Captain Jack Harkness is back next summer, alongside a few old friends – and no, we’re not talking about Torchwood!
Big Finish’s The Lives of Captain Jack catches up with John Barrowman’s character in the wake of a couple of momentous adventures, Bad Wolf/ The Parting of the Ways, and The End of Time. These are particularly intriguing times because we’ve never properly explored what happened between Series 1’s end and the beginning of Torchwood, or indeed what the heck the Doctor was thinking when he revisited his former companions before regenerating.
Barrowman naturally returns for this very special audio set, but we’re also very pleased to have Camille Coduri (aka Jackie Tyler) and Russell Tovey, who played Midshipman Frame in Voyage of the Damned and The End of Time. Here’s the synopsis for this four-story release:
1. The Year After I Died by Guy Adams
Set in the year 200,101, on an Earth ravaged by the Daleks, Jack struggles to save humanity from its oldest enemy.
2. Wednesdays For Beginners by James Goss
Jack and Jackie Tyler must unite to rescue the Powell Estate from a force whose name Jackie can never say.
3. One Enchanted Evening by James Goss
Captain Jack and Alonso Frame have only just met. But why did the Doctor want them to be together?
4. Month 25 by Guy Adams
He’s the young star of the Time Agency, and his whole life is about to fall apart. But that’s not going to stop him winning.
They all sound very interesting, don’t they? It’ll be great having Jack meet Jackie (presumably, this is before The Stolen Earth/ Journey’s End), and perhaps Month 25 will shed light on exactly why the Time Agency stole Harkness’ memories, as revealed in The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances.
And the ending of The End of Time never sat well with me, so hopefully Big Finish will right this wrong. At the end of his tenth incarnation, the Doctor saved Martha and Mickey from a Sontaran, rescued Luke Smith from an oncoming car (look both ways before crossing the road, kids!), made sure someone he hurt ended up having a happy life, and left a note to Jack that basically read, “Here ya go, mate. Have some sex.”
Very uncharacteristic. And after the events of Children of Earth, surely something more reassuring from the Doctor would’ve been better? A nice chat about morality, not a one-night stand.
Producer and co-writer, James Goss says:
“The Lives of Captain Jack features just four adventures from his incredibly long existence. It takes us from the year 200,101; to the Powell Estate; to the Time Agency and to an enchanted evening with Jack and Alonso Frame. John was an utter delight throughout, and the day with him and Camille may have been one of the happiest in my life.”
The cast also includes Katy Manning (sadly not as Jo Grant), Alexander Vlahos (Big Finish’s Dorian Gray), and Christel Dee (Doctor Who: The Fan Show).
The Lives of Captain Jack will be released in June 2017, and is available on pre-order: it’s £25 on CD or £20 as a download. The exclusive Big Finish pre-release prices arebeing held until the set’s general release at the end of August 2017. And yes, that’s a while away.
