Torchwood: The Conspiracy

The first of a series of audio releases, each of which typically features a single member of the Torchwood team this, understandably, focuses on Jack Harkness himself. It's perhaps a little disappointing that the other characters aren't present (although Gwen is referred to) but that's unavoidable when the relevant actors are mostly still busy on what can only imagine are better-paying jobs. However, by keeping the story simple, the absence of the rest of the team is hardly noticeable - there's a sense that this is something Jack is doing by himself in between Torchwood's larger missions.

There are a number of things to like about this release, not least of which is hearing Barrowman as Captain Jack again. It's as well-made as every other BF release was by this point in the company's history, and it very much has the feel of the TV show, dealing as it does with conspiracy theories about aliens running the world. There's also just about the right amount of action, with the story mostly being told through the dialogue that audio is more suited to.

There are plenty of references to real-world conspiracy theories in the story, with John Sessions playing a character loosely based on David Icke... but who happens to have described a real race of aliens as the supposed overlords. How much of what he says is genuinely true (in the Torchwood universe) and where he got the information from is a key element of the story and these aspects are done well, at least to my mind.

On the downside, I'm less keen on the use of first-person narration, although this may be unavoidable given the short length of the story. Either way, though, it's good to have Torchwood back.