John Barrowman owns a Dalek he can ride around his house.

John Barrowman

John Barrowman

The 49-year-old actor played Captain Jack Harkness in 'Doctor Who' and spin-off 'Torchwood' and fell in love with the sci-fi series so much he splashed out on one of the fictional extra-terrestrials, but insists the item is too precious for him to speed around his property on.

He said: "Playing time-travelling Captain Jack Harkness in 'Doctor Who' changed my life forever, and a Dalek from the show takes pride of place in our living room.

"It's fully animatronic - if I wanted to I could sit in it and ride around the house. Rest assured I don't, but it's very precious to me and if anybody touches it, they're told to, 'Get off!' "

The star spent a fortune on the Dalek, admitting it cost the same amount as a "nice" family car before forking out more of his 'Doctor Who' pay to have the piece shipped over to the US.

Speaking to Weekend magazine, he added: "I bought it from the BBC - it was the price of a nice family saloon but it was worth every penny - and then had it shipped over to the States."

John teased in May that he could be set to return to the hit sci-fi series - which currently sees Peter Capaldi play the titular Time Lord - and would love it if he got asked back on the show.

Speaking about a possible comeback, he said: "I'd love to, keep watching. Keep watching, I've love to! I don't know! It's not up to me ... but keep watching!"

The actor made his first appearance in 'Doctor Who' in 2005, and then in spin-off show 'Torchwood', and continued to make cameos in both programmes until 2013.