''Torchwood'' is a sci-fi audio series produced by

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...

based on the British television programme of the same name. Like the TV series, the dramas follow the exploits of the operatives who work for the

Torchwood Institute The Torchwood Institute, or simply Torchwood, is a fictional secret organisation from the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series ''Torchwood''. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the e ...

, a fictional secret organisation that defends Earth against

extraterrestrial Extraterrestrial may refer to: Science * Extraterrestrial life, life that occurs outside of Earth and that probably did not originate from Earth Media * ''Extraterrestrial'' (TV program), a program on the National Geographic Channel * '' Extrate ...

threats. The series premiered on 15 September 2015. James Goss acts as range producer, David Richardson as senior producer, with

Nicholas Briggs Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Da ...

and

Jason Haigh-Ellery Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the char ...

serving as executive producers.

Background

The original television programme ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British-American science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect i ...

'' (2006–2011), an adult-oriented spin-off of the long-running British science fiction drama ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'', ran for four series before entering an indefinite hiatus due to the other commitments of creator and executive producer

Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies ( ; born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the revival of the BBC sci-fi seri ...

. In January 2015,

John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman MBE (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his roles as Captain Jack Harkness in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2010; 2020–2021) and its spin-off ''Torc ...

, who plays series lead Captain

Jack Harkness Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series, '' Torchwood''. The character first appears in the 2005 ''Doctor Who'' episode " The Empty Child" and subsequently features in t ...

, stated that there were plans for ''Torchwood'' to return as several audio plays that could potentially lead into a fifth television series, with Davies and co-executive producer

Julie Gardner Julie Ann Gardner (born 4 June 1969) is a Welsh television producer. Her most prominent work has been serving as executive producer on the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off shows '' Torchwood'' and '' The Sarah Jane Adventures'' ...

in discussion of the project. ''Torchwood'' previously featured in the form of

radio plays Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

that aired on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

between 2008 and 2011. In May 2015,

announced plans to produce ''Torchwood'' audio plays after receiving the license to use characters and concepts from the revived era of ''Doctor Who'' and its associated spin-offs in their productions; the company was previously only permitted elements from the show's

original series Original programming (also called originals or original programs, and subcategorized as "original series", "original movies", "original documentaries" and "original specials") is a term used for in-house television, film or web series productions ...

and

TV film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrestr ...

. The project received the blessing of Davies, who had been working with Gardner and former Big Finish producer

Gary Russell Gary Russell (born 18 September 1963) is a British freelance writer, producer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs in other media. As an ac ...

to bring ''Torchwood'' to Big Finish since 2013. The series premiered on 15 September 2015. Plays making up the Monthly Range were initially grouped by series: Series 1 (1–6) and Series 2 (7–12) were released monthly up until August 2016, with a third set (13–18) released between March–August 2017, a fourth (19–24) in March–August 2018, a fifth (25–36) in March 2019–February 2020, a sixth (37–48) in April 2020–March 2021, a seventh (49–60) in April 2021–April 2022, an eighth (61–73) in May 2022–April 2023 and a ninth (74–84) in August 2023–June 2024. A tenth set (85–96) commenced release in July 2024 and is due to conclude in September 2025. Story-wise, each play centres on one or more members of Torchwood and their associates. Additionally, specials featuring ensemble casts have also been released. The first, ''The Torchwood Archive'', was released in October 2016 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of ''Torchwoods TV debut. This was followed by the boxsets ''Outbreak'' (2016) and ''Believe'' (2018), while another, ''Torchwood One'' (2017–), eventually spun out into its own sub-series. The series ''The Story Continues'', marketed as a direct continuation of the TV programme, began with the three-part release ''Aliens Among Us'' in 2017, while the boxset ''The Sins of Captain John'' and another series, ''Torchwood Soho'', both premiered in 2020.

Premise

The series follows the exploits of the agents who work for the fictional

– a covert British organisation that defends Earth against

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

and

threats and salvages alien technology for their own use. Like the television series, the audio dramas primarily focus on a team of operatives based at the organisation's

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

division, Torchwood Three, while occasionally fixating on their associates as well as agents from other branches of the institute. Time period-wise, each play is set at a different point in Torchwood's history, ranging from its founding in the

Victorian Era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

to the early 21st century and beyond. Certain plays also take place during events from the TV series. A story arc central to the series revolves around a group of aliens called the Committee, who appear to have been secretly manipulating humanity since the turn of the 20th century. Despite their existence being perceived as a conspiracy, Torchwood have made efforts to foil their schemes, only to discover that the Committee have larger plans in force.

