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Torchwood - The Story Continues #5
Torchwood: God Among Us, Part 2
6.5 Flight 405 by Lou Morgan
Flight 405 went missing over 60 years ago, but tonight the plane finally lands. Norton Folgate’s a Torchwood agent from the 1950 and he swears Flight 405 contains the secret to the end of the world, but can Torchwood trust him?
6.6 Hostile Environment by Ash Darby
An app's been launched that allows you to tag the homeless. People thinks they're doing a good thing and helping out. It does seem a remarkable success. After all, since it’s launched, there are a lot less homeless people on the streets – so it must be doing some good, mustn’t it?
6.7 Another Man's Shoes by Tim Foley
Yvonne wakes up in Andy's body - and both have difficult days ahead of them.
Meanwhile, Norton’s making himself very much at home in Tyler’s body, much to Tyler’s alarm, and Ng is worried she knows what’s going on.
Someone's playing a terrible trick on Torchwood. But who will win?
6.8 Eye of the Storm by David Llewellyn
An alien power station is sending out waves of lethal energy, people are turning to stone and the water levels are rising.
As Torchwood set out on a desperate mission, God takes tea with someone who has been playing a very long game.
Has the time come for Norton Folgate to save the world?
Flight 405 went missing over 60 years ago, but tonight the plane finally lands. Norton Folgate’s a Torchwood agent from the 1950 and he swears Flight 405 contains the secret to the end of the world, but can Torchwood trust him?
6.6 Hostile Environment by Ash Darby
An app's been launched that allows you to tag the homeless. People thinks they're doing a good thing and helping out. It does seem a remarkable success. After all, since it’s launched, there are a lot less homeless people on the streets – so it must be doing some good, mustn’t it?
6.7 Another Man's Shoes by Tim Foley
Yvonne wakes up in Andy's body - and both have difficult days ahead of them.
Meanwhile, Norton’s making himself very much at home in Tyler’s body, much to Tyler’s alarm, and Ng is worried she knows what’s going on.
Someone's playing a terrible trick on Torchwood. But who will win?
6.8 Eye of the Storm by David Llewellyn
An alien power station is sending out waves of lethal energy, people are turning to stone and the water levels are rising.
As Torchwood set out on a desperate mission, God takes tea with someone who has been playing a very long game.
Has the time come for Norton Folgate to save the world?
Audio CD
First published February 20, 2019
1 person is currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Lou Morgan
45 books95 followersLou Morgan is an award-nominated adult and YA author. Her first novel, Blood and Feathers – an adult urban fantasy – was published by Solaris Books in 2012 and the follow-up, Blood and Feathers: Rebellion, was released in the summer of 2013.
Her first YA novel, Sleepless, is published by Stripes / Little Tiger Press as part of their Red Eye horror series.
She has appeared at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and has been nominated for three British Fantasy Awards (Best Newcomer and twice for Best Fantasy Novel).
Her short stories have appeared in anthologies from Solaris Books, PS Publishing and Jurassic, amongst others. She has also written genre novel-related features for magazines including Future Publishing’s SFX and is a long- and shortlist reader for the Bath Novel Award.
Born in Wales and a graduate of University College London, she now lives in Bath with her family.
She is represented by Juliet Mushens at The Agency Group / UTA.
Her first YA novel, Sleepless, is published by Stripes / Little Tiger Press as part of their Red Eye horror series.
She has appeared at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and has been nominated for three British Fantasy Awards (Best Newcomer and twice for Best Fantasy Novel).
Her short stories have appeared in anthologies from Solaris Books, PS Publishing and Jurassic, amongst others. She has also written genre novel-related features for magazines including Future Publishing’s SFX and is a long- and shortlist reader for the Bath Novel Award.
Born in Wales and a graduate of University College London, she now lives in Bath with her family.
She is represented by Juliet Mushens at The Agency Group / UTA.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 13, 2021
The second part of the series continues from the cliffhanger at the end of part one, giving a mini plot arc to dubious ‘50s Torchwood agent Norton Fulgate – who, in at least some of the stories here is portrayed more seriously than he was in his initial outings. As usual, they aren’t kidding about the presence of adult content, and, if anything it's stronger in this one than usual.
• Flight 405 – Following on from the cliffhanger ending of the previous volume, this sees Fulgate joining Andy and Yvonne as they investigate an aeroplane trapped in the Rift. It’s primarily a character piece, with the tension provided by the apparently doomed status of the plane rather than by any kind of monster. So, instead, there is some expansion of the relationship between Yvonne and Andy, and a question as to how far they can trust Norton (bearing in mind what happened in Andy’s previous encounters with him). Even so, the threat does ratchet up towards the end and there is some mild gore along the way. Not the strongest Torchwood story, but the small cast does keep things focussed. 4 stars.
• Cardiff Unknown – Slipped in between the first and second regular episodes of this collection is this 25-minute story in the form of a podcast that explores mysteries and conspiracy theories around Cardiff – some of which are related to previous episodes. It doesn’t go anywhere and feels like filler. While I presume that it will prove relevant later on, taken on its own it’s competently done, but that’s about it. 3 stars.
• Hostile Environment – From there, though, we move on to a particularly dark episode that deals with some strong adult themes of physical and sexual abuse. It’s based around Tyler who is not, it has to be said, a particularly likeable character, but here finds himself homeless on the streets of Cardiff and a subject of the listener’s sympathy. The despair of his situation spirals downwards as things get progressively worse with the science fiction elements complemented by the commentary on social attitudes to the homeless. It’s a bleak vision about loss of control, and not always comfortable listening. 5 stars.
• Another Man’s Shoes – A body-swap story that sees (from the opening seconds) some of the regular characters switching bodies with one another. Naturally, this has quite a bit of comic potential and that’s the main focus, albeit with something more serious going on in the background. (And rather a lot of implied sex). It also allows the main actors to play a different character, something that has mixed results but is generally both effective and amusing. Samuel Barnett, for instance, is doing a voice so different from his usual character, Norton Fulgate, and doing it so well that, without visuals, it’s sometimes hard to remember which one he is… while Barrowman’s English accent often falters. While it does connect to the larger plot, it’s largely a good piece of fun, much needed after the gloom of the preceding episode. 4.5 stars.
