If you’ve been keeping up with the most recent season of British sci-fi series Doctor Who, you’ll know that a classic character made a welcome return to our screens for the first time in many, many years. The show itself has been running since the 1960s, and Captain Jack hasn’t been around that whole time, but ever since 2005’s ‘The Empty Child’ his flamboyant charm has enthralled audiences.
His trademark wit and brash braveness have also afforded him the ability to carry out a fair few shameless deeds. We’ve collected ten of the most shameless Captain Jack Harkness has ever done.
Switched On Big Ben
Back in that very first Captain Jack episode, he meets Rose Tyler long before he meets the Doctor for the first time. He is convinced that she is a Time Agent, and while the Doctor is off desperately trying to stop people from turning into gas mask covered zombie aliens, he is on top of a spaceship trying to impress the Londoner.
While standing up on the invisible ship, Rose asks what time it is. Rather than checking his watch, Jack gives Big Ben a quick zap, lighting up its clockface and making it sing the time. If that isn’t a bold thing to do during a German air raid, I don’t know what is.
Kept Flirting With Rose (And The Doctor)
His illumination of Big Ben was all part of Jack’s attempt to flirt with Rose. Non-stop. The entire scene that shows them together in ‘The Empty Child’ is just him endlessly flirting before the Doctor shows up and he switches his flirtatious tactics over to him.
Then comes a very similar treatment of Martha, Donna, and Mickey in later seasons. Having said that, Jack was a landmark in British television, handing over prime time slots to a very openly pansexual character, who is being portrayed in a very positive light.
Almost Had Body Surgery
In the episode at the end of season 1, Jack is captured by a robot TV show and undergoes a particularly dramatic makeover. They zap his clothes straight off in front of millions of viewers, and he doesn’t blink an eye. Then despite being surrounded by creepy robots trying to change his look, he wanders around flexing and smiling, loving every minute of it.
For some reason, he isn’t at all suspicious when they ask if he has ever considered cosmetic surgery, but things go a little far when they start trying to give him a dog’s head. It seems that a replacement head is where the very shameless Jack draws the line.
Became Immortal
Maybe this doesn’t count as being shameless because it wasn’t really his fault, but it still makes up a major part of his personality. When Rose Tyler became possessed by the Bad Wolf, she was infected by the Time Vortex.
When Jack was ‘killed’, the incredibly powerful Rose was not only able to resurrect him but also gave him the ability to cheat death forever. I guess it is pretty shameless to be immortal, right?
And Used It To Accept ‘Death’
Whether or not actually being immortal is shameless or not, it certainly made Jack do some particularly bold things. Remember that time he literally held on to the outside of the Tardis as it sped towards the end of the universe and came out of it unscathed?
Or towards the end of season 4 when he allowed himself to be shot by a Dalek (making everyone think he was dead) and then casually got up as if nothing had ever happened. Both of those death-defying stunts certainly seem like manically bold moves from the time traveler.
Revealed That He Was The Face Of Boe
The Face Of Boe was introduced as a quiet, soft-spoken, kind massive head in a jar. Quite the juxtaposition. He seems to travel around in the very distant future, being kept alive after living an incredibly long life. While sitting around Cardiff Bay, Jack decides to head off. “The Face Of Boe, they called me,” he said completely casually.
Of course, the present version of Jack was just remembering a childhood nickname, but to the Doctor, this was an incredible revelation about his old friend. Why The Face Of Boe never mentioned this to the Doctor is unclear, but it’s still an astonishingly good reveal.
Joined A Travelling Show
Of course, Captain Jack Harkness was a highly trained operative for the Torchwood Institute. As he was so popular with fans, he ended up with his own show (Torchwood), which allowed him to explore alien lands with a much more adult vibe than the main Doctor Who series.
Within that series, the episode ‘From Out Of The Rain’ saw Jack join a traveling show, where he was known as ‘The Man Who Couldn’t Die’. The title really does what it says on the tin, and Jack was basically just used for the spectacle of his immortality. Going through with such humiliation was one of his most shameless moments.
Watched Rose Grow Up
During the episode ‘Utopia’, just after Jack is done holding on to the outside of the Tardis as it pings its way across time and space, he drops a massive bombshell. Apparently he had gone to the London estate where Rose Tyler grew up with her mum Jackie to watch Rose for a while.
He stayed in the shadows and didn’t interact with her to avoid disrupting the timeline, but this is an incredibly risky move. What if he had put one foot wrong and accidentally impacted her future?
Approached Alonso
Jack was never one to shy away from a situation, and very quickly established himself as someone who rather liked to flirt. As the 10th Doctor wandered his way through past companions saying his goodbyes, he hands Jack a note explaining that the guy sitting next to him is called Alonso.
Ever the shameless flirt, Jack simply turns straight to him and reveals that he knows his name. Also, in a nice call-back reference, Alonso was in the Christmas special ‘Voyage Of The Damned’.
Assumed That Graham Was The Doctor
Even though Doctor Who has taken a tumble in terms of quality and viewing figures in recent seasons, there are still some standout moments. Bradley Walsh is one of the 13th Doctor’s companions, Graham, and he bumps into Captain Jack onboard a spaceship.
This marks Jack’s first appearance in many years. As soon as he sees Graham, he assumes that he is the Doctor, and walks over without a second thought to kiss him. Without much confirmation of the situation, this is an impressively shameless move.
