Davies hails Captain Jack's sexuality

Russell T. Davies has hailed the importance of bisexual character Captain Jack Harkness on primetime British television.

The Doctor Who showrunner told the New York Times that the presentation of Captain Jack, first seen in 2005 story 'The Empty Child', opposes the usual depiction of bisexuality on television.

"I thought: 'It’s time you introduce bisexuals properly into mainstream television,'" he said. "The most boring drama would be - 'Oh, I'm bisexual, oh my bleeding heart' nighttime drama. Tedious, dull. But if you say it’s a bisexual space pirate swaggering in with guns and attitude and cheek and humour into primetime family viewing - that was enormously attractive to me."

Davies added: "I often get asked to write dramas or films about a man coming out of the closet to his wife, or a man coming out of the closet to his children, or a man who's beaten up because he’s secretly gay. I always refuse if it's a negative take on homosexuality - if the only aspect being portrayed is the trouble, the tears and the angst."

There are strong rumours that Captain Jack, last seen in spinoff show Torchwood, will return to Doctor Who for the finale of the current fourth season.