"Captain Jack Harkness" redirects here. For the Torchwood episode, see Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood episode). For other uses, see Jack Harkness (disambiguation).
Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who and Torchwood
Fictional character
Captain Jack Harkness
Doctor Who character
John Barrowman as Jack Harkness
First appearance
"The Empty Child" (2005)
Last appearance
"Revolution of the Daleks" (2021)
Created by
Russell T Davies
Portrayed by
John Barrowman
Shared universe appearances
Torchwood (2006–2011)
Duration
2005–2011, 2020–2021
In-universe information
Alias
Javic Piotr Thane (birth name)
Dr. Owen Harper
The Face of Boe
James Sangster
James Harper
Captain Jack Harkness
Affiliation
Time Agency
Ninth Doctor
Tenth Doctor
Thirteenth Doctor
Torchwood Institute
Family
Franklin (father) Gray (brother)
Children
Alice Carter (daughter)
Relatives
Steven Carter (grandson)
Home era
51st century 5094 (original) 21st century (current)
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. The character first appears in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and subsequently features in the remaining episodes of the first series (2005) as a companion to the series' protagonist, the Doctor. Subsequent to this, Jack became the central character in the adult-themed Torchwood, which aired from 2006 to 2011. Barrowman reprised the role for appearances in Doctor Who in its third, fourth, and twelfth series, as well as specials "The End of Time", and "Revolution of the Daleks".
In contrast to The Doctor, Jack is more of a conventional action hero, as well as outwardly flirtatious and capable of acts which The Doctor would view as less than noble. In the programme's narrative, Jack begins as a time traveller and con man from the 51st century, who comes to travel with the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and his companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). As a consequence of his death and resurrection in the Series 1 finale, "The Parting of the Ways", Jack becomes immortal and is stranded on 19th-century Earth. There he becomes a member of Torchwood, a British organization dedicated to combating alien threats. He spends over a century waiting to reunite with the Doctor, over which time he becomes the leader of the Torchwood branch in Cardiff. He later reunites with the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) for further stints on Doctor Who. Aspects of the character's backstory—both prior to meeting the Doctor, and during his many decades living on Earth—are gradually revealed over Torchwood (and to a lesser extent, Doctor Who) through the use of flashback scenes and expository dialogue.
Jack was the first openly non-heterosexual character in the history of televised Doctor Who. The popularity of the character amongst multiple audiences directly influenced the development of the spin-off series Torchwood. The character became a figure of the British public consciousness, rapidly gaining fame for actor Barrowman. As an ongoing depiction of bisexuality in mainstream British television, the character became a role model for young gay and bisexual people in the UK. Jack is featured in various Doctor Who and Torchwood books and has action figures created in his likeness.
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singer and comic book writer. He is known for his roles as Captain JackHarkness in Doctor Who (2005–10; 2020–21) and spin-off Torchwood, (2006–11) and...
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Turlough Peri Brown Mel Bush Ace Grace Holloway Rose Tyler Adam Mitchell JackHarkness Mickey Smith Donna Noble Martha Jones Astrid Peth Wilfred Mott Amy Pond...
building where Ianto was present. They are eventually defeated when JackHarkness manages to reverse the frequency of a previous transmission made by...
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and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), with Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) and JackHarkness (John Barrowman) recurring as secondary companion figures. The Eleventh...
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and his travelling companions Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and Captain JackHarkness (John Barrowman) are secretly brought on board the game-show-broadcasting...
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