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Torchwood Radio Dramas #5-7
Torchwood: The Lost Files
John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd star in three Torchwood radio adventures from the Lost Files, each set before the TV story ‘Children of Earth’.
‘The Devil and Miss Carew’ sees Gwen and Rhys involved in a nursing home mystery. Why is Miss Carew, an octogenarian with terminal heart disease, suddenly looking so fit and healthy? And what is her connection with the mysterious power cuts that are sweeping the nation? Written by Rupert Laight.
‘Submission’ finds the Torchwood team heading for the bottom of the sea - the Mariana Trench - after they intercept a distress call. But when the submarine they are on crashes, they find themselves at the mercy of a hungry alien... Written by Ryan Scott.
‘The House of the Dead’ sees a special séance being held at the most haunted pub in Wales. The House of the Dead is about to close, and many regulars have turned up on the last night in the hope of seeing their deceased loved ones. But then the ghosts start arriving – and all hell breaks loose... Written by James Goss.
‘The Devil and Miss Carew’ sees Gwen and Rhys involved in a nursing home mystery. Why is Miss Carew, an octogenarian with terminal heart disease, suddenly looking so fit and healthy? And what is her connection with the mysterious power cuts that are sweeping the nation? Written by Rupert Laight.
‘Submission’ finds the Torchwood team heading for the bottom of the sea - the Mariana Trench - after they intercept a distress call. But when the submarine they are on crashes, they find themselves at the mercy of a hungry alien... Written by Ryan Scott.
‘The House of the Dead’ sees a special séance being held at the most haunted pub in Wales. The House of the Dead is about to close, and many regulars have turned up on the last night in the hope of seeing their deceased loved ones. But then the ghosts start arriving – and all hell breaks loose... Written by James Goss.
Audio CD
First published September 8, 2011
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About the author
James Goss
222 books176 followersJames 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.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 24, 2012
Not as good as the first set of radio plays was, but these things are like crack. So easy to listen to over the course of an afternoon's work in the lab.
February 23, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 - Afternoon Drama:
When Rhys's elderly Uncle Bryn has a heart attack while listening to the shipping forecast, it seems like another routine death at Ivyday Nursing Home. But when Rhys and Gwen go to collect the old man's effects, Gwen's suspicions are roused by another elderly resident. The conversation is cut short, though, by a fire alarm, one of many consequences of the mysterious power cuts that are sweeping the nation. Gwen has a hunch that something is wrong and her search leads her to Miss Carew, a suspiciously fit and strong octogenarian who, despite having supposedly terminal heart disease, has left Ivyday and gone back to work at the Computer firm she used to run. Miss Carew has been offered a deal by Fitzroy, a wandering alien with an aversion to electricity who is looking for a home. It's a deal that Miss Carew can't refuse. But the consequences for planet Earth are unthinkable.
When Rhys's elderly Uncle Bryn has a heart attack while listening to the shipping forecast, it seems like another routine death at Ivyday Nursing Home. But when Rhys and Gwen go to collect the old man's effects, Gwen's suspicions are roused by another elderly resident. The conversation is cut short, though, by a fire alarm, one of many consequences of the mysterious power cuts that are sweeping the nation. Gwen has a hunch that something is wrong and her search leads her to Miss Carew, a suspiciously fit and strong octogenarian who, despite having supposedly terminal heart disease, has left Ivyday and gone back to work at the Computer firm she used to run. Miss Carew has been offered a deal by Fitzroy, a wandering alien with an aversion to electricity who is looking for a home. It's a deal that Miss Carew can't refuse. But the consequences for planet Earth are unthinkable.
November 2, 2019
These start out good and only get better. The House of the Dead was amazingly good. That one deserves a five star rating, but the other two just don't quite live up to that level.
November 22, 2017
More great audio drama from Torchwood. These were originally radio plays but have been brought together in a single audiobook.
1) The Devil and Miss Carew
2) Submission
3) House of the Dead
Let's be honest before I say anything else, I'm pretty much going to talk about #janto and nothing else.
The tracks were about 40 to 45 minutes each, so almost the length of a TV episode. I find these probably aren't quite as well written or executed as the Big Finish Productions ones, but let's face it, no audio drama is going to reach the quality Big Finish put out. Still, for fans like me who miss the series on TV and wish CoE hadn't happened, or that there'd been an entire series of just Gwen, Jack and Ianto running Torchwood together, these almost fill the void.
The first 2 eps would fall somewhere between the end of season 2 and CoE, while House of the Dead happens 6 months after CoE.
In the first ep, The Devil and Miss Carew, Rhys was in it as well, and though I do like Gwen generally, for some reason I always like her more when Rhys is around. Meanwhile, Jack and Ianto went off to do some investigation together (no, really. Actual investigation. Get your mind out of the gutter) so we got to hear flirty-fun-janto... if only we could have SEEN flirty-fun-janto.
In the second episode, it was mostly spent under the ocean in a submarine with one of Ianto's ex-girlfriends. Or maybe they were just ex-work-colleagues, but she admitted to once having feelings for him. Then we got relationship-cannon-janto as the ex guessed that Ianto and Jack were together, to which Ianto replied "is it that obvious?" Her response about noticing glances and the way they looked at each other, and pricelessly "where he put his hand at 30,000 feet" was just brilliant. I would give anything to have seen the look on Ianto's face.
Anyway, on to House of the Dead. And oh, I don't even know what to say about this, because this was goodbye-forever-janto. Seriously, I think it broke me, just a little. I already knew from the premise that Ianto was a ghost and Jack went looking for him. I was prepared to be hit in the feels, but I wasn't ready to be pummelled.
The final goodbye had some of my favorite janto lines of all time. Jack - "Do you have any idea what it felt like waking up and knowing the world was empty because you were no longer in it?" (or something to that affect). Seriously, if you have any doubts about the skill of Gareth David-Lloyd or John Barrowman as actors, then all you have to do is listen to how deeply and genuinely this was executed. Part of me never wants to listen to it again because it was just that wrenching, but its also for that exact reason that I want to listen to it over and over.
1) The Devil and Miss Carew
2) Submission
3) House of the Dead
Let's be honest before I say anything else, I'm pretty much going to talk about #janto and nothing else.
The tracks were about 40 to 45 minutes each, so almost the length of a TV episode. I find these probably aren't quite as well written or executed as the Big Finish Productions ones, but let's face it, no audio drama is going to reach the quality Big Finish put out. Still, for fans like me who miss the series on TV and wish CoE hadn't happened, or that there'd been an entire series of just Gwen, Jack and Ianto running Torchwood together, these almost fill the void.
The first 2 eps would fall somewhere between the end of season 2 and CoE, while House of the Dead happens 6 months after CoE.
In the first ep, The Devil and Miss Carew, Rhys was in it as well, and though I do like Gwen generally, for some reason I always like her more when Rhys is around. Meanwhile, Jack and Ianto went off to do some investigation together (no, really. Actual investigation. Get your mind out of the gutter) so we got to hear flirty-fun-janto... if only we could have SEEN flirty-fun-janto.
In the second episode, it was mostly spent under the ocean in a submarine with one of Ianto's ex-girlfriends. Or maybe they were just ex-work-colleagues, but she admitted to once having feelings for him. Then we got relationship-cannon-janto as the ex guessed that Ianto and Jack were together, to which Ianto replied "is it that obvious?" Her response about noticing glances and the way they looked at each other, and pricelessly "where he put his hand at 30,000 feet" was just brilliant. I would give anything to have seen the look on Ianto's face.
Anyway, on to House of the Dead. And oh, I don't even know what to say about this, because this was goodbye-forever-janto. Seriously, I think it broke me, just a little. I already knew from the premise that Ianto was a ghost and Jack went looking for him. I was prepared to be hit in the feels, but I wasn't ready to be pummelled.
The final goodbye had some of my favorite janto lines of all time. Jack - "Do you have any idea what it felt like waking up and knowing the world was empty because you were no longer in it?" (or something to that affect). Seriously, if you have any doubts about the skill of Gareth David-Lloyd or John Barrowman as actors, then all you have to do is listen to how deeply and genuinely this was executed. Part of me never wants to listen to it again because it was just that wrenching, but its also for that exact reason that I want to listen to it over and over.
