Giving us a bit of a shocker on Twitter today, John Barrowman has made an official statement concerning his involvement in the 50th Anniversary Special for Doctor Who.
The fandom has been clamoring for Captain Jack to return to Doctor Who since he left, and we’ve been hoping that the chances will be greater for the 50th anniversary of the show, which will involve many character comebacks and reprised roles. Now John Barrowman himself has given the official confirmation that he will not be involved with the 50th Anniversary Special.
I will not be involved in the 50th Anniversary Episode of Dr WHO. JB
— John Barrowman News (@Team_Barrowman) March 24, 2013
Cue outraged fans and sobs of fangirls and fanboys alike. Captain Jack is one of the most beloved characters to have appeared on Doctor Who, and to get confirmation that he will in no way be a part of the 50th Anniversary Special is one of the most disappointing things we’ve learned about the special so far.
Barrowman has been in the dark for most of the year as to whether or not Captain Jack will be a part of the special, and then in an interview with UK TV’s This Morning, he said that they were ‘discussing things.’ He later backtracked on his Twitter account to calm the waves of fandom and said he didn’t know in what capacity or medium it will be in, and sadly those discussions seemed to have ended with a very clear decision by the BBC to not include Captain Jack in the 50th Anniversary at all.
Although Barrowman is currently contracted with the CW show Arrow, he’s made agreements with the network so that if offered a reprising role in Doctor Who, he will be given the time he needs to do it. Being such an open fan of the series, we’re sure he’s just as devastated as we are, but we hope that he will come back to the series at some point in the future at least.