John Barrowman isn’t happy that he isn’t coming back to celebrate Doctor Who. Maybe don’t be a menace, then! Instead of just celebrating the show, Barrowman took to social media to be shady about Doctor Who for no reason.
Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary was on November 23 and with it came a lot of our favorite stars of the series celebrating the show for its success. With the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate for a series of celebratory specials, it seems as if Barrowman is angry he wasn’t asked back to reprise his role as Captain Jack Harkness. But why would they? He wasn’t in that era of Tennant’s original run as the Doctor anyway.
Still that didn’t stop Barrowman from taking to TikTok to share a snarky video about the show’s anniversary. “Captain Jack Harkness. Hello,” he said with a salute to the camera. “Now, it’s a really big day for all of us who played an important part in Doctor Who. As you know, I had the great pleasure of playing Captain Jack Harkness, one of the most iconic characters and companions in the Whovian universe. A character who paved the way for other LGBTQ+ characters and performers. As one of very few openly gay actors playing an iconic hero at the time when it was not the norm, it breaks my heart that I wasn’t asked to help celebrate this momentous anniversary.”
Barrowman went on to say, “Instead, as I have done for decades, I will continue to travel the globe promoting a brand and a character that I love and that fans will still adore. Happy 60th anniversary to all involved with Doctor Who and from this companion, I hope the TARDIS continues through time and relative dimensions in space filled with loyalty, respect, love, and diversity.”
Barrowman seems to forget his own legacy
On the set of Torchwood, Barrowman repeatedly exposed himself. Speaking to The Guardian, he admitted to “‘tomfoolery’ that he now understood upset colleagues, but stressed it was never intended or interpreted as sexual in nature.” It was something that he apologized for. “With the benefit of hindsight,” Barrowman clarified in a statement, “I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behavior and I have apologized for this previously. Since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behavior have also changed.”
Barrowman apologizing for his actions doesn’t mean he should then get asked back. Feeling bad doesn’t mean he’s absolved. More than that, he isn’t the important person to come back in this specific era of Doctor Who.
The show is not about Captain Jack Harkness. This isn’t the 60th anniversary of Torchwood. He wasn’t a part of the Doctor and Donna era that is being explored in these specials, so this response is petty and is just Barrowman being angry that he is no longer welcome as part of the series because of his actions.
Barrowman shouldn’t be a part of the specials and it’s great that he’s clearly not there! Sorry that made him mad, but I am excited for the future of the series with a new actor taking on the role of the Doctor in Ncuti Gatwa. His pettiness is not important, and it just makes this video sad.
(featured image: BBC)
