Torchwood: Tube Strike

Big Finish Torchwood #81

by Gareth David-Lloyd

Building work on the London Underground has disturbed a nest of Weevils. The ravenous creatures are hunting for flesh. Can Torchwood One contain the feast?

Genres: Doctor Who

Audio CD

Published March 1, 2024

Reviews

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I said in my review of Torchwood: I Hate Mondays, Torchwood has always been the darker cousin of Doctor Who. While Doctor Who has its fair share of episodes and stories with a horror-esc ambience, Torchwood tends to lend itself a lot better to these kinds of stories due to it being a grittier, more adult-oriented series by default.
This is something that Tube Strike leans into very well. Since Torchwood’s first TV episode, the Weevils have always been an example of the series’ darker tone, with their primal brutality and unsettling appearance. Using them as the threat during this bottle-episode-style audio drama was a great idea as they are known to dwell underground and, while the show did state they primarily live in the sewers, I think the underground train tunnels are a much better setting as it gives the story more creative freedom in terms of what could reasonably be found down there.
Lloyd does a great job as the author of the story, as well as voicing Ianto. From the pacing of the drama to the way settings are described verbally it’s clear he’s becoming much more comfortable as a writer for these kinds of stories.
The new side characters are pretty solid. While Tia was a bit odd, and that kind of character may have become annoying in a full length book, she’s used very well and is given a decent amount to do aside from being a bit of comic relief, having a key role in the story’s climax.
While I wish they had gone a bit deeper with Bill’s emotional ark, Lloyd still wrote him pretty well considering the constraints of the audio drama format and the hour long runtime.
Tommy and Ianto are great as always, with Lloyd writing good banter and interactions between the two as well as some emotional reveals involving why Tommy of gives Ianto such a hard time.
It’s also in this story that we get to see the origins of Ianto’s stopwatch, which was something of a running joke and part of his character during his original appearance on the Torchwood TV show.
A very good overall read, especially for those who enjoy the character of Ianto.

[Daniel Cork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gareth David-Lloyd has written many Torchwood audios over the years, but last year he got the chance to write a trilogy of stories throughout Ianto's life. I loved Missing Molly, which was a really heartbreaking story. Tube Strike has intrigued me ever since it was announced, and now I'm finally listening to it.

Weevils run wild in the London Underground. How have they made it to London? What's upset them? Can Torchwood get ahold of this situation before it erupts into complete chaos? Tommy is taking Ianto on a mission to help him get used to the field. Tommy and Ianto's relationship is temperamental, but is there something deeper going on under the surface? Fighting for their lives, Tommy finds he has amends to make.

Gareth David-Lloyd has written an outrageous and terrifying horror comedy set in the London Underground that is gruesome, violent, hilarious and heartbreaking. I loved this story and liked how it gave us an answer to where Ianto's stopwatch came from and the meaning behind it. It has a terrific cast of characters whose situations help Ianto and Tommy to develop as characters.

Gareth has explained this story is very much inspired by horror movies released in the 70s and 80s, especially An American Werewolf in London, so if that sounds like something up your alley, you should definitely give this one a go.

Overall: It's a brilliant audio that is terrifying and hilarious in equal measure. 10/10

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, perhaps, not the sort of thing that the Torchwood audios are best known for, but they've rarely been constrained to single subgenre or tone, so it isn't obviously out-of-place, either. It's a straightforward monster story, with a horde of weevils attacking a late-night train on the London Underground, with a few lone survivors trying to escape from the darkened and enclosed tunnels. It's set in the late '90s, during the period when Ianto was still working for Torchwood One, and he stars alongside Tommy, the ageing tech specialist that we've seen in previous audios during that era.

So it isn't particularly deep. It's a desperate battle for survival, that also finds time to explore Tommy a little more. There are some well-written reflections on his relationship with Ianto, and, just as much with an old colleague from his pre-Torchwood days who is helping to build the Jubilee Line extension. Add in a delirious and chirpy female train driver and you've got what's essentially a base-under-siege with more blood-spattered gore than you'd usually get in Doctor Who (it's partly inspired by An American Werewolf in London) and something that does a pretty good job of doing what it's trying to do: a zombie story with weevils.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun, this one. Good rousing adventure in the Underground tube stations while trying to hunt some weevils. Good banter with some delightfully colorful characters. If you’re a fan of Ianto Jones, what are you bloody waiting for? Get this immediately!

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing audio drama written by GDL!

I love his relationship with Tommy. So many homages to Torchwood TV show in this.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tommy is one of my faves so this is great. Love when they do stuff to pad out his character and explore who he really is under all that roughness. Ianto was also here.

[Debra Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ianto and others fight off weevils in the underground.