Doctor Who: Scavenger

Writer: William Gallagher
Director: Nicholas Briggs
Script Editor: Alan Barnes
Cover Illustration: Damien May
Music: Howard Carter
Sound Design: Neil Gardner
Producer: David Richardson

Starring Colin Baker & Lisa Greenwood
Released March 2014

A sense of finality hangs over Scavenger. The last in the second trilogy of releases starring Colin Baker and Lisa Greenwood, it appears to have been designed as the conclusion to a number of ongoing stories.

Principally, Scavenger foregrounds the sixth Doctor's latest accomplice Flip (Greenwood). They are separated early on, never to meet again thanks to the faith each has in the other, putting everyone else first before working their way back together. This is one of the deepest dives into Flip's character, and definitely the deepest since The Curse of Davros, her debut proper. We don't just learn about her family, but why it matters - and why it matters to her. I sense script editor Alan Barnes' guiding hand in these sections, but they are well-tempered such that they don't become an overload of information and remain relevant to the story's themes.

Scavenger is a very hardware-heavy story that begins in the near future with the launch of the Clean Up Space 2071 programme and various perspectives on it as a space craft, You Only Live Twice-style, swallows up junk lingering near Earth. This makes for an intriguing first episode and it's actually a bit of a disappointment when the titular craft shows up and the story seems to simplify with a common enemy to fight. The story also looks at the relationship between India and Britain in the near future, chiefly through the characters of mission controller Salim and obstructive bureaucrat Jessica Allaway. But India's inclusion isn't as throwaway as director Nick Briggs suggests in the interviews at the end of the story. It is embedded throughout and writer William Gallagher cleverly weaves the myth of Anarkali into the backstory of Scavenger, and uses it to drive the plot forward.

Briggs, sound designer Neil Gardner and composer Howard Carter combine to create a relentless story that, even split into four instalments, will leave you short of breath. This is well-cast, with Anjli Mohindra brilliant as Jyoti, and maintains the tension, if not always building on it, across its two hours; not an easy feat. And it seems The Widow's Assassin comes next for the sixth Doctor, a story I've been looking forward to for years.

Not unlike its namesake vessel, Scavenger demands your attention from start to finish. But it rewards in spades with easily the most competent and enjoyable story from this second Colin Baker/Lisa Greenwood trilogy. William Gallagher's sophomore story set in Earth's near future isn't as strong but his interest in the exploration of cultures and technology, and how they affect each other, remains true. A very solid script, well-realised. Can't ask for much more than that.

Torchwood: More Than This

Writer: Guy Adams
Director: Scott Handcock
Script Editor: Steve Tribe
Cover Illustration: Lee Binding
Music: Blair Mowat
Sound Design: Neil Gardner
Producer: James Goss

Starring Eve Myles with Tom Price
Released February 2016

Featuring a member of the regular cast leading an unsuspecting outsider through a day in the bloody life of Torchwood after they're forced together, More Than This is a precursor to many of the following few years' worth of single-disc audios. And a particularly good one at that.

The story begins with Gwen, following the events of Forgotten Lives, trying to get the Hub in Cardiff Bay rebuilt, which has led her to the planning department of the council and specifically Roger Pugh. Not prepared to wait untold months, she cuts to the chase and gives him a taste of why it is so vital Torchwood has proper facilities, rather than the plot being used for a multi-storey car park.

Guy Adams gives Roger and Gwen a full run of the emotional spectrum, from the witty opening to breakneck lurching between alien incursions to a tender graveside conclusion. The pair are perfectly-matched opposites and Adams gives Roger just the right balance of awe, ability and appeal. Gwen has always come across as quite abrasive, and this is no different, but you can't argue she doesn't get results. The sequence in the University is the highlight for both characters, and the listener is left regretful that it's unlikely Roger will ever appear again.

Top marks on the production side. So immersive are the story and its realisation that, occasional interruptions from Andy Davidson aside, it's easy not to notice this is another two-hander. Exceptional direction, sound design and score complete another polished product.

Even though More Than This is essentially the answer to a question that hasn't been asked yet (how did Gwen rebuild the Hub?) it is more than entertaining enough to justify its existence. It's a storming Torchwood debut for Guy Adams, and another step up for Eve Myles. The star, though, has to be Richard Nichols as Roger. This is quite deliberately Roger's story and Nichols delivers in spades. I'm going to run out of superlatives for these soon; rest assured More Than This is another excellent addition to the series.

Torchwood: Uncanny Valley

Writer: David Llewellyn
Director: Neil Gardner
Script Editor: Steve Tribe
Cover Illustration: Lee Binding
Music: Blair Mowat
Sound Design: Neil Gardner
Producer: James Goss

Starring John Barrowman
Released January 2016

Five releases in and it seems this line of single-disc Torchwood stories from Big Finish Productions can do no wrong. Uncanny Valley is another enjoyable hour or so in the company of an interesting concept, a comprehensive script and strong performances.

I do enjoy the stories that take an idea and fit Torchwood around them, rather than the other way around. A robotic clone going rogue is not a new wheeze but writer David Llewellyn's skilful execution ably keeps the listener's attention as we're introduced to Neil and NJ, learn how this situation came to be and deal with the threat head on.

Neil (Steven Cree) is a billionaire who made his fortune in software and technology development before a car crash meant he would never walk again. It was at this stage that a mysterious woman entered his life and offered him something he never thought would be possible. Llewellyn's tightly-plotted story joins the dots for listeners while keeping them believably disparate for Neil, until Jack Harkness shows up and begins to help him see the bigger picture. The resolution is effective and thought-provoking. The question of what would have happened if Jack hadn't turned up is implicitly raised, without any easy answers.

Cree and Barrowman carry almost the entirety of this story, and both are excellent, especially the former in his double role. The behind-the-scenes chat after the story ends is particularly enjoyable here, Barrowman and Cree sharing an easy chemistry than translates well into Jack and Neil.

As in The Conspiracy, David Llewellyn takes things a step beyond just raising the idea of the Committee and makes them an active participant, (re-)shaping the world from behind the curtain. This really adds to the impact of the organisation, who we have had barely any direct contact with - cleverly tied into Uncanny Valley - and just builds anticipation for their eventual appearance. Neil Gardner directs this story with a light touch, ensuring the performances, sound design and music all complement each other well.

Uncanny Valley is another showcase piece for one of the shining jewels in Big Finish's crown. It may as well be taken as read that this comes highly recommended.

Torchwood: One Rule

Writer: Joseph Lidster
Director: Barnaby Edwards
Script Editor: Steve Tribe
Cover Illustration: Lee Binding
Music: Blair Mowat
Sound Design: Neil Gardner
Producer: James Goss

Starring Tracy-Ann Oberman
Released December 2015

Just four releases in, the Big Finish era of Torchwood delivers its first classic as it turns its attentions to a character who never appeared in the TV series. The head of Torchwood One before being upgraded into a Cyberman in the Doctor Who story Doomsday, Yvonne Hartman was a character fans wished they'd seen more of and even writer Russell T Davies wished he hadn't killed her off.

Joseph Lidster, a veteran of TV Torchwood himself, gives us a story set before all of that, in the wake of the Auton invasion of Rose. After what seems like a chance meeting in Cardiff, Yvonne becomes involved in the world of local politics: a creature is roaming the streets, killing anyone in the running to be Mayor.

One of the best decisions taken with this story was to set it over the course of one evening, and into the small hours of the next morning. There is a real sense of escalation as we're dragged from restaurant to pub to nightclub and eventually, as with all good nights out, back to a bloke's flat. As sound as this is as an idea, the execution is even better. Lidster has such a solid grasp on the character of Yvonne that, combined with a glorious performance from Tracy-Ann Oberman, it's easy to see why she quickly received her own spin-off and was brought into the Aliens Among Us/God Among Us series, picking up where the TV show left off.

It's not a pretty picture that the script and director Barnaby Edwards paint of Cardiff but it's a tempting one. Yvonne's disdain for the city soon evaporates but she still has an answer for everything it throws at her. The world Lidster creates is such fun to spend an hour in that the fact there's really only one character who could be behind the murders is immaterial. The guest characters become more interesting the more we learn about them, revealing themselves to be deeper - or shallower - than it first seems.

The production values of this release are excellent, and there is a slightly different emphasis to this compared to the previous three Scott Handcock-directed stories. The Committee are once again revealed to be the puppet masters, but with a lighter touch this time. As with Gwen in Forgotten Lives, Yvonne is well aware of the Committee, which begs the question of why Jack is only just beginning to investigate them in 2008/09 (The Conspiracy).

One Rule is a standout release in the Big Finish catalogue and a great gateway release for Doctor Who fans unfamiliar or not that fond of Torchwood's television incarnation. Fun but with a darker core, this grows better with every listen: essential.

Torchwood: Forgotten Lives

Writer: Emma Reeves
Director: Scott Handcock
Script Editor: Steve Tribe
Cover Illustration: Lee Binding
Music: Blair Mowat
Sound Design: Neil Gardner
Producer: James Goss

Starring Eve Myles & Kai Owen
Released November 2015

The third entry in Big Finish Productions' Torchwood audio series picks up with husband and wife Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams, five years after the events of final TV series Miracle Day.

Forgotten Lives feels like it wants to be intimate and thoughtful as it lines up a care home of elderly dementia sufferers as the targets of a mind-swapping species. The story as executed is too broad for that, however, and is more memorable for scenes of an old man snogging both Gwen and Rhys than it is for any deeper commentary.

On TV, Rhys was the everyman to the exaggerated, unhinged world of Torchwood. He was treated appallingly by Gwen as she lied to him and cheated on him but he stood by her and it seems to have paid off, with this older Gwen much more stable and mature. Catching up with the pair at this point in their timeline was a good decision and allows them some breathing space to reflect on their old lives for the first time in a while. The fact that even Rhys is up for revisiting Torchwood on a more permanent basis at the end of the story says a lot, and leaves an intriguing question mark over what happens next. It turned out that the superb Aliens Among Us was what.

