Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by
John Barrowman in
Doctor Who and its spin-off series,
Torchwood. The character first appears in the 2005
Doctor Who episode "
The Empty Child" and subsequently features in the remaining episodes of the
2005 series as a
companion to the series' protagonist,
the Doctor. Subsequent to this, Jack became the central character in the adult-themed
Torchwood, which aired from 2006 to 2011. Barrowman also reprised the role for guest appearances in
Doctor Who in its
2007 series and
2008 series, as well as the two part special
The End of Time.