Torchwood John Barrowman reveals Torchwood's new secrets

John Barrowman returns as Captain Jack Harkness in five new episodes of Torchwood to be shown over one week. Here he tells What's On TV what we can expect in the latest adventure, Children Of Earth...

Can you set the scene for the first episode?
"I don't want to give too much away. But Torchwood is confronted with an awful situation – children are stopping in their tracks all over the world, making freaky noises. The frozen children start chanting 'We are coming' in unison and it's Torchwood's job to find out what's going on. The childrens' parents are beside themselves of course and it becomes us-and-them situation with the government."

How is this series different from previous series of Torchwood?
"For series one we were a newborn learning to crawl, in the second we were walking, but in this third series we're running. We've really found our feet. We still have the alien intervention, but we're more of a thriller drama and a lot darker."

The time we see a side to Jack that we hadn't been aware of before…
"That's right. Jack has a daughter and a grandson. That's really all I can say as it adds more depth to Jack and makes his decisions feel more weighty."

Bearing in mind Jack is a sci-fi character that can't die – how does it affect him meeting his daughter and grandson?
"One thing we know about Jack from previous episodes is that he watched his wife die. He watches people he loves get taken from him and that's really hard for him. Gwen has given him a reason to go on. But no one wants to outlive their children, do they? So to play the scene with my daughter was great, but I've had other stories where Jack's met people that have aged when he hasn't."

Did you play Jack any differently this time?
"No. I'm not one of those actors who mulls over things. I'm a huge science fiction fan anyway, so it's easy for me to escape into a fantasy role in any way that's needed. When I put on that coat and boots I'm Jack, not John."

Is there a ruthless side to Jack?
"Absolutely! I've said this from day one, the wonderful thing is that Jack is so determined, ruthless and focused. His objective is to save the planet. So if there's an evil alien inside you, I would shoot you. Gwen makes him see the other side – for example if a human has been taken over by an alien, she wants him to remember that."

How did you feel when you read that the beloved Torchwood base gets blown up?
"I really wanted to turn the page of my script to see what happens! But I can't tell you the secret behind it."

There were only three members of Torchwood this time – was that strange for you?
"With just three of us it's a new look at the team and that's exciting, but we do miss the others – Tosh and Owen - who died in the last series."

Is this your dream job?
"I love what I do, I get a thrill out of it. It's being a little boy living out his fantasy dream. This year my family will be over from the US watching it with me – that's what it is - family event television. I'm so excited."

Do you like Jack's outfits?
"I love them and have my own Captain Jack outfit that I wear around Cardiff. I'm not kidding!"

Being only five episodes long, has this series given you more time for other projects?
"Not really. Last year I got offered two series for American shows, but I turned them down because of my commitments here. It's gone to five because it has to make an impact on BBC1. It has to be an event. We're so happy with this, it's a brilliant piece of TV.

Torchwood will be shown on BBC1 every evening at 9pm from Monday July 6 until Friday July 10.