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John Barrowman hopes new Torchwood comic could pave way for TV return

“We want to put Torchwood back on the screen, and the fans need to know that now,” John Barrowman tells Red Alert. “That’s why we’re doing this [comic]. I want Captain Jack back on screen. Fans want him. I think somebody missed a trick when they didn’t continue with it. All I’ll say is I have a phone call, and I’m speaking with somebody about the future…”

While we cross our fingers, there’s the small matter of that aforementioned comic, which Barrowman has written with his sister Carole. The duo previously collaborated on Torchwood novel Exodus Code, and the new story picks up after that. “We said, ‘If we’re going to create the new Torchwood, let’s take the core team who are left,’” explains John, “and that’s Jack, Gwen and Rhys. They’re the soul of the story moving forward, but we’re bringing new people into it.”

As for the opportunity to venture into storytelling arenas impossible on a TV budget… “It’s pretty darn cool,” says Carole. “One thing I take from Russell [T Davies] is you write it like it’s a feature film, and then you start cutting back,” adds John. “With this the artists just need to figure out how to make it work and look good. That’s the beauty of doing comics.”

Torchwood is out now from Titan Comics.