Captain Jack to finally return next year?

He would be stupid not to take advantage of it when Jack's return would guarantee the viewers.

I read somewhere Barrowman had a clause written into his Arrow contract that if he is required by the BBC for Who they would have to write his Arrow appearances around that (supposedly the Arrow showrunners are huge Who fans, I haven't watched it so I don't know how big Barrowman's role is) no idea if that is true, but I'd assume if Moffat/the BBC really wanted him back they would have come up with a decent idea to do so by now, I don't think Jack's abscence in the Moffat era was due to Moffat disliking the character (he tried to get him back for 'A Good Man Goes to War' but Barrowman wasn't available) simply a desire to distance himself from RTD and create his own recurring characters, I liked Jack a lot but he very much belonged to the RTD style of writing and I'm not entirely convinced his return a decade on from his last regular appearance would really matter to the vast majority of casual viewers, how exactly has Jack earned the right to return more than any of the other old characters?

It's probably a coincidence (and we don't even know when S11 starts filming yet anyway) though I agree the Chibnall connection could make it more likely than if it was a different showrunner.

On the other hand Barrowman falsely blamed Moffat for blocking a return of Torchwood to TV, which left a rather sour taste in myself, I get it he's a fan...but it came across as rather entitled and petty, Torchwood wasn't exactly a massive hit...

Regardless of whether he returns to the TV series or not, I'm sure BF will take advantage of his more open schedule whilst they can...

There's a petition for Jack's return. Created not many hours ago and already has over 500 signatures. Will the BBC bow down to public pressure? Personally I hope the answer to that will be 'Yes':

www.change.org/p/bbc-get-john-barrowman-as-captain-jack-harkness-back-on-doctor-who?source_location=minibar

I'm not sure over 500 signatures can be seen as 'public pressure' concerning a show that has millions of viewers. As Sherlock has said, it has ben 9 years since he was last in Doctor Who. It would be fun to see him again, but hardly essential.

Unless it is a female Doctor. Then all bets are off and I think you could justify bringing back a character like Jack that has so much backstory.

500 signatures in such a short space of time. It may hit a thousand before long.

It may hit two thousand. I'm still not sure the BBC will see it as public pressure.


Exactly this.

I can see that point but personally I think they could include Jack with it still feeling like a fresh start. I'm not saying Chibnall should have him in every episode of Series 11 - just one would do, even if it was a very brief cameo (as would have been the case with A Good Man Goes To War if it hadn't clashed with Torchwood filming).

Personally if I was Chibnall the only returning past characters I would have would be the Daleks and Captain Jack in the two part finale. Maybe Bill too if Pearl Mackie wanted to stay on for an extra year.

The announcement about Barrowman not appearing in next year's Arrowverse is most likely designed to generate buzz about the upcoming season finales of those shows by making people wonder what major events are going to happen at the end of the season. It may not mean anything for Doctor Who, but one thing that does come to mind is that if Torchwood's long mooted return were to actually happen, it seems reasonable to think that the BBC might have him pop up on Who next year in order to help promote a new Torchwood series.

Who can say, though. It's a bit of a long shot, but not as long as some others. In a world where Twin Peaks returns 25 years later, I think the door's open for just about any other show with a reasonably dedicated fanbase to return to the airwaves.