PC Andy Davidson has woken up in 1950s Soho. He is naked, chained to bed and a building is on fire. He’s also chained to Norton Foldgate who needs his help in proving that he is not a double agent and to help him get rid of an alien artefact before it falls into the hands of the Soho underground.
This fourth instalment from the current series of monthly Torchwood releases sees a return to a lot of the toilet humour from the first instalment (The Death of Captain Jack). Unlike that release however, there at least seems to be more of a plot wedged between the double entendres. It also hints of a larger storyline that may come to fruition later on.
Writer James Goss has written a fast-paced script that keeps the listener wondering what will happen next and he is helped by his enthusiastic cast led by Tom Price (reprising his on-screen role as PC Andy) and Samuel Barnett returning as Nathan Foldgate. Both actors dive into the script with an enormous amount of energy. Lucy Sheen also adds some comical menace in her role as Fat Kim. The rest of the supporting cast do well with the limited time (and material) they have.
Director Scott Handcock also makes good use of Thea Cochrane’s sound design and the result is an instalment that has a lot of potential but ultimately feels a little underwhelming and uncertain of what it is trying to be.
Like other releases from Torchwood, this carries a warning of adult content that should be heeded. There is also a bonus interview with the two leads and a short preview of the next instalment, Instant Karma.
Fans of the Torchwood series from Big Finish (as well as fans of the original TV series) will enjoy hearing PC Andy again even if the story seems confused and more than a little juvenile at times.
Reviewed by Rodney Hrvatin
Twitter: @Wagnerfan74
Rating out of 10: 6
Distributed by: Big Finish Productions
Released: June 2018
RRP: $18 CD, $8 Digital Download
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