Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in the long-running
British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood.
He first appears in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappears throughout
the rest of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the series'
protagonist, "the Doctor". Jack goes on to become the central character in Torchwood,
an adult-themed spin-off of Doctor Who. He returns in the 2007 series of Doctor Who,
reuniting with a tenth incarnation of the Doctor, and is set to return again for
the 2008 series.
In the programme's narrative, Jack is a time traveller and former con man from the
51st century. A bisexual, he is the first openly non-heterosexual character in the
history of Doctor Who. In contrast to the wiser and older Doctor, Jack is more a
man of action, more willing to see the hands-on solution to the problem at hand.
As a consequence of his death and resurrection in the 2005 series finale of Doctor
Who, the character becomes immortal, a lasting change throughout his appearances
in both series. Adding another layer to the character is a vague backstory which
is gradually revealed as both programmes progress.
The popularity of the character amongst multiple demographics directly influenced
the development of the spin-off series Torchwood, in which Jack is the lead amongst
an ensemble cast. The character became a figure of the British public consciousness,
rapidly gaining fame for portrayor John Barrowman. As an ongoing depiction of bisexuality
in mainstream British television, the character became a role model for gay and bisexual
young people in the UK. Jack is featured in the pages of various Doctor Who and Torchwood
books, as well as having children's action figures created in his likeness from early
appearances in Doctor Who.