Cast and characters

Regular cast

Notable guests

''Torchwood'' and ''Doctor Who''

Julian Lewis Jones Julian Lewis Jones is a Welsh actor. He is best known for his work in '' Invictus'' and the ''Justice League''. Career Originally from Anglesey, Jones lives in Nantgaredig. A fluent Welsh speaker, he has appeared on various productions on the ...

as Alex Hopkins *

Nerys Hughes Nerys Hughes (born 8 November 1941) is a Welsh actress and narrator, known primarily for her television roles, including her parts in the BBC TV series '' The Liver Birds'' (1971-1978) and '' The District Nurse'' (1984-1987). Early life and e ...

as Brenda Williams *

Sharon Morgan Sharon Morgan (born 29 August 1949) is a Wales, Welsh actress of stage and screen, currently based in Cardiff. She was brought up in the village of Llandyfaelog. She is best known for her work within the Welsh film and television industries and ...

as Mary Cooper *

Katy Manning Catherine Ann Manning (born 14 October 1946) is a British actress. Although she has made many appearances on both screen and stage, Manning is best known for her part as the companion Jo Grant in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doct ...

Jo Jones Jonathan David Samuel Jones (October 7, 1911 – September 3, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. A band leader and pioneer in jazz percussion, Jones anchored the Count Basie Orchestra rhythm section from 1934 to 1948. He was sometimes k ...

Annette Badland Annette Badland is a British actress known for a wide range of roles on television, radio, stage, and film. She is best known for her roles as Charlotte in the BBC crime drama series '' Bergerac'', Margaret Blaine in the BBC science fiction se ...

as Margaret Blaine *

Freema Agyeman Freema Agyeman (; born Frema Agyeman; 20 March 1979) is an English actress. She rose to fame with her role as the Doctor's companion Martha Jones in the BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' (2007–2010) and its spin-off '' Torchwood'' ...

Martha Jones Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series, ''Torchwood''. The show's first female black companion, she is a companion of ...

Bryan Dick Bryan Dick (born 1 February 1978Birthdayday (from Twitter)) is a British television, stage and film actor from Carlisle, England. He is perhaps best known for playing Ernie Wise in the BBC's BAFTA-winning biopic of Morecambe and Wise, '' Eric ...

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...

Shaun Parkes Shaun Parkes (born 9 February 1973) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Koop in Human Traffic and Izzy Buttons in The Mummy Returns. Biography At 16, Parkes enrolled at Seltec College to study drama. Two years later, he wa ...

as Zachary Cross Flane *

Claire Rushbrook Claire Louise Rushbrook (born 25 August 1971) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Roxanne in the film '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), and for playing Linda Earl-Bouchtat (Rae's Mum) in ''My Mad Fat Diary'' (2013–2015). Other ...

as Ida Scott *

Ronny Jhutti Ronny Jhutti (born Ajay Dhutti, 1973) is a British actor, most notable for his role as Sohail Karim in ''EastEnders'', Danny Bartock in two episodes of ''Doctor Who'' and Naz Omar in '' Vexed''. Early life Ronny was raised in London, where he wa ...

as Danny Bartock *

Silas Carson Silas Carson (born 1965) is an English actor. He played the Cerean Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and the Neimoidian Viceroy Nute Gunray in all three of the ''Star Wars'' prequels, as well as providing the voice of the Ood in ''Doctor Who''. C ...

as The

Ood The Ood are an alien species with telepathic abilities from the long-running science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future (circa 42nd century). The Ood are portrayed as a slave race, natura ...

Other

John Sessions John Sessions (born John Marshall; 11 January 1953 – 2 November 2020) was a British actor and comedian. He was known as a regular performer on comedy improvisation show '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', as co-creator, co-writer and co-star of the ...

as George Wilson *

as Secretary *

David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to: Sports * Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor * David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier * David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer Othe ...

as The Committee *

Simon Russell Beale Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He has been described by ''The Independent'' as "the greatest stage actor of his generation". He has received various accolades, including two BAFTA Awards, three Olivier Awar ...

as M LeDuc *

Arthur Darvill Thomas Arthur Darvill (born 17 June 1982) is an English actor, composer and musician. He is known for portraying Rory Williams, a companion of the Eleventh Doctor in the television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2012), as well as Rip Hunter in ' ...

as Frank Layton *

Jacqueline King Jacqueline King is a British stage and television actress known for her role in Alan Ayckbourn's theatre production of '' GamePlan'' and as recurring character Sylvia Noble in ''Doctor Who'' (2006; 2008-2010; 2023). Career King trained at the ...

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knig ...

as The Voice *

David Troughton David Troughton (born 9 June 1950) is an English actor. He is known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage and for his many roles on British television, including Dr Bob Buzzard in ''A Very Peculiar Practice'' and Ricky Hanson in ''Ne ...

as Rigsby *

Kacey Ainsworth Kacey Ainsworth (born 19 October 1968) is an English actress, known for her roles as Little Mo Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Cathy Keating in the ITV1, ITV drama series ''Grantchester (TV series), Grantchester''. Early life ...

as Jill Kerr *

Denis Lawson Denis Stamper Lawson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Wedge Antilles in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy (1977–1983) and as John Jarndyce in the television miniseries ''Bleak House'' (2005), the l ...

as Casper Beacham * Nathaniel Curtis as Lancelyn Green and Vijay * Dan Starkey as Major Kreg *

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor and presenter. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielb ...

as The SUV *

Louise Jameson Louise Marion Jameson (born 20 April 1951) is an English actress with a variety of television and theatre credits. Her roles on television have included playing Leela (Doctor Who), Leela in ''Doctor Who'' (1977–1978), Anne Reynolds in ''The O ...

as Roberta Craven *

Omari Douglas Omari Shaquille Douglas (born 24 March 1994) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Roscoe Babatunde in the Channel 4 drama ''It's a Sin'' (2021). He has received nominations for a British Academy Television Award and a Laurence Olivi ...

as Neal Hart *

Rebecca Trehearn Rebecca Trehearn is an actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. She trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, graduating in 2004. Rebecca is also known for portraying the character of Cheryl Thomas on S4C Soap opera, Pobol y Cwm bet ...

as Anna *

Rosalie Craig Rosalie Mae Craig (born May 30, 1980) is an English actress, noted for her performances in musical theatre. In 2013, she received her first major award, a London Evening Standard Award for Best Performance in a Musical. Life and career Craig ...

as Sophie *

Janet Ellis Janet Ellis, (born 16 September 1955) is an English television presenter, actress and writer, who is best known for presenting the children's television programmes ''Blue Peter'' and '' Jigsaw'' between 1979 and 1987. She has published two nov ...

as Janet * Greg Austin as Armitage *

Wilf Scolding Wilfred John Scolding (born 25 April 1990) is a British actor. On television, he is known for his role in the BBC One drama '' The Passing Bells'' (2014) and the Netflix series '' The One'' (2021). His films include '' Bees Make Honey'' (2017). ...

as Sir Reginald Dellafield *

Jason Watkins Jason Peter Watkins (born 28 October 1962) is an English stage, film and television actor. He played the lead role in the two-part drama ''The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies'', for which he won the British Academy Television Award for Bes ...

as Emlyn Crook *

Fenella Woolgar Fenella Woolgar (born 4 August 1969) is an English film, theatre, television and radio actress. She is known for her roles in films including '' Bright Young Things'', '' Swallows and Amazons'' and '' Victoria and Abdul'' and for TV shows incl ...

Princess Beatrice Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is a member of the British royal family. She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Ch ...

Production

The series is produced by James Goss, with

and

serving as executive producers. Most of the series was originally directed by

Scott Handcock Scott Handcock (born 8 November 1984) is an English writer, director and producer who has been involved in a number of audio plays for Big Finish Productions. After sixteen years with the company, it was announced in 2022 that Handcock would le ...

before he left Big Finish in 2022, since then, most plays have been directed by either David O'Mahony or Lisa Bowerman, while others contribute infrequently. Original music is composed by Blair Mowat. Scripts were initially edited by Steve Tribe before the duty was passed to David Llewellyn and Handcock, and later David Winfield, Lauren Mooney and Goss by 2022. Likewise, all cover art was originally designed by

Lee Binding Lee Binding (born 1975) is a graphic designer and digital painter who has worked on the television shows ''Doctor Who, Torchwood,'' ''The Sarah Jane Adventures,'' and various other works for BBC, Sky, Random House, Entertainment One, SFX Magazine ...

before Sean Longmore took over in 2021. Plays have been recorded in studios across the UK and the U.S., including Rancho Mirage Music, Bang Post Production, The Moat Studios, The Roundhouse Studios and Ladbroke Audio. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, production was carried out remotely from cast and crew's homes. Later, when studio recording was re-permitted, cast and crew had to observe

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dise ...

rules. One play is typically recorded in 1–2 days and released within 6–18 months, with

post production Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...

taking place in the time between. They debut through Big Finish's website for digital download and physical purchase before becoming commercially available three months later, as with all Big Finish releases. Each audio drama features an approximate 60 minute runtime, including a 5–10 minute behind-the-scenes segment. Exceptions, however, include the ''Torchwood Soho'' series with 30 minute episodes and the supplementary ''Postcard from Mr. Colchester'' stories which each have a 20 minute runtime.

Releases

Monthly Range

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Special releases

Specials (2016–18)

''The Sins of Captain John'' (2020)

''Torchwood One''

Series 1: ''Before the Fall'' (2017)

Series 2: ''Machines'' (2018)

Series 3: ''Latter Days'' (2019)

Series 4: ''Nightmares'' (2022)

Series 5: ''I Hate Mondays'' (2024)

''The Story Continues''

This series is marketed as a direct continuation of the TV programme, with ''Aliens Among Us'', ''God Among Us'' and ''Among Us'' serving as the fifth, sixth and seventh series, respectively.

''Aliens Among Us'' (2017–18)

''God Among Us'' (2018–19)

''Among Us'' (2023)

''Torchwood Soho''

Series 1: ''Parasite'' (2020)

Series 2: ''Ashenden'' (2021)

Series 3: ''The Unbegotten'' (2022)

Series 4: ''Ascension'' (2024)

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

{{Doctor Who Big Finish Audiobooks based on Torchwood 2015 audio plays 2016 audio plays 2017 audio plays 2018 audio plays 2020 audio plays Doctor Who spinoffs Big Finish Productions