John Barrowman’s Captain Jack won’t be appearing in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, and it’s not because of ‘other commitments’. The actor spoke with TVLine and admitted he was “upset” not to have been asked. He explained that the producers of Arrow – which he is currently starring in – had granted him permission to become a Time Agent should the offer come up, but it wasn’t to be.
“I understand why they did it,” he says. “They want to move forward, they want to try some different things… I know from how [former EP exec producer Russell T Davies] approached things, they’re not doing [the special] just for the uber fan; they’re doing it for the wider audience. And if they’re going to bring a character back it wouldn’t be just for the uber fan, it would be for everybody. So perhaps that’s the thinking they had. I don’t know.”
Current showrunner Steven Moffat has penned the 50th episode, which will be a extra long installment with a limited run in cinemas. So far, Tenth Doctor David Tennant and former companion Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) are set to appear, along with old foes the Zygons.
Doctor Who is airing now on BBC One and BBC America. You can read our spoiler-laden review of the first episode here. Doctor Who Series 7 Part 2 will be available to own 20 May 2013 – pre-order it on Blu-ray for £21.50 or on DVD for £17.75 from Amazon.co.uk.
