Last week’s episode of Doctor Who broke the internet – twice over, in fact. Not only did it introduce a new regeneration from the Doctor’s past – the first non-white version of the character in the show’s history – but it also brought back John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. The immortal hero hasn’t been seen on the series itself in a decade and hasn’t been on screen period since spinoff Torchwood ended in 2011.
Naturally, fans are hoping his fleeting appearance in season 12’s fifth episode, “Fugitive of the Judoon,” won’t be it for Jack now that he’s re-entered the Whoniverse. Barrowman himself wouldn’t be drawn on whether he’s got more on the docket in a recent interview, but showrunner Chris Chibnall has now come forward to quash any hopes that we might see him again this year.
While speaking to The Mirror, the EP said:
“You won’t see him again this series, I can categorically tell you that.”
Of course, some fans are already theorizing that Chibnall chose his words carefully here and he is planning to have Jack return in what will likely be the 2021 winter special or even the next season (probably arriving in 2022). After all, in this episode, he never even shared any scenes with Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor. You can’t bring Jack back and then not have him meet the Time Lord, right?
Thankfully, Chibnall did go on to tease that there will be a reunion for the Time Lord and Time Agent at some point, saying:
“But who knows when he might pop up again? We love Captain Jack, we love John Barrowman. I hope that won’t be his last appearance and that at some point he gets to meet the 13th Doctor.”
While he didn’t get to encounter the Doctor, Jack did give a warning to her companions to pass onto her: watch out for the Lone Cyberman. Apparently, whatever she does, the Doctor mustn’t give it what it wants. Sounds like an exciting tease for the return of the Cybermen, as revealed in the season 12 trailer.