'Doctor Who: Revolution Of The Daleks' Teaser Reveals The Return Of A Familiar Face In The Holiday Special

Jack is back! On the 57th anniversary of the Doctor Who premiere, the beloved BBC sci-fi show finally released a teaser for its upcoming holiday special with one whopper of a reveal: Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman for four seasons on the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood and in recurring appearances on the flagship show, is back, baby. What else do we know about "Revolution of the Daleks," the upcoming festive special that may be released either this Christmas or New Year? Very little else. But check out the new Doctor Who "Revolution of the Daleks" teaser and get a glimpse of Jack's old mug once again.

Doctor Who Revolution of the Daleks Teaser

"Oh, I've missed that sound," Captain Jack says in the "Revolution of the Daleks" teaser with a wide grin, at the sound of the TARDIS' familiar "vworp vworp" sound the space and time machine makes when it lands. So have we, Jack. It's been eight months since Doctor Who was last on the air, and that absence may stretch on even longer, if the "festive special" premieres on New Year's Day instead of the traditional Christmas Day slot it has occupied since 2005.

Of course, we don't know anything yet about "Revolution of the Daleks," apart from Captain Jack's return, which is revealed in the above clip — though Jack's appearance was widely speculated since he appeared briefly in a season 12 episode (and frustratingly, never met with the Doctor herself). And with current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall's past as head writer for Torchwood, it's no surprise that he wanted to bring Barrowman back (after eight years away from the character!) for another stint in the TARDIS. The real question is whether this is just a one-off appearance or if we'll finally get to see Jack be a permanent member of Team TARDIS, especially with two of the Thirteenth Doctor's (Jodie Whittaker) companions reportedly leaving soon.

"A Doctor Who Festive Special means treats galore, and there's no bigger treat than the return of John Barrowman to Doctor Who, for an epic and emotional feature-length episode," Chibnall said in a statement. "If anyone can blast away the sheer rubbishness of 2020, it's Captain Jack. Daleks beware!"

But no one is more excited about Jack's return than Barrowman, who has been teasing his appearance in the Doctor Who special for months, and enthusiastically added, "Putting on Jack's coat and setting foot back on the set of Doctor Who was just like going back home. It's always thrilling to play Captain Jack. He's a character very close to my heart who changed my life, and to know the fans love him as much as I do makes his return even sweeter. I hope everyone enjoys Jack's Heroic adventure with Thirteen."

The synopsis for "Revolution of the Daleks" says, "Captain Jack will be on hand to help 'the fam' as they discover a disturbing plan forming involving one of the Doctor's most feared and dangerous enemies, the Daleks. With the Thirteenth Doctor locked away in a space prison, will Captain Jack be able to help save planet Earth?"

BBC also debuted a new poster for the upcoming special, which shows the Doctor in her prison uniform, Captain Jack looking very cool, and those old familiar foes, the Daleks, with their new designs. See the poster below.