In Review: Big Finish: Torchwood: Aliens Among Us Part 1

Synopsis: Big Finish picks up the events after Miracle Day with Torchwood: Aliens Among Us…

Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper have restarted Torchwood. But it’s in a very different Cardiff. Something terrible’s happened to the city. With every day getting darker, will Torchwood need to adopt a whole new approach?

5.1 Changes Everything by James Goss

Tyler Steele has washed up in Cardiff looking for a fresh start. A disgraced journalist, he’s looking into the Red Doors movement – are they really behind the terrorist attacks on immigrants? Who is stirring up the racism and hatred in the city, and what does outsourcing contractor 3Sol have to do with it? Tyler finds out that Torchwood – a secret organisation that everyone thought long gone – is back in business. Tyler realises that this is the second chance he’s been looking for, and he’ll do anything to be a part of it.

5.2 Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy by James Goss

Has Cardiff really been invaded by aliens? Tyler thinks he’s found a lead – the daughter of the mysterious Ro-Jedda is getting married and has booked a private party. If Torchwood can infiltrate it, there’s a chance they’ll end up closer to the truth. Free bar, canapes, and the chance to find out what’s really going on. What could possibly go wrong? Soon Torchwood are on the run for their lives, and learning more than they ever wanted to about alien life.

5.3 Orr by Juno Dawson

Vincent Parry is the most successful property developer in Cardiff. A while ago he made an agreement with the mysterious Ro-Jedda, and it is an arrangement he has come to bitterly regret. Something has to be done – but it’s going to cost him everything he loves. With time running out for Cardiff, Torchwood encounter an alien who knows them only too well.

5.4 Superiority Complex by AK Benedict

Poverty and homelessness are on the rise in Cardiff. The streets are full of the desperate and the dispossessed. So, of course, it’s the right time to open a 7-star luxury, all-inclusive hotel. And, naturally, the hotel is for aliens only. As the humans stand outside the gates and look hungrily in, there’s one thing that makes them smile. Someone is murdering the guests.

Review: Torchwood: Aliens Among Us Part 1 is a really engaging start to the fifth season of Torchwood. The characters and concepts we know and love are re-introduced and are better than ever. They’re joined and enhanced by new Big Finish elements, as well as elements from Titan Comics continuity.

Without giving too much away, it’s the elements from Titan Comics that are the most fascinating relative to the over all story. They tie back to Classic Doctor Who and were lovingly integrated into modern continuity by John Barrowman and his sister Carole Barrowman. I hope the subplot involving a Torchwood regular is given sufficient room to breathe for the benefit of both comic readers and non-readers alike.

As for the rest, I love the new characters Orr and Mr Colchester. Given their dynamic, though, I worry that Mr Colchester’s husband won’t be long for the world. Some of the themes explored through Orr seemed like foreshadowing.

All in all, Torchwood: Aliens Among Us Part 1 is excellent set up for the stories that will follow. Thank you to Big Finish, Titan Comics, the Barrowmans, and Torchwood crew past and new for keeping this part of the Doctor Who universe alive.

• You can purchase Torchwood: Aliens Among Us Part 1 here. 

Written By: James Goss, Juno Dawson, AK Benedict

Directed By: Scott Handcock

Cast

John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Tom Price (Sgt Andy Davidson), Paul Clayton (Mr Colchester), Alexandria Riley (Ng), Jonny Green (Tyler Steele), and Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper) Stephen Critchlow (The Mayor), Rachel Atkins (Ro-Jedda), Ruth Lloyd (Vorsun), Sophie Colquhoun (Madrigal), Rhian Marston-Jones (Quenel), Lu Corfield (Brongwyn), Rhys Whomsley (Osian), Sharon Morgan (Mary Cooper), David Sibley (Vincent Parry), Sam Béart (Catrin Parry), Anthony Boyle (Hotel Manager), Sam Jones (Toobert Jailert), Wilf Scolding (Personal Trainer)

Torchwood contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners

Produced by James Goss

Script edited by Scott Handcock

Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs