In Review: Big Finish: Torchwood: torchwood_cascade_CDRip.tor

Synopsis: WARNING: The unauthorised reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Your downloads are monitored. Internet piracy is a crime and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of £250,000 or death.

Come on, we’ve all done it. We’ve all downloaded a cheeky little something we shouldn’t have. After all, what’s the harm, eh? You never get caught. No-one knows. No-one knocks at your door and tells you you’re about to die.

Turns out, there’s something hiding in the internet. It knows what you’ve done. And it’s going to stop you.

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

Review: Like all good science fiction, Torchwood: torchwood_cascade_CDRip.tor worked on multiple levels. First, it succeeded as commentary on internet piracy. Writer/Director Scott Handcock did this by working in concert with the Big Finish audio engineers. They crafted the story in the form  of a corrupted torrent file. Sequences were played on loops, out of order, and with simulated sound quality issues. Listeners even got bitter sweet samples of Tosh’s televised Torchwood arc, in addition to snippets from previous Big Finish Torchwood stories. Additionally, listeners who stayed through the Extra Interviews got an extra meta treat when they realized that snippets of the interviews were included as part of the corrupted file narrative.

All of these post-modern flourishes served the theme of the story, which was unrequited love. Handcock wrote an extremely poignant script that addressed Tosh’s unrequited love for Owen and flipped that dynamic. As a result of both presentation and core tale, Torchwood: torchwood_cascade_CDRip.tor stayed with me after the last audio samples faded.

• You can purchase Torchwood: torchwood_cascade_CDRip.tor here.

Written By: Scott Handcock

Directed By: Scott Handcock

Cast

Naoko Mori (Toshiko Sato), Robbie Jarvis (Stephen), Ashley Kumar (Max), Rachel Handshaw (Nikki)

Producer James Goss

Script Editor David Llewellyn

Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs