The Doctor Who Holiday Special may have teased the return of Torchwood. The first successful Doctor Who spinoff, Torchwood was launched by Russell T. Davies back in 2006. The show starred John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and Eve Myles as his colleague Gwen, as the two led a secretive organization dedicated to protecting the Earth from alien threats.
The last season of Torchwood aired in 2011, with the show coming to an abrupt end because Davies - who had filmed season 4 in Los Angeles - had to return to the U.K. when his husband Andrew Smith was tragically diagnosed with brain cancer. Barrowman himself hinted at some sort of office politics in the BBC that were getting in the way, telling the Radio Times, "there’s just certain egos in the path that are just standing in the way." When Barrowman returned in Doctor Who season 12, he suggested current showrunner Chris Chibnall could potentially resurrect Torchwood even now.
The Doctor Who Holiday Special may well have subtly set that up. It featured another cameo from Captain Jack himself, of course, but more importantly, the final scenes teased a reunion between Jack and Gwen. "Sorry, lost track of time," Jack told the Doctor in a farewell phone call. "Gwen Cooper sends her love by the way – says she took out a Dalek with a moped and her son’s boxing gloves!" It's a hilarious comment, pointing either to Gwen's resourcefulness or the fact these new Daleks were only 3D-printed and thus weren't quite so formidable as the traditional Daleks. "Anyway, I’m gonna stick around on Earth and catch up with her," Jack continued. "I’ll call you."
Current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall was actually involved in Torchwood, even serving as the show's head writer for a time. He left after Torchwood season 2 in order to pursue other opportunities, but Chibnall has always spoken highly of the spinoff series. As he told Starburst in one interview, "[Torchwood] has an essence – of madness and cheekiness and sexiness, and fun and darkness, those sort of polar facets of what it’s about, of putting those things together." Given Chibnall's love for Torchwood, Captain Jack's return during his run should be seen as no surprise, and it would also be perfectly fitting for him to bring it back.
The Doctor Who 2019 New Year Special revealed Earth is a lot less well-defended than it used to be, with a crucial organization named UNIT shut down. Given UNIT's absence, Earth could really do with a revived Torchwood - and it would be great to check in on Gwen Cooper, especially given she apparently now has a son as well.
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