• Eye of the Storm – The final story is a tense action piece as the team struggle to shut down an alien reactor in the Bristol Channel amidst a powerful storm. It’s effectively done, and, as the story escalates, there are plenty of betrayals and drama as various threads hinted at in the previous episodes come to a head. Indeed, there are connections to audios well before this ‘season’, helping to build the sense of a big plot arc. It ends on another cliffhanger setting things up for the final box set. 4.5 stars.
• Flight 405 – Following on from the cliffhanger ending of the previous volume, this sees Fulgate joining Andy and Yvonne as they investigate an aeroplane trapped in the Rift. It’s primarily a character piece, with the tension provided by the apparently doomed status of the plane rather than by any kind of monster. So, instead, there is some expansion of the relationship between Yvonne and Andy, and a question as to how far they can trust Norton (bearing in mind what happened in Andy’s previous encounters with him). Even so, the threat does ratchet up towards the end and there is some mild gore along the way. Not the strongest Torchwood story, but the small cast does keep things focussed. 4 stars.
• Cardiff Unknown – Slipped in between the first and second regular episodes of this collection is this 25-minute story in the form of a podcast that explores mysteries and conspiracy theories around Cardiff – some of which are related to previous episodes. It doesn’t go anywhere and feels like filler. While I presume that it will prove relevant later on, taken on its own it’s competently done, but that’s about it. 3 stars.
• Hostile Environment – From there, though, we move on to a particularly dark episode that deals with some strong adult themes of physical and sexual abuse. It’s based around Tyler who is not, it has to be said, a particularly likeable character, but here finds himself homeless on the streets of Cardiff and a subject of the listener’s sympathy. The despair of his situation spirals downwards as things get progressively worse with the science fiction elements complemented by the commentary on social attitudes to the homeless. It’s a bleak vision about loss of control, and not always comfortable listening. 5 stars.
• Another Man’s Shoes – A body-swap story that sees (from the opening seconds) some of the regular characters switching bodies with one another. Naturally, this has quite a bit of comic potential and that’s the main focus, albeit with something more serious going on in the background. (And rather a lot of implied sex). It also allows the main actors to play a different character, something that has mixed results but is generally both effective and amusing. Samuel Barnett, for instance, is doing a voice so different from his usual character, Norton Fulgate, and doing it so well that, without visuals, it’s sometimes hard to remember which one he is… while Barrowman’s English accent often falters. While it does connect to the larger plot, it’s largely a good piece of fun, much needed after the gloom of the preceding episode. 4.5 stars.
• Eye of the Storm – The final story is a tense action piece as the team struggle to shut down an alien reactor in the Bristol Channel amidst a powerful storm. It’s effectively done, and, as the story escalates, there are plenty of betrayals and drama as various threads hinted at in the previous episodes come to a head. Indeed, there are connections to audios well before this ‘season’, helping to build the sense of a big plot arc. It ends on another cliffhanger setting things up for the final box set. 4.5 stars.
February 28, 2019
6.5 Flight 405 by Lou Morgan
Norton Folgate, evocato da Yvonne al termine della stagione scorsa, coinvolge il nuovo capo di Torchwood 3 e il povero Andy in una missione di recupero fuori dal tempo.
Gruppo interessante e finale che riunisce le due sottotrame principali della Torchwood Big Finish.
6.6 Hostile Environment by Ash Darby
Praticamente un assolo di Tyler, con comparsate degli altri, che scende nell'inferno dei senzatetto.
Crudo e realistico, storia apparentemente slegata dal contesto.
6.7 Another Man's Shoes by Tim Foley
Scambio di identità tra i vari componenti del gruppo. La risoluzione dell'inghippo si ha alla fine, per i tre quarti della storia si seguono varie scenette che incasinano la vita ad uno o all'altro degli "scambiati".
Rivelazioni importanti sulle varie talpe, anche se abbastanza telefonate.
6.8 Eye of the Storm by David Llewellyn
Finale epico per questo secondo box set, con potenziale distruzione di Cardiff come esito.
Il rappresentante del misterioso Committee (la minaccia ricorrente degli audio singoli) discute con Dio (quello arrivato alla fine della quinta stagione e che ci accompagna in questa) sul piano di utilizzare una centrale aliena (dei Sirvix, antagonisti della scorsa stagione) per distruggere la Terra... o ripulirla, biblicamente parlando.
Episodi apparentemente scollegati si riannodano in questo finale, spiegamdo comportamenti ed alleanze e lasciando nuovi dubbi e un grosso problema da risolvere nella terza parte.
Protagonisti sempre in parte. La presenza di Norton Folgate è un ottimo acquisto, anche se il suo destino è incerto. Il ritorno di Mr Colchester, preannunciato nella prima parte, non è ancora chiarito del tutto ma è grandemente gradito. NG, liberatasi dal doppio ruolo NG/Gwenn, ha acquisito carattere e Yvonne è semplicemente Yvonne e non importa aggiungere altro.
Gli altri fanno il loro dovere, ma si mantengono sui binari tracciati dalla serie tv.
Il bix set finale dovrà sistemare molte cose e, probabilmdnte, porre le basi per una nuova stagione.
Norton Folgate, evocato da Yvonne al termine della stagione scorsa, coinvolge il nuovo capo di Torchwood 3 e il povero Andy in una missione di recupero fuori dal tempo.
Gruppo interessante e finale che riunisce le due sottotrame principali della Torchwood Big Finish.
6.6 Hostile Environment by Ash Darby
Praticamente un assolo di Tyler, con comparsate degli altri, che scende nell'inferno dei senzatetto.
Crudo e realistico, storia apparentemente slegata dal contesto.
