Could we see the return of Torchwood now that Doctor Who has a new showrunner? According to John Barrowman, the possibility has at least been discussed.
In a new interview with Radio Times, Barrowman, who played Captain Jack Harkness on the series, revealed that a new Torchwood series isn’t necessarily off the table. At least, not now that former showrunner Chris Chibnall is presently running things on Doctor Who. According to the actor, while Chibnall was still finalizing his deal to become the new showrunner on Doctor Who, Barrowman emailed him about Torchwood and received a promising response.
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So, how exactly did the conversation come about? Barrowman, who recently starred on the CW’s Arrow, explained that he’s been meeting with various production companies all around the United States — including the CW — and, unsurprisingly, most of them have shown interest in securing the rights to Torchwood.
The series, which served as a Doctor Who spinoff, ran between 2006 and 2011 and saw Barrowman’s Captain Harkness protect South Wales from alien attacks, along with some help from a group of experts. Though short-lived, the series has continued to find a new fanbase thanks to other storytelling platforms, including audio dramas and comic books. Unfortunately, though, the possibility of Torchwood coming back to life on the small screen has seemed rather slim in recent years, which is why Barrowman’s conversation with Chibnall sounds so promising.
When the actor emailed Chibnall, he asked if the former showrunner would be interested in a potential Torchwood revival, to which Chibnall responded rather coyly. “He e-mailed me back, and he said ‘As you probably know, I’m in the middle of something very big at the moment, and I can’t discuss anything else,’” Barrowman explained. “But he said ‘Let’s talk when things calm down a bit.’ And that was just at the beginning of his negotiations for Doctor Who.”
As it turns out, if Torchwood stands any chance at a revival, Chibnall is the person who can make it happen. “If anyone can do it, it’s Chris,” said Barrowman. “Chris is the one who can make the decision, because it’s always the decision of the showrunner of Doctor Who. I was told that that’s the person who can decide about bringing back Torchwood. Or Captain Jack to Doctor Who.”
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Created by Russell T. Davies, Torchwood also starred Eve Myles, Kai Owen, Kai Owen, Burn Gorman and Naoko Mori.