July 29, 2022
Torchwood: The Lost Files - 2.3/5 stars
Pre-Big Finish Torchwood is a bit… dry. The voice acting isn’t great because the actors involved don’t have a lot of experience in this format. The direction leaves a lot to be desired. The background audio is… underdeveloped but this was free on BBC Sounds so I guess I can’t complain.
The Devil and Miss Carew by Rupert Laight - 2/5 stars
Good premise… bland execution.
Submission by Ryan Scott - 2/5 stars
Great premise… messy and flat execution.
The House of the Dead by James Goss - 3/5 stars
Dead people are coming back. I was a little bored with this premise but the execution and the look into Jack/Ianto’s characters were a lot better than the previous two stories.
Pre-Big Finish Torchwood is a bit… dry. The voice acting isn’t great because the actors involved don’t have a lot of experience in this format. The direction leaves a lot to be desired. The background audio is… underdeveloped but this was free on BBC Sounds so I guess I can’t complain.
The Devil and Miss Carew by Rupert Laight - 2/5 stars
Good premise… bland execution.
Submission by Ryan Scott - 2/5 stars
Great premise… messy and flat execution.
The House of the Dead by James Goss - 3/5 stars
Dead people are coming back. I was a little bored with this premise but the execution and the look into Jack/Ianto’s characters were a lot better than the previous two stories.
May 21, 2017
The Devil and Miss Carew
Listened to this one first of the three. Wasn't really crazy about it as it felt too short and quick. It almost felt like the story could have been expanded on as it started, they knew the bad guy, and it was over. Gwen of course got herself kidnapped after thinking she could handle something she actually couldn't and needed to be rescued by her husband. The Jack and Ianto moments were good though.
Submission
I really liked this one. It delved a bit more into Ianto's past with Torchwood 1 and we got to meet another survivor. I liked that we got to learn more about him as he is my favourite character. I liked that he spoke more about his feelings for Jack and was hoping for a little bit of something more at the end about this. The ending did seem a bit sudden after stopping the bad guy but did give some closure to the story. I liked the character of Carly and the bad guy Sam was interesting. An enjoyable radio play.
The House of the Dead
By far the best of the three, also the most heard breaking. This story takes place after Series 3, which means after Ianto dies. This story gave so much closure to his death in the TV show, but still doesn't make it easier to have lost such a great character. It was so great that they admitted their love for each other. I like that Gwen wasn't in it much as her character dominates the TV series and other Radio Plays, though Ianto is so much more interesting.
Overall the Torchwood Lost Files were great to listen to on a long drive, and strengthened my love of the show.
Listened to this one first of the three. Wasn't really crazy about it as it felt too short and quick. It almost felt like the story could have been expanded on as it started, they knew the bad guy, and it was over. Gwen of course got herself kidnapped after thinking she could handle something she actually couldn't and needed to be rescued by her husband. The Jack and Ianto moments were good though.
Submission
I really liked this one. It delved a bit more into Ianto's past with Torchwood 1 and we got to meet another survivor. I liked that we got to learn more about him as he is my favourite character. I liked that he spoke more about his feelings for Jack and was hoping for a little bit of something more at the end about this. The ending did seem a bit sudden after stopping the bad guy but did give some closure to the story. I liked the character of Carly and the bad guy Sam was interesting. An enjoyable radio play.
The House of the Dead
By far the best of the three, also the most heard breaking. This story takes place after Series 3, which means after Ianto dies. This story gave so much closure to his death in the TV show, but still doesn't make it easier to have lost such a great character. It was so great that they admitted their love for each other. I like that Gwen wasn't in it much as her character dominates the TV series and other Radio Plays, though Ianto is so much more interesting.
Overall the Torchwood Lost Files were great to listen to on a long drive, and strengthened my love of the show.
July 10, 2017
these lost file stories were very much like missing episodes from the torchwood series. enjoyable, but I should have loved to see them rather than just hear them.
February 13, 2018
I feel like I was just beaten to a pulp in the feels! I wish I had had a box of tissues with me. These three stories felt just like missing episodes of Torchwood.
May 14, 2018
Three stories from Torchwood