The guest cast, particularly Sean Carlsen as care worker Gary, support the leads ably but the real star of the show is Kai Owen as Rhys. He doesn't miss a beat and huge credit to him for his credible, measured performance when Rhys is possessed. As Gwen, Eve Myles is on slightly shakier ground but manages to capture a recognisable snapshot of the character. Later stories, including More Than This and Believe, will see her much more at ease with the role, but it's great an actor in such high demand can still find the time to do these stories.

In the end, Forgotten Lives tries to pull in too many directions and ends up feeling unfocused. Perhaps it's just a consequence of following two such tight scripts in The Conspiracy and Fall to Earth but as a reintroduction to the mad world of Torchwood for Gwen and Rhys it arguably succeeds. However while the larger cast and variety of locations might suggest a bigger scale, it loses some of the impact of its predecessors and feels like it's treading water around the halfway mark. For another hour in the company of Rhys (and Gwen I suppose) though, Forgotten Lives balances out as a fairly average release.

Torchwood: Fall to Earth

Writer: James Goss
Director: Scott Handcock
Script Editor: Steve Tribe
Cover Illustration: Lee Binding
Music: Blair Mowat
Sound Design: Neil Gardner
Producer: James Goss

Starring Gareth David-Lloyd
Released October 2015

After the paranoid intrigue of The Conspiracy, writer/producer James Goss takes Torchwood in a completely different direction with an episode comprised entirely of a cold call Ianto receives whilst on a crashing spaceship.

Wanting to prove to the rest of Torchwood that he does deserve his place on the team after the revelations about his ex Lisa, Ianto has got himself aboard the star-studded first commercial space flight, only something's gone wrong and now the SkyPuncher is plummeting back to Earth.

Goss' script is typically witty, inventive and gripping in equal measure. Using only Ianto and Turkish phone operator Zeynep, Goss paints a vivid picture as the situation somehow grows increasingly dire and director Scott Handcock effectively sustains and defuses tension across the course of Fall to Earth's hour-long runtime. And The Committee are revealed to be pulling the strings once again, this time with billionaire Ephraim Salt, Torchwood's answer to Richard Branson, in the crosshairs. Not satisfied with simply killing him, they murder him on his own plane during his highest-profile event and then use it to take out his satellite and one of his call centres for good measure. If that doesn't say James Goss, I don't know what does.

While Lisa Zahra is flawless as Zeynep, Gareth David-Lloyd fares less well. Although this is an extreme situation and Ianto is way out of his depth, David-Lloyd gives one of his most deficient performances, on audio at least, sounding out of step with the rest of the production and frequently missing the emphasis of lines. But maybe I'm biased; Ianto was never my favourite on TV and the news of his return did little for me. Happily, he becomes increasingly likeable, and David-Lloyd more assured, with successive releases. It's hardly surprising that it takes a bit of time to get back up to speed after more than six years away from the part, and this script really does throw Ianto in at the deep end.

In total, Fall to Earth is an excellent second entry to this series and, in its two-hander, real time presentation, serves as the holotype for much of the range. Once again the production values are first-rate and help to sell the unlikely situation one of Torchwood's most beloved staff finds himself in. Highly recommended.

Torchwood: The Conspiracy

Writer: David Llewellyn
Director: Scott Handcock
Script Editor: Steve Tribe
Cover Illustration: Lee Binding
Music: Blair Mowat
Sound Design: Neil Gardner
Producer: James Goss

Starring John Barrowman
Released September 2015

Torchwood has now been under the guardianship of Big Finish Productions, specialists in audio dramas based on expired television properties, for as long as it was on the small screen. And it has now been longer since The Conspiracy was released than it had then been since The Blood Line, still the most recent TV episode.

Tasked with resurrecting one of the Doctor Who universe's most divisive franchises, David Llewellyn deftly tempers the series' excesses while taking full advantage of this opportunity to reset his audience's expectations. Narrated in character by John Barrowman, this premier episode explores the nature of conspiracy theories through the eyes of those at both the top and the bottom after Captain Jack Harkness (Barrowman) becomes intrigued by former newsreader George Wilson (John Sessions), who shot to fame after apparently having a breakdown live on air and now travels the world spreading what he claims to be the truth.

Only problem is, he's right.

The inclusion of small-time blogger Sam Hallett (Dan Bottomley) neatly confronts prejudice and expectations head on, covering many of the same themes as Guy Adams' later episode The Man Who Destroyed Torchwood. Here though, what could have become a predictable arc for Sam, as he and Jack unwillingly cooperate to close in to the truth, is hijacked to startling effect, Sam just a pawn in a much bigger game. 

Llewellyn's economic script ably covers a variety of topics, offering comedy and horror in equal measure along the way. The small guest cast are uniformly excellent, with particular credit to Sarah Ovens as Wilson's daughter. The same is true of the well-judged music and sound design, and the episode's consistency of tone is a credit to director Scott Handcock. 

As the first in an ongoing series, The Conspiracy is pitched at just the right level, fitting snugly between television episodes but quietly establishing a new house style and setting in motion storylines that will feature to varying degrees for years to come. A great start.

Plus: don't miss the interviews with a typically understated Barrowman after the episode ends.