God is coming to Cardiff…

And so ends the first series of the Torchwood continuation from Big Finish, with a scene written by the show’s creator, Russell T Davies (if you can’t guess which from the episode itself, then James Goss and Scott Handcock reveal all in the extras), and a plethora of cliffhangers. Each of our key characters has moved on considerably since the start of the series, with this finale tying off some plotlines (although not without leaving quite a bit to explain in some cases), and making it clear that Series 6 will be very different.

It’s quite a bit of time since this was released, but I don’t want to spoil the many treats in store for the listener in James Goss’ script although highlights include Mr Colchester and Tyler forced to work together, and the start of a highly suspicious alliance between the new head of Torchwood and Cardiff’s latest alien mayor. There’s an increasing sense of dread and urgency as Jack realises that his calculations might not have been quite right… and then something even more important comes to his attention.

The new characters have all bedded in well during this season, and I really hope that we’re going to hear plenty more from Mr Colchester, Orr and Tyler… as well as Rhys, Andy (whose relationship problems I suspect are about to get even worse!) and of course Ms Yvonne Hartman. Credit across the board to the acting team, especially to Alexandria Riley, whose NG (i.e. Not-Gwen) has been a highlight of the series.

Verdict: The stakes are appropriately high for a terrific end to a strong series. 9/10

Paul Simpson