6.7 Another Man's Shoes by Tim Foley
Scambio di identità tra i vari componenti del gruppo. La risoluzione dell'inghippo si ha alla fine, per i tre quarti della storia si seguono varie scenette che incasinano la vita ad uno o all'altro degli "scambiati".
Rivelazioni importanti sulle varie talpe, anche se abbastanza telefonate.
6.8 Eye of the Storm by David Llewellyn
Finale epico per questo secondo box set, con potenziale distruzione di Cardiff come esito.
Il rappresentante del misterioso Committee (la minaccia ricorrente degli audio singoli) discute con Dio (quello arrivato alla fine della quinta stagione e che ci accompagna in questa) sul piano di utilizzare una centrale aliena (dei Sirvix, antagonisti della scorsa stagione) per distruggere la Terra... o ripulirla, biblicamente parlando.
Episodi apparentemente scollegati si riannodano in questo finale, spiegamdo comportamenti ed alleanze e lasciando nuovi dubbi e un grosso problema da risolvere nella terza parte.
Protagonisti sempre in parte. La presenza di Norton Folgate è un ottimo acquisto, anche se il suo destino è incerto. Il ritorno di Mr Colchester, preannunciato nella prima parte, non è ancora chiarito del tutto ma è grandemente gradito. NG, liberatasi dal doppio ruolo NG/Gwenn, ha acquisito carattere e Yvonne è semplicemente Yvonne e non importa aggiungere altro.
Gli altri fanno il loro dovere, ma si mantengono sui binari tracciati dalla serie tv.
Il bix set finale dovrà sistemare molte cose e, probabilmdnte, porre le basi per una nuova stagione.
January 6, 2024
Torchwood God Among Us has a brilliant beginning, so I immediately wanted to continue with the second set which also has a one-of-a-kind advertisement release for the series called 'Cardiff Unknown'. I'm excited to see where this series takes us next, the first set was wild, unpredictable, and fantastic!
Flight 405:
Norton Folgate is back with a message that the end of the world is coming. Flight 405 is about to escape from the rift after 60 years. But Norton, Andy, and Yvonne must prevent it from crashing for something inside the plane could potentially destroy the entire city, if not the world. But can Andy and Yvonne trust Norton, what is he up to?
Lou Morgan has written an incredible script that is atmospheric, experimental, and at times chilling. It's fascinating to see a new side to Norton Folgate's character where he's actively terrified throughout the narrative of this story. I've had mixed feelings about Norton as a character from what I've listened to but honestly, I really loved his character here and it has me interested in the Torchwood Soho stuff now. He and Andy are always great together. 10/10
Cardiff Unknown - October 2018:
Jeff and Nimah run the Cardiff Unknown Podcast and together they try to get to the bottom of what's really going on in Cardiff.
I'd love to know who wrote this little short piece not going to lie, because even though it is an advertisement piece for the series, it's honestly a lot of fun with a spooky vibe. It's fascinating to see the events of what goes on in Cardiff being witnessed and discussed by people who simply live in the city day in and day out. It's something we never see, really close up so it makes for a nice change. 8/10
Hostile Environment:
Tyler Steele is homeless and the streets are depressingly vile, people walk by either giving change or spitting at him. But there's something far worse out there, for drones are going about the city and people with apps on their phones are tagging the homeless. The drones find them and give them a choice, drugs or death? The answer's quite obvious really.
Ash Darby's script is incredibly bleak and haunting. Drug trials being subjugated on the homeless is a messed up idea in itself. But seeing the day in and day out of a homeless person's life is very harrowing and demeaning to witness and honestly this audio made me so uncomfortable to a point where I just wanted to break down into tears. This is a messed up story that is unfortunately very relevant, but it's written so incredibly well. 10/10
Another Man's Shoes:
Something dreadful has happened to team Torchwood, everyone has swapped bodies including Sergeant Andy Davidson. He and his new girlfriend Yvonne are in a pickle, but how about the rest of the team? They will be challenged and tested in each other's everyday lives whilst a sinister force lurks in the shadows.
Tim Foley has written a terrific script that makes for a unique and solid story for character development. It is a hilarious and at times heartwarming story that starts giving us a solid idea of how The Committee come into this story arc and what they have in mind for the people of Earth. 9/10
Eye of The Storm:
An alien power station is about to explode, releasing lethal energy. Torchwood have a mission and God is on their side. But traitors will be revealed and plans will go disastrously wrong. It's Norton Folgate's turn to save the world, but at what cost?
David Llewellyn has written a terrific script that is very finale-esque in scale and by god is it intense and epic. A very atmospheric story filled with twists and surprises. The cliffhanger to this one is shocking! 10/10
Overall: 39/40
Flight 405:
Norton Folgate is back with a message that the end of the world is coming. Flight 405 is about to escape from the rift after 60 years. But Norton, Andy, and Yvonne must prevent it from crashing for something inside the plane could potentially destroy the entire city, if not the world. But can Andy and Yvonne trust Norton, what is he up to?
Lou Morgan has written an incredible script that is atmospheric, experimental, and at times chilling. It's fascinating to see a new side to Norton Folgate's character where he's actively terrified throughout the narrative of this story. I've had mixed feelings about Norton as a character from what I've listened to but honestly, I really loved his character here and it has me interested in the Torchwood Soho stuff now. He and Andy are always great together. 10/10
Cardiff Unknown - October 2018:
Jeff and Nimah run the Cardiff Unknown Podcast and together they try to get to the bottom of what's really going on in Cardiff.
I'd love to know who wrote this little short piece not going to lie, because even though it is an advertisement piece for the series, it's honestly a lot of fun with a spooky vibe. It's fascinating to see the events of what goes on in Cardiff being witnessed and discussed by people who simply live in the city day in and day out. It's something we never see, really close up so it makes for a nice change. 8/10
Hostile Environment:
Tyler Steele is homeless and the streets are depressingly vile, people walk by either giving change or spitting at him. But there's something far worse out there, for drones are going about the city and people with apps on their phones are tagging the homeless. The drones find them and give them a choice, drugs or death? The answer's quite obvious really.
Ash Darby's script is incredibly bleak and haunting. Drug trials being subjugated on the homeless is a messed up idea in itself. But seeing the day in and day out of a homeless person's life is very harrowing and demeaning to witness and honestly this audio made me so uncomfortable to a point where I just wanted to break down into tears. This is a messed up story that is unfortunately very relevant, but it's written so incredibly well. 10/10
Another Man's Shoes:
Something dreadful has happened to team Torchwood, everyone has swapped bodies including Sergeant Andy Davidson. He and his new girlfriend Yvonne are in a pickle, but how about the rest of the team? They will be challenged and tested in each other's everyday lives whilst a sinister force lurks in the shadows.
Tim Foley has written a terrific script that makes for a unique and solid story for character development. It is a hilarious and at times heartwarming story that starts giving us a solid idea of how The Committee come into this story arc and what they have in mind for the people of Earth. 9/10
Eye of The Storm:
An alien power station is about to explode, releasing lethal energy. Torchwood have a mission and God is on their side. But traitors will be revealed and plans will go disastrously wrong. It's Norton Folgate's turn to save the world, but at what cost?
David Llewellyn has written a terrific script that is very finale-esque in scale and by god is it intense and epic. A very atmospheric story filled with twists and surprises. The cliffhanger to this one is shocking! 10/10
Overall: 39/40
April 7, 2025
Flight 405 - 3.5 stars
Hostile Environment - 4 stars
Another Man’s Shoes - 3.5 stars
Eye of the Storm - 4 stars
Overall - 4 stars
Hostile Environment - 4 stars
Another Man’s Shoes - 3.5 stars
Eye of the Storm - 4 stars
Overall - 4 stars
March 11, 2026
Flight 405 -
Flight 405 picks up where God Among Us 1 left off, with the strange appearance of Norton Folgate; infamous Torchwood Soho operative. Granted he is a great character and Samuel Barnett is a fantastic actor, but I really didn’t find myself all that enamoured with this particular story. It’s by no means bad and has some fantastic moments but is really bogged down by all the continuity in it. That’s a problem a lot of these stories face really, it’s hard to focus on the whole ‘Torchwood trying to get the alien item on a ghost plane’ when the story stops every five minutes to bang on about the Committee. I think the amount of duplicity and divided loyalties is starting to play against God Among Us at this point, all these shocking reveals just mean less and less the more you use them. The Torchwood team in this one really is Andy, Norton & Yvonne (with the rest of the team making small appearances) and obviously having that line up is clearly for comedic purposes. The comedy in this story is actually quite clever and well structured so it managed to keep me engaged there, especially with all the scenes about Andy and Yvonne’s weird relationship. These smaller moments did make up for the wafer thin narrative and gave me something to be invested in. The actual background arc at this point is just that the spooky committee are up to stuff so honestly I don’t see why Big Finish didn’t just make this a fun and silly story, before diving into all the exposition and setting stuff up for the finale.
The problem with the story is that even the interesting parts of its premise turn out to be pretty dull. The lens itself is just an alien device for channeling energy, so nothing exciting, and the ghost plane idea doesn’t really go anywhere other than some spooky sound effects. None of the items or dialogue really goes anywhere that is surprising, and I think the only actual scenes worth remembering are the ones with Norton and God. Those are some very fun scenes, and it’s nice to have these rare moments to actually see introspection on Nortons character, and have him stop playing all his cards annoyingly close to his chest. This story was clearly just the set up story of the set and clearly a bit of rush job considering its runtime being incredibly short for the series; not surprising considering the very little that does go on. The story does have nice bits of music and there is a lovely attempt and vivid imagery at the beginning… which sadly just completely stops once the banter begins. I still don’t really get the whole point of Norton being involved, I mean I’m glad they didn’t bring Ianto back but still its obscene how desperate Big Finish is for ‘oh my god’ moments that they bring back a character who appears exclusively in a few audio stories. It was nice to see the lovely pc Andy actually get to lead from the front and having such a great comedic actor as Tom Price in this did the story plenty of favours.
Hostile Environment -
Hostile Environment is absolutely one of the best Big Finish stories I have ever listened to. They attempted to tell a story reasonably similar to this in the Sarah Jane Adventures but couldn’t really convey the reality of homelessness that well (in a show for children). Here though, you see homelessness in as gritty, harsh and realistic a way as you could ever have expected. Having Tyler be the lead in this story was an inspired choice considering he really is the character who is the most ‘an outsider’ to Torchwood than any of the characters so replicating that theme by having him quite literally ostracised from society was a clever choice. The story does have its narrative through line but I was mostly taken by the scenes that felt so human, Tyler and this random vagrant woman talking about life and the horrors they now face. The story gets very Torchwood later on, to the point of Tyler trading sexual favours for cash, in order to stop the bad guy. Safe to say this representation of homelessness isn’t for kids! The appearance of the tagging the homeless, the drones and Tyler stopping them, is all woven so subtly through the story and the rest of the more character driven side of the story is the interesting part here. Even the use of every other character works to theme here, as their brief cameos where they fob Tyler off instead of just listening to him really do frustrate; they do also however, show you that this is what real life can be like and it doesn’t take much to end up there. This ones isn’t horrifying because of any monster or sci-fi presence, it’s simply because it shows you how those forgotten by society live their lives.
Character growth was in full force here as you really do feel like Tyler has changed in some way by the end, but I loved that the story was very much focused on realism like having Tyler turn his vagrant friend away once he is okay. Of course human selfishness isn’t universal but in situations of shady morality like this, it is just so hard to listen to because it feels like facing up to a truth we all ignore. The final confrontation too is another example of that, a little egotist killing and experimenting on homeless people for cash.. a less obscure presentation of the evil humans are capable of there. The combination of these dark themes, moral concepts, engaging plot, and rich character drama did not leave me wanting more at all. The story really ended up being perfect for what it set out to do. I really felt such emotion when Torchwood finally listen to Tyler and that was the result of marvellous acting and a phenomenal script. The story laid off the series arc stuff and that made it absolutely perfect, not having to stop every few minutes to rattle off something completely unrelated to the current plot. The story had its moments of action and comedy but even the comedy was more sardonic here, just jokes that represent Tyler and his friend trying to make the best of things and remain hopeful. I think the final confrontation was as satisfying as you could hope for, and I really adored that the ending wasn’t some Dr Who coded ‘be the bigger man’ message, it was very Torchwood and very ‘an eye for an eye’. Honestly it has been so long since I listened to a story that I can find no genuine criticism of, and this one has stumped me! If you were to listen any Torchwood ‘the story continues’ stories in isolation then this may be the sole one I recommend as it really makes you stop and think, while entertaining/shocking the hell out of you.
Another’s Man Shoes
I was very surprised how a story as silly as Another’s Man Shoes managed to be incredibly transfixing and a lot of fun. The premise is very simple, everyone in Torchwood has swapped bodies. You have Jack having to pretend to be Mr Colchester as it’s his husband’s birthday and Jack is being kind (he also fancies Colin).. Tyler is Norton, and surprisingly actually trying his hardest to fix what’s caused the change. Norton is Tyler and basically just dicking about on Grindr.. no surprise there. Andy is Yvonne and finally learns the truth about her! Finally (I think) is the best plot thread of them all, Yvonne having to be Andy and take his performance review (after he shot that immigrant). All of these little threads are fantastic in their own ways but I really adored Yvonne as Andy, even despite it being the only non-comedic swap! Watching a character as up herself as Yvonne try and appear normal was really clever, and I think that she learnt a lot about morality and doing the right thing which is definitely not coding for the finale (sigh). This story is really just a bunch of skits with the odd serious moment, I think all these hilarious avenues and the one or two serious ones made up a great, simple story. The different threads do eventually come together but all the ones with a comedic premise really do not go anywhere. They just sort of fizzle out once the Andy/Yvonne switch reaps lots of exposition and character drama, something that was just a bit of a shame really.
There was plenty of introspection and insight into the motivations of our protagonists, and I really loved how varied these were, from Norton’s instinct of self-preservation, to Jack’s desire simply to so good things. These brief interludes from overbearing story arcs is always a relief and I feel that having stories that focus on the Torchwood team are what keep me engaged and caring what happens to the team members.As I mention elsewhere in my review of the set, I am really bored of the Committee so apart from the promise of more character with Andy discovering her true loyalties, I didn’t care. God made another nice small cameo which I enjoy a lot more but that’s really the only incidental character who has any prevalence to the story itself. The sound design was great, and the music too, so in terms of behind the scenes structuring; this one ticked all the boxes. I came out of this one extremely entertained yet not excited going forward, as unfortunately this story is a victim of its own success; in that the fact this story is so good but promises of more continuity laden drama later, means that there is little chance of lighter fun stories like this. Standing on its own is how I prefer to view this story, and I think that having this story after the gritty and devastating Hostile Environment was just the right palette cleanser; all the silly shenanigans that offset the heartbreaking drama of the previous story.
Eye Of The Storm -
Torchwood vs a tsunami, yeah those words do sound silly to me too. The big finale of God Among Us 2, Eye of the Storm really does go in for drama, action and twists. Of course this kind of story is to be expected given it needs to raise the stakes for the final sets as well as wrap up some dangling plot threads, but this one really was just a story that is half good; half bad. It seems Norton and Yvonne’s motivations and the drama surrounding them amount to nothing more than ‘oopsie’ and betray that this the kind of story that leads to no proper repercussions. Of course Cardiff isn’t in a good way by the end, but it really is just that Yvonne is still leader of Torchwood, and that Norton is off being enigmatic on a plane. My other main criticism of the story is that it’s made very clear that at this point Jack will have no great presence or control over events, and I find it really weird that the character the whole show was created for; spends the entirety of the series being comedic relief and occasional exposition guy. It just devalues the story itself and given I care little about our other protagonists in comparison to him, I found myself having to focus on generic sci-fi technobabble and stupid twists. I did like the scenes with the Committee and God, as those really did finally give the villains some ‘screen time’ and it was rather like being spoon fed all the context rather quickly and in a way that surprisingly didn’t patronise. In a way it did increase the atmosphere as we have our villains calmly relishing in their victory, and the heroes far away cocking everything up. The disparity between the two scenes just meant tonal shifts that were actually quite well done, and variety in the plot.
I did like that the story finally took all the characters to where they needed to get to, Tyler a proper member of the team, Ng and Jack finally getting on, Yvonne being their loyal leader at last, Mr Colchester still being a grouchy d*ck and Andy being sweet as ever. It felt like the culmination of all the needless set up, but also did prove my point about too much going on. Of course it’s great finally having plenty of story threads tied up, but at the cost of a great deal of runtime, and the fact that we never needed this many in the first place. The story effectively plays out as: light set up, Jack drama, Yvonne drama, Norton drama, Tyler drama, then catastrophic disaster.. the end. I am of course paraphrasing events and there is a bit more to it than that, yet there are some lovely scenes and sadly the boring predictable ones that go on forever. Everyone felt incredibly well characterised and that is what helped it feel so ‘Torchwood’ with the narrative being full of gun and adult language, I just wish that one or two characters could’ve stayed behind at the hub. That way each of these small lovely factors could’ve had more room to breathe and the boring ones wouldn’t have to be listened to so begrudgingly. The twists themselves did have some good implications and I think/hope that the final set of the series will focus on the repercussions for the protagonists, rather than just more generic sci-fi nonsense. The story did manage to be quite suspenseful but that was definitely because the story is so rich in music, in a way none of the stories so far have done, that really do not let you stop for breath. These behind the scenes elements did strengthen the story, and mostly just impress as that aspect was really interesting. In summary this story has some really great stuff, but just suffers from the baggage of the previous seven stories.
