An upcoming Torchwood audiobook featuring John Barrowman has been pulled from the release schedule, following sexual harassment allegations against the Doctor Who alumni.

The announcement comes from the producers of the Doctor Who audiobooks, Big Finish. The audiobook was originally scheduled for release May 2021, but the project has been shelved with no plans to feature it in the future. "Big Finish has taken the decision to remove Torchwood: Absent Friends from the Monthly Range release schedule and has no plans to publish this title at this time," said the production company.

The decision follows recent allegations against Barrowman, who plays Captain Jack Harkness in the series, for having exposed himself regularly during his time on the set of Doctor Who, though Big Finish did not directly state that this was the reasoning for the removal of the audiobook. Big Finish has also pulled any promotional materials for the audiobook and removed the official description from their website.

The Torchwood: Absent Friends audiobook would have featured Barrowman and David Tennant reprising their roles as Captain Jack Harkness and the Tenth Doctor, respectively, reuniting after the actors' time on Doctor Who and Torchwood. The audiobook would have explored the city of Cardiff, plagued by the voices of the dead. The reuniting of the two characters was commonly requested by fans, though following Barrowman's allegations it's unlikely that any such release will happen.

The allegations against Barrowman emerged after allegations against fellow Doctor Who actor, Noel Clarke, who played Mickey Smith between 2005 and 2010, resurfaced. When several women who had worked on Doctor Who spoke to The Guardian about Clarke's on-set actions and sexually predatory behavior, Barrowman's behavior was brought up as well. It was alleged that Barrowman would regularly "get his genitals out on a regular basis" and that "it was kind of accepted it was his thing." In a statement to The Guardian, Barrowman said that his behavior was "only ever intended in good humor to entertain colleagues on set and backstage."

"With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behavior and I have apologized for this previously. Since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behavior have also changed," Barrowman added, speaking of a 2008 apology for pulling his pants down during a BBC Radio 1 interview.

Big Finish has confirmed that any bundle pre-orders for the monthly range of Torchwood stories that featured the episode would instead feature an alternate title in place of Absent Friends and that any listener who has pre-ordered the title individually can request a refund by contacting Sales via bigfinish.com/contact.

Source: RadioTimes, Big Finish