Torchwood: The Sins of Captain John

Although the episodes are individually titled, this is a single four-part story featuring Captain John Hart as the main protagonist and anti-hero. While his previous audio outing as part of the Torchwood audios didn't work for me since the comedic elements clashed too much with the premise, this time we have a straight-up action comedy that works well due to some snappy dialogue and a smattering of fourth wall breaking, Deadpool style. And, yes, it also has a major role for Jack Harkness, here mostly as an antagonist, in what's likely one of Barrowman's last performances for Big Finish.

For those worried about such things, this is an adult release with swearing and rather a lot of (mostly ‘off-screen') sex.

The story concerns John being hired to track down a pair of resurrection gauntlets (which are also seen in the Torchwood TV series). It is divided into four episodes, each with a distinct setting and set of supporting characters, but most of these are not standalone being clearly sections of the longer story. Since they share a single writer, they are not notably different in tone, either – although happily, it's a humorous and raucous tone that makes use of John's roguish nature in a way that a less adult release probably couldn't.

Nonetheless, the episodes are clearly separate. In the first one, we're in 17th-century England for a Restoration-era romp with a foppish King Charles II and a horde of zombies. Then it's off to space for a prison escape story involving a mad scientist before the conclusion that wraps up the story arc. In between comes the one episode that is relatively standalone, a fun interlude that sees John temporarily stranded on a planet where the only inhabitants live in what appears to be a suburban utopia. It's a subversion of a type of story sometimes seen on Doctor Who and not just because the actions of the central character are so different.