Flight 405 picks up where God Among Us 1 left off, with the strange appearance of Norton Folgate; infamous Torchwood Soho operative. Granted he is a great character and Samuel Barnett is a fantastic actor, but I really didn’t find myself all that enamoured with this particular story. It’s by no means bad and has some fantastic moments but is really bogged down by all the continuity in it. That’s a problem a lot of these stories face really, it’s hard to focus on the whole ‘Torchwood trying to get the alien item on a ghost plane’ when the story stops every five minutes to bang on about the Committee. I think the amount of duplicity and divided loyalties is starting to play against God Among Us at this point, all these shocking reveals just mean less and less the more you use them. The Torchwood team in this one really is Andy, Norton & Yvonne (with the rest of the team making small appearances) and obviously having that line up is clearly for comedic purposes. The comedy in this story is actually quite clever and well structured so it managed to keep me engaged there, especially with all the scenes about Andy and Yvonne’s weird relationship. These smaller moments did make up for the wafer thin narrative and gave me something to be invested in. The actual background arc at this point is just that the spooky committee are up to stuff so honestly I don’t see why Big Finish didn’t just make this a fun and silly story, before diving into all the exposition and setting stuff up for the finale.
The problem with the story is that even the interesting parts of its premise turn out to be pretty dull. The lens itself is just an alien device for channeling energy, so nothing exciting, and the ghost plane idea doesn’t really go anywhere other than some spooky sound effects. None of the items or dialogue really goes anywhere that is surprising, and I think the only actual scenes worth remembering are the ones with Norton and God. Those are some very fun scenes, and it’s nice to have these rare moments to actually see introspection on Nortons character, and have him stop playing all his cards annoyingly close to his chest. This story was clearly just the set up story of the set and clearly a bit of rush job considering its runtime being incredibly short for the series; not surprising considering the very little that does go on. The story does have nice bits of music and there is a lovely attempt and vivid imagery at the beginning… which sadly just completely stops once the banter begins. I still don’t really get the whole point of Norton being involved, I mean I’m glad they didn’t bring Ianto back but still its obscene how desperate Big Finish is for ‘oh my god’ moments that they bring back a character who appears exclusively in a few audio stories. It was nice to see the lovely pc Andy actually get to lead from the front and having such a great comedic actor as Tom Price in this did the story plenty of favours.
Hostile Environment -
Hostile Environment is absolutely one of the best Big Finish stories I have ever listened to. They attempted to tell a story reasonably similar to this in the Sarah Jane Adventures but couldn’t really convey the reality of homelessness that well (in a show for children). Here though, you see homelessness in as gritty, harsh and realistic a way as you could ever have expected. Having Tyler be the lead in this story was an inspired choice considering he really is the character who is the most ‘an outsider’ to Torchwood than any of the characters so replicating that theme by having him quite literally ostracised from society was a clever choice. The story does have its narrative through line but I was mostly taken by the scenes that felt so human, Tyler and this random vagrant woman talking about life and the horrors they now face. The story gets very Torchwood later on, to the point of Tyler trading sexual favours for cash, in order to stop the bad guy. Safe to say this representation of homelessness isn’t for kids! The appearance of the tagging the homeless, the drones and Tyler stopping them, is all woven so subtly through the story and the rest of the more character driven side of the story is the interesting part here. Even the use of every other character works to theme here, as their brief cameos where they fob Tyler off instead of just listening to him really do frustrate; they do also however, show you that this is what real life can be like and it doesn’t take much to end up there. This ones isn’t horrifying because of any monster or sci-fi presence, it’s simply because it shows you how those forgotten by society live their lives.
Character growth was in full force here as you really do feel like Tyler has changed in some way by the end, but I loved that the story was very much focused on realism like having Tyler turn his vagrant friend away once he is okay. Of course human selfishness isn’t universal but in situations of shady morality like this, it is just so hard to listen to because it feels like facing up to a truth we all ignore. The final confrontation too is another example of that, a little egotist killing and experimenting on homeless people for cash.. a less obscure presentation of the evil humans are capable of there. The combination of these dark themes, moral concepts, engaging plot, and rich character drama did not leave me wanting more at all. The story really ended up being perfect for what it set out to do. I really felt such emotion when Torchwood finally listen to Tyler and that was the result of marvellous acting and a phenomenal script. The story laid off the series arc stuff and that made it absolutely perfect, not having to stop every few minutes to rattle off something completely unrelated to the current plot. The story had its moments of action and comedy but even the comedy was more sardonic here, just jokes that represent Tyler and his friend trying to make the best of things and remain hopeful. I think the final confrontation was as satisfying as you could hope for, and I really adored that the ending wasn’t some Dr Who coded ‘be the bigger man’ message, it was very Torchwood and very ‘an eye for an eye’. Honestly it has been so long since I listened to a story that I can find no genuine criticism of, and this one has stumped me! If you were to listen any Torchwood ‘the story continues’ stories in isolation then this may be the sole one I recommend as it really makes you stop and think, while entertaining/shocking the hell out of you.
Another’s Man Shoes
I was very surprised how a story as silly as Another’s Man Shoes managed to be incredibly transfixing and a lot of fun. The premise is very simple, everyone in Torchwood has swapped bodies. You have Jack having to pretend to be Mr Colchester as it’s his husband’s birthday and Jack is being kind (he also fancies Colin).. Tyler is Norton, and surprisingly actually trying his hardest to fix what’s caused the change. Norton is Tyler and basically just dicking about on Grindr.. no surprise there. Andy is Yvonne and finally learns the truth about her! Finally (I think) is the best plot thread of them all, Yvonne having to be Andy and take his performance review (after he shot that immigrant). All of these little threads are fantastic in their own ways but I really adored Yvonne as Andy, even despite it being the only non-comedic swap! Watching a character as up herself as Yvonne try and appear normal was really clever, and I think that she learnt a lot about morality and doing the right thing which is definitely not coding for the finale (sigh). This story is really just a bunch of skits with the odd serious moment, I think all these hilarious avenues and the one or two serious ones made up a great, simple story. The different threads do eventually come together but all the ones with a comedic premise really do not go anywhere. They just sort of fizzle out once the Andy/Yvonne switch reaps lots of exposition and character drama, something that was just a bit of a shame really.
