the time and the #whovian fans know my answer: I don’t know, it’s not up to me,” Barrowman says. “But if asked I would do it at the drop of a hat cause we all love Captain Jack.”
Despite being out the loop for eight years, the actor’s as excited as anyone for Whittaker to make the part of the Time Lord her own. Last year, he gave his thoughts on the casting and said that it was “about time” that a woman was playing the Doctor. But will Barrowman ever get to act opposite her in the brand new era of Doctor Who? Possibly. It likely won’t happen in season 11 as we thought, but fingers crossed for seasons 12 or 13, eh?
