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| publication = Radio Times 
| file = http://cuttingsarchive.org/images/f/fd/2007-06-16_Radio_Times.pdf
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| date = 2007-06-16
| author = Nick Griffiths
| pages = 12
| language = English
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Aliens beware! Captain Jack jumps ship from [[Special:BrowseData/Torchwood|Torchwood]] to the Tardis this week, and John Barrowman tells us why he's more than happy to be back under Doctor's orders 

How does it feel to be back on the mother ship Doctor Who? 

It's good. It's where Captain Jack originated and it's nice to be back home, in a sense—although it's great to have two homes.

Torchwood's Hub set is very near the Tardis set. During filming did you ever peek in, wondering what they were up to?

It's a black curtain that separates us, and generally we're not filming at the same time. There's no way that can work. But I did keep walking past and thinking, "When am I going to get on? What's going to happen? When will I be back?"

You're back for the last three episodes. Is it the same Captain Jack?

Exactly the same Captain Jack you knew before he left [Doctor Who]; it's not the Captain Jack from Torchwood. He's not angsty, he's not moody; he's determined, but in a different way. Captain Jack from Doctor Who is a little more light-hearted, because he's back where he wants to be. Although he loves the Torchwood team, one of his main objectives over the past couple of years has been to find the Doctor, to figure out why Jack is the way he is. Now he's there, he can let the Doctor take the responsibility for everything and he can sit in the background a bit.

Does Jack prefer less responsibility?

It's not that he prefers it; it's just .. . nice. Before Jack met the Doctor, he had responsibility for himself, but on meeting the Doctor that changed to responsibility for humanity. Now he's with the Doctor, he realises it's the Doctor's gig, let him take responsibility. Jack will help. He'll do the things the Doctor won't do.

Such as?

Fight. Jack will kill. And the Doctor, in a way, knows that, so he lets Jack do it. I'd say Jack's the companion-hero. I like that term! Ha-ha-ha-ha! You can call him what you like.

How does Jack take to Martha? 

He checks her out at first, to see how Y she's going, and they seem to gel really well right from the start. It's like he picks up right where he left off, because immediately he's helping. 

The previous Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) abandoned Jack at the end of the first series. Is that issue tackled? 

It is. I can't explain how, because that would ruin the show. But yes, throughout the next three episodes it will be explained to you where Jack went after Satellite Five, what he did, why he got involved with Torchwood and how long he's been back on Earth. There's a scene — and I loved filming it — where you wouldn't expect that type of conversation to happen.

Care to elaborate?

No. Sorry. I'm totally sworn to secrecy. It's a scene where you'll think, "How can they have a conversation like this?" But it totally works.

Presumably, the imminent season finale is going to be world-saving stuff ...

As always, the season finale will be something of a spectacular size and catastrophic events will happen to humanity ... I so can't say!

You must get used to saving the world.

I love it. I absolutely love it. What better job could you have than to get up in the morning to come to work, to fly spaceships or to travel through time to fight aliens and stuff like that? It's amazing. I'm the Star Wars generation. I'm the original Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who. All that stuff. So I'm a huge fan of this genre and I absolutely love saving the world. How many people can put that on their résumé? I've saved the world about 15 times! Yeah, whatever, push that button, save the world.

Do you get recognised more for Torchwood or Doctor Who?

People say they love Torchwood and people ask, "When are you back on Doctor Who?" But most recognise me as Captain Jack. So it's not so much the show as the person. I was at a traffic light the other day and a girl ran up to my car, knocked on the window and started screaming, "Captain Jack! Captain Jack!"

That could be slightly disturbing. 

I'm getting tinted windows! Ha-ha-ha!

Does it ever become overbearing?

Love it. Doesn't bother me at all.

Who will Jack miss most from the Torchwood team? 

If you're talking personal, Gwen, because he can talk to her. He's the only one she talks to and they have a relationship that he has with none of the others.

And will we see Jack back in Doctor Who after this season? 

I don't know. The beauty of Captain Jack, and one of the reasons why I think, as an actor, I've landed on my feet, is that he's popular with one audience in Torchwood and with another in Doctor Who. So there is always room and space for Captain Jack to come back. 


A KNIGHT'S TALE

Derek Jacobi also joins the cast in this week's episode, Utopia, as the Professor. Assisted by Chantho (Chipo Chung), he's fighting for life at the end of the universe.

David Tennant says, "I'd been watching the DVD boxed set of 1 Claudius just before, so when Derek Jacobi came on set, I was badgering him for tales." Tennant's favourite line of the series so far comes in a scene with Jacobi. "This won't make sense until it's in context, but it's 'Hermits United. We meet up every ten years, swap stories about caves. Good fun — for a hermit.' You can imagine Russell [T Davies, who wrote this episode] cackling away at four in the morning."

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