There was plenty of introspection and insight into the motivations of our protagonists, and I really loved how varied these were, from Norton’s instinct of self-preservation, to Jack’s desire simply to so good things. These brief interludes from overbearing story arcs is always a relief and I feel that having stories that focus on the Torchwood team are what keep me engaged and caring what happens to the team members.As I mention elsewhere in my review of the set, I am really bored of the Committee so apart from the promise of more character with Andy discovering her true loyalties, I didn’t care. God made another nice small cameo which I enjoy a lot more but that’s really the only incidental character who has any prevalence to the story itself. The sound design was great, and the music too, so in terms of behind the scenes structuring; this one ticked all the boxes. I came out of this one extremely entertained yet not excited going forward, as unfortunately this story is a victim of its own success; in that the fact this story is so good but promises of more continuity laden drama later, means that there is little chance of lighter fun stories like this. Standing on its own is how I prefer to view this story, and I think that having this story after the gritty and devastating Hostile Environment was just the right palette cleanser; all the silly shenanigans that offset the heartbreaking drama of the previous story.
Eye Of The Storm -
Torchwood vs a tsunami, yeah those words do sound silly to me too. The big finale of God Among Us 2, Eye of the Storm really does go in for drama, action and twists. Of course this kind of story is to be expected given it needs to raise the stakes for the final sets as well as wrap up some dangling plot threads, but this one really was just a story that is half good; half bad. It seems Norton and Yvonne’s motivations and the drama surrounding them amount to nothing more than ‘oopsie’ and betray that this the kind of story that leads to no proper repercussions. Of course Cardiff isn’t in a good way by the end, but it really is just that Yvonne is still leader of Torchwood, and that Norton is off being enigmatic on a plane. My other main criticism of the story is that it’s made very clear that at this point Jack will have no great presence or control over events, and I find it really weird that the character the whole show was created for; spends the entirety of the series being comedic relief and occasional exposition guy. It just devalues the story itself and given I care little about our other protagonists in comparison to him, I found myself having to focus on generic sci-fi technobabble and stupid twists. I did like the scenes with the Committee and God, as those really did finally give the villains some ‘screen time’ and it was rather like being spoon fed all the context rather quickly and in a way that surprisingly didn’t patronise. In a way it did increase the atmosphere as we have our villains calmly relishing in their victory, and the heroes far away cocking everything up. The disparity between the two scenes just meant tonal shifts that were actually quite well done, and variety in the plot.
I did like that the story finally took all the characters to where they needed to get to, Tyler a proper member of the team, Ng and Jack finally getting on, Yvonne being their loyal leader at last, Mr Colchester still being a grouchy d*ck and Andy being sweet as ever. It felt like the culmination of all the needless set up, but also did prove my point about too much going on. Of course it’s great finally having plenty of story threads tied up, but at the cost of a great deal of runtime, and the fact that we never needed this many in the first place. The story effectively plays out as: light set up, Jack drama, Yvonne drama, Norton drama, Tyler drama, then catastrophic disaster.. the end. I am of course paraphrasing events and there is a bit more to it than that, yet there are some lovely scenes and sadly the boring predictable ones that go on forever. Everyone felt incredibly well characterised and that is what helped it feel so ‘Torchwood’ with the narrative being full of gun and adult language, I just wish that one or two characters could’ve stayed behind at the hub. That way each of these small lovely factors could’ve had more room to breathe and the boring ones wouldn’t have to be listened to so begrudgingly. The twists themselves did have some good implications and I think/hope that the final set of the series will focus on the repercussions for the protagonists, rather than just more generic sci-fi nonsense. The story did manage to be quite suspenseful but that was definitely because the story is so rich in music, in a way none of the stories so far have done, that really do not let you stop for breath. These behind the scenes elements did strengthen the story, and mostly just impress as that aspect was really interesting. In summary this story has some really great stuff, but just suffers from the baggage of the previous seven stories.
December 18, 2020
God Among Us 2 was my favorite box set of all the Season boxes so far. The stories are constantly good and just beg for tons of re-listens. What do you want more?
Flight 405 - 5/5
Yvonne Hartman, Sgt. Andy and Norton Folgate trying to land a crashing plane is the most hilarious thing ever. I loved every single minute of this. At first some things really don't make sense at all, but the story gets picked up later on and I just LOVE all the little details in this story. And I just LOVE listening to Norton, definitely one of my favorite characters out there.
Cardiff Unknown - no rating
This is attached to Flight 405, but can also be downloaded for free on the Big Finish Website. It's made in the form of a podcast and very entertaining and informative. They take a look back (and into the future) on all the strange things happening in Cardiff. I think it's great to see it from the perspecitve of outsiders. Also the voices of the two bloggers do a really great job.
Hostile Environment - 5/5
This one has an extra warning before the story that Torchwood includes adult themes and is NOT for children. That makes it quite clear we go into heavy stuff with this story. This story focuses on Tyler Steele who had quite a rough time since the Major of Cardiff disappeared. And this story drags him even lower. I always liked Tyler, even that he's not always on the right path, but I know not everyone likes him. If you don't feel sorry for him during this you have no heart. I caught myself at least twice having tears in my eyes. I really like how dark this story is and that it really takes no prisoners, figuratively speaking, the end included.
Another Man's Shoes - 5/5
Body Swap story at it's best! What a laugh!!!! Everybody, really everybody is doing such an excellent job! And having tons of fun, you can hear that all the way through! I found it almost scary how in character some actors sounded, all the Torchwood voice actors are so talented! But the story is not just plain fun, it also brings the overall story line forward and gives us some revealing insight what is going on. This season just gets better and better.
Eye Of The Storm - 5/5
We've got a real old school mission! I hadn't realized so far, but we don't get that so much with the audio seasons. So the team heads out to shut down a secret Sorvix Power Station that is in danger of explosing after a heavy storm. So far so good - until all hell breaks loose. The best thing about this story is to see that the team is finally working well together. Another Man's Shoes was kind of a team building exercise and it really warms my heart.
