Excited as fans are to have former 'Doctor Who' stars David Tennant and Billie Piper reprising their fan-favorite roles for the series' upcoming 50th anniversary special, there can be no exaggerating the disappointment that John Barrowman's 'Torchwood' character Jack Harkness won't return as well. The actor has offered new clarification why Captain Jack won't reunite with The Doctor anytime soon, but do we believe him?

'Torchwood's Captain Jack Harkness may not return for the upcoming 'Doctor Who' 50th anniversary special, but actor John Barrowman ('Arrow') wants fans to know it has nothing to do with his schedule, or lack of interest in returning to the franchise. Barrowman spoke out to TVLine recently, clarifying the far simpler reasons Jack Harkness wouldn't take part in the upcoming special, in which a number of familiar faces are expected to appear:

Everyone on Twitter tries to make it like it’s my decision, but the bottom line is I was not asked. [The Powers That Be] don’t want to put Jack in it. And I know fans are really upset about it, as was I.

People have tried to say it’s my schedule; it’s absolutely not. I was told by the producers of Arrow that if I was asked to do the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who they’d let me go and do it. It was nothing to do with my schedule. It’s just a matter of fact that I wasn’t asked.

Not to besmirch producers of the long-running sci-fi series, Barrowman added, “I understand why they did it. They want to move forward, they want to try some different things… I know from how [former EP exec 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 be just for the uber fan, it would be for everybody. So perhaps that’s the thinking they had. I don’t know.”

Of course, we wouldn't put it past Barrowman or the 'Doctor Who' folk to pull an elaborate con in order to keep certain secrets under wraps, but what say you? Are you disappointed John Barrowman's Captain Jack Harkness won't don the coat for a 'Doctor Who' 50th anniversary special? What characters would you like to see return?

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