The cries of Whovians echoed around the globe the day John Barrowman confirmed he would play no part in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, despite original speculations (and hopes). And now it turns out, Barrowman himself was crying with us!
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Barrowman, who has appeared as Captain Jack Harness in Doctor Who in various episodes from 2005 to 2010, and also starred in spinoff Torchwood, has now revealed it was not his decision not to take part, nor was it due to scheduling commitments with the filming of Arrow or his recent guest spot in Scandal, but that “it’s just a matter of fact that I wasn’t asked.” He went on to say that he was “really upset” not to have been approached to appear in the show, but understood the decision, saying, “I understand why they did it. They want to move forward, they want to try some different things… I know from how [former executive producer Russell T. Davies] approached things, they’re not doing [the special] just for the uber fan; they’re doing it for the wider audience. And if they’re going to bring a character back it wouldn’t just be for the uber fan, it would be for everybody. So perhaps that’s the thinking they had. I don’t know.”