Doctor Who Star John Barrowman Reveals How He Kept His Comeback Secret

Doctor Who fans got a surprising treat in last night’s episode, “Fugitive of the Judoon.” John Barrowman made his long awaiting return to Doctor Who as Captain Jack Harkness with an unannounced guest spot in the episode. A new featurette released by the BBC reveals that no one was more excited about Captain Jack’s return than Barrowman himself. “One of the main questions from all of the fans are ‘When is Captain Jack coming back?’ Well, guess what? #HesBack,” Barrowman says in the video. “It’s absolutely amazing to be back on Doctor Who because I’ve always said I would do it at the drop of a hat if I was ever asked. I was asked. Here I am.”

He goes on to explain how the return came to be. “I got a call from my manager saying ‘Chris Chibnall wants to speak to you’ and it was glorious,” he says. “I had to keep it a secret, but it was partially to surprise you all. The only person I’ve told, and I was allowed to tell, was my husband, Scott, and also I told my mom and dad and my big sister. I text Russell T. Davies and oh, I have to tell you, I told David Tennant, and I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait. I was so excited to see how they were going to bring him back.”

Slipping back into the role of Captain Jack came naturally to Barrowman. “Putting the whole gear back on with the braces and the belt and the holster and the Webley, there’s all the detail. The vortex manipulator, I finally got it back from River, thank you very much. Without a joke, it was like putting on an old coat. It was so comfortable and I’m back into it. It was just great.”

In the video, he also shares his thoughts on Jodie Whittaker’s tenure as the Doctor so far. “I think Jodie has created an entire new persona for the Doctor and again, I’m really glad I’m part of it,” he says. “I’m really glad I’ve been asked back to be a part of her reign as the Doctor. Fans always wanted to see how Jack would react whenever he gets to meet her. So I didn’t really get to meet her here so we’ll just have to – who knows? Wait and see.”

That brings up the natural question of whether we’ll see more of Captain Jack going forward. “I guess the door is open for Jack to return,” Barrowman says. “I don’t know when. I don’t know where. But if he does and they ask me to come back, you better believe I will do it at the drop of a hat because Captain Jack Harkness is right here and raring to go.”

Doctor Who airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on BBC America.