Torchwood: Outbreak

The first proper full-cast Torchwood release from Big Finish is a single three-hour story. It's set between the original series and Children of Earth, and thus features Just Jack, Gwen, and Ianto from the main team, although Rhys and PC Andy also have significant roles to play. It's perhaps not as innovative as some of the shorter stories from the main audio series, but the format and length allow it to play on a much larger canvas while still including some of the adult themes and LGBT romance elements that marked the original.

As implied by the title, this is about a disease outbreak in Cardiff and one that it's apparent from the start may not be entirely accidental. The specific effects of the disease allow not only for some rather gory imagery but emotional drama amidst the dramatic tension. This is particularly apparent in the middle segment, which mainly features Jack and Ianto trapped inside the Hub, playing in part on the nature of their relationship. This segment is also notable for bringing back a new character from the main audio series who had proved particularly interesting in his earlier appearances.

A large part of the appeal is probably just hearing the cast back together again after a number of releases that have only occasionally had two of them in the same scene. It's also a suitably dramatic way to do so, with the whole of Cardiff (and, by implication, the country... but mainly Cardiff) under threat as the disease and the attendant civil disorder plunge it into chaos. The eventual explanation for what's going on touches on modern themes... although the fact that I happened to listen to it just as a real viral outbreak resulted in the quarantining of a major city was just coincidence. There are also moments of humour amidst the drama, and the three hours really didn't drag at all.