Flight 405 - 5/5
Yvonne Hartman, Sgt. Andy and Norton Folgate trying to land a crashing plane is the most hilarious thing ever. I loved every single minute of this. At first some things really don't make sense at all, but the story gets picked up later on and I just LOVE all the little details in this story. And I just LOVE listening to Norton, definitely one of my favorite characters out there.
Cardiff Unknown - no rating
This is attached to Flight 405, but can also be downloaded for free on the Big Finish Website. It's made in the form of a podcast and very entertaining and informative. They take a look back (and into the future) on all the strange things happening in Cardiff. I think it's great to see it from the perspecitve of outsiders. Also the voices of the two bloggers do a really great job.
Hostile Environment - 5/5
This one has an extra warning before the story that Torchwood includes adult themes and is NOT for children. That makes it quite clear we go into heavy stuff with this story. This story focuses on Tyler Steele who had quite a rough time since the Major of Cardiff disappeared. And this story drags him even lower. I always liked Tyler, even that he's not always on the right path, but I know not everyone likes him. If you don't feel sorry for him during this you have no heart. I caught myself at least twice having tears in my eyes. I really like how dark this story is and that it really takes no prisoners, figuratively speaking, the end included.
Another Man's Shoes - 5/5
Body Swap story at it's best! What a laugh!!!! Everybody, really everybody is doing such an excellent job! And having tons of fun, you can hear that all the way through! I found it almost scary how in character some actors sounded, all the Torchwood voice actors are so talented! But the story is not just plain fun, it also brings the overall story line forward and gives us some revealing insight what is going on. This season just gets better and better.
Eye Of The Storm - 5/5
We've got a real old school mission! I hadn't realized so far, but we don't get that so much with the audio seasons. So the team heads out to shut down a secret Sorvix Power Station that is in danger of explosing after a heavy storm. So far so good - until all hell breaks loose. The best thing about this story is to see that the team is finally working well together. Another Man's Shoes was kind of a team building exercise and it really warms my heart.
May 24, 2023
Torchwood Gods Among Us Part 2 - 3.75/5 stars
6.5 Flight 405 by Lou Morgan - 3/5 stars
Fucking Norton Folgate invades current-day Torchwood and manipulates Yvonne and Andy. Great comedic value ensues.
6.6 Hostile Environment by Ash Darby - 5/5 stars
Homeless. Tyler Steele discovers a plot where people scan homeless people with an app and drones attack them giving them a choice. Be a Trial Drug Testor or Death. As his life falls apart he struggles to pull in money to get Torchwood to take notice. This made me angry with the Torchwood Team and heartbroken for Tyler. When he uses the drones against their creator I felt like he was justified in getting them to burn their creator alive because the creator said it was just a way for him to make money, disgusting. Tyler now living at Torchwood’s hub was a good way to end this story.
6.7 Another Man's Shoes by Tim Foley - 4/5 stars
Funny Freaky Friday episode with Yvonne and Andy swapping bodies. Jack and Colchester swap bodies on Colin’s birthday (Colchestor’s husband). And Tyler and Norton swap bodies, Norton, a gay man from the 1950s discovering modern gay life and Grindr and poppers.
6.8 Eye of the Storm by David Llewellyn - 3/5 stars
The world ends and poor Norton Folgate traps himself in a time loop for eternity.
6.5 Flight 405 by Lou Morgan - 3/5 stars
Fucking Norton Folgate invades current-day Torchwood and manipulates Yvonne and Andy. Great comedic value ensues.
6.6 Hostile Environment by Ash Darby - 5/5 stars
Homeless. Tyler Steele discovers a plot where people scan homeless people with an app and drones attack them giving them a choice. Be a Trial Drug Testor or Death. As his life falls apart he struggles to pull in money to get Torchwood to take notice. This made me angry with the Torchwood Team and heartbroken for Tyler. When he uses the drones against their creator I felt like he was justified in getting them to burn their creator alive because the creator said it was just a way for him to make money, disgusting. Tyler now living at Torchwood’s hub was a good way to end this story.
6.7 Another Man's Shoes by Tim Foley - 4/5 stars
Funny Freaky Friday episode with Yvonne and Andy swapping bodies. Jack and Colchester swap bodies on Colin’s birthday (Colchestor’s husband). And Tyler and Norton swap bodies, Norton, a gay man from the 1950s discovering modern gay life and Grindr and poppers.
6.8 Eye of the Storm by David Llewellyn - 3/5 stars
The world ends and poor Norton Folgate traps himself in a time loop for eternity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2023
Toujours une saison excellente et ambitieuse avec l'épisode Hostile Environment se démarquant des autres épisodes (incluant un épisode un peu comique d'échange de corps) par la dureté et le réalisme des thèmes abordés et sa possibilité bien réelle (l'entrevue après l'audio va dans plus de détail sur une application qui a réellement été développée à Londres pour identifier les itinérants). Le dernier épisode avance beaucoup plus dans la narration et offre des développements auxquels je ne m'attendais pas du tout donc compliment pour ça aussi.
On n'est plus dans des questions de deuils dans ce coffret (contrairement au précédent), mais si ce coffret a un thème, ce serait probablement celui de l'exploration de la marginalisation. Beaucoup beaucoup au niveau de l'homosexualité, mais un peu aussi au niveau de l'itinérance (avec Hostile Environment).
On n'est plus dans des questions de deuils dans ce coffret (contrairement au précédent), mais si ce coffret a un thème, ce serait probablement celui de l'exploration de la marginalisation. Beaucoup beaucoup au niveau de l'homosexualité, mais un peu aussi au niveau de l'itinérance (avec Hostile Environment).
March 3, 2019
I think they did a marvelous job with an obviously busy-with-other-commitments cast. I wish John Barrowman would have been more present in the episodes, like the last episode.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2019
A secret organization inside torchwood is trying to destroy it.
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