Doctor Who - Series 12 : Jack's Back, What Next?

He's back....and it's about time!

After a decade away from Doctor Who and nine years after his 'final' television appearance at the conclusion of Torchwood : Miracle Day, Jack Harkness made his grand on-screen return to the Doctor Who universe as John Barrowman reprised his most iconic role as the crazy pansexual hero Captain Jack Harkness in episode five of Doctor Who, Series 12 titled 'Fugitive Of The Judoon' written by Vinay Patel & co-written by showrunner Chris Chibnall. More on all of that in another post, we're here to talk about Jack.

Jack's return in either the main series or a Torchwood revival is something that seemed doomed to never happen. Actor John Barrowman has been very open and forthcoming about his efforts to bring our favourite Captain back into the fold over the years, meeting with the BBC, Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner as well as Chris Chibnall himself and finally, against all odds they've made it happen in the most unexpected way that anyone could've imagined. 

Though Jack was only introduced to Graham, Ryan and Yaz during this episode and we didn't quite get that Doctor & Jack reunion that we might've hoped for, it seems all but certain that Jack will be back (for real this time) sooner rather than later. This wasn't just a one off for nostalgia. So, what next?

Series 12 finale

So....this is where things are a little twisty. Episode 8 of Series 12 which is supposedly a story about a Cyberman and Mary Shelley at Lake Geneva, inspiring Shelley for the concept of Frankenstein, is written by Maxine Alderton and will very likely be co-written by Chris Chibnall. It is directed by Emma Sullivan....however, there are photos online from filming of Block 5 (episodes 9 and 10) at Nash Point that clearly show Jamie Magnus Stone as well as monsters that also appear to be Cybermen, meaning that this series could find itself with a directly connected three part finale in the same vein as Series 3 and 4. There has been rumours since the opening episodes 'Spyfall'  that the "Kasaavin" could well be a generation of advanced Voord or Cybermen in disguise and if so, this wouldn't be the first time that the Cybermen have disguised themselves as otherworldly entities. 

Where Jack fits into this though, is the interesting part. Jack returned with a warning for the companions to pass onto The Doctor to "beware the lone Cybermen. Don't give it what it wants" as well as promising to see her again, that he'd be there when she needed him. Given that Jack has this knowledge of The Doctor's future, its more than likely that Jack will make a reappearance in either this episode or at its conclusion and properly join the team in fighting whatever threatens the universe in the two part finale. After that is anyone's guess. There's every chance John could become a series regular or recurring guest actor but that's definitely not the only avenue for him to go down if he and the powers that be wish.

Torchwood Relaunch

It really is plain as day to see at this point. Torchwood is being given a life line. Nine years after the last series, Torchwood looks set to make an equally grand return to our TV screens at some point in the near future. Possibly next year which would be a fitting time for the show to return as it would mark a full decade since Miracle Day. The first inclination of a Torchwood revival came from the organisation being namedropped by Stephen Fry's character 'C' in 'Spyfall Part One' which was the first mention of Torchwood for several years in Doctor Who. I certainly didn't expect the second and humongous inclination to present itself so quickly either but here we are. Of course i have to mention the continued burning of the flame that has come from Big Finish' success with the Torchwood audios, especially the 'Aliens Among Us' and 'Gods Among Us' series that has continued on from the events of Miracle Day though how canon they are now is up for debate until such a time as a direct reference is made to them in the show, from Jack, when he next shows up. 

If and when Torchwood does return to TV, we'll likely see an entirely new team apart from Jack of course. I know Eve Myles still has a lot of passion for the show but she seems to be an incredibly busy actress now, making herself a household name in the popular BBC Drama 'Keeping Faith' which may prevent her from reprising her role as Gwen Cooper but that is only speculation on my part and i for one, would love for Eve to return to Torchwood. She and John are a force to be reckoned with. 

As far as potential showrunning duties would go for a new series of Torchwood, my guess would be that RTD and Chibnall would both be onboard executive producers and write episodes both separately and together as co-writers. I also wouldn't be surprised if some of the new Doctor Who writers re-teamed with Chris on any Torchwood related endeavours to pen an episode. Again though, just my own speculation and guessing. We'll have to wait and see what happens, if anything does. 

For now though, Jack is back!