Torchwood: The Restoration of Catherine

Big Finish Torchwood #84

by James Goss

Sergeant Andy and duplicitous 1950s Torchwood agent Norton Folgate find themselves trapped inside a house in the seventeenth century.
Can they arrange a wedding before all of time collapses?

Genres: Doctor Who

Audio CD

Published June 1, 2024

About the author

James Goss has written two Torchwood novels and a radio play, as well as a Being Human book. His Doctor Who audiobook Dead Air won Best Audiobook 2010. James also spent seven years working on the BBC's official Doctor Who website and co-wrote the website for Torchwood Series One. In 2007, he won the Best Adaptation category in the annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards for his version of Douglas Adams' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unrelenting, outrageous hilarity. It is a ridiculous, absurd farce. And it is non-stop, over-the-top, camp-filled shenanigans.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last story in the regular range to feature Norton Fulgate, this goes back to the character's roots by making it a comedy - and one that doesn't even rely on a satire of the 1950s. Here, Andy and Norton find themselves trapped in 1660 by a temporal anomaly, only able to escape if they can somehow arrange a marriage between a young heiress and two equally unsuitable suitors.

The result is a bawdy farce, with comic misunderstandings based on the two main characters coming from a different era and trying to explain their actions and origins. There's also a fair amount of implied sex, although without the more explicit sounds that this series tended to use in its early years. The suitors are intentionally over-the-top, playing on the stereotypes of the two sides in the Civil War, with the science fiction elements about the time anomaly largely in the background. It's silly, outrageous, and far more fun than it really should be.

[P.J. Benney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dream team returns. Absolutely glorious, from the music to the credits and the interviews. Every cast member nailed it. Even a surprise character that made me really happy. The monthly range is finally back after quite a few rough episodes. And now I know more about Brandycobble than I ever wanted or needed to.

[Joseph S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Norton is the best.






Head cannon: guy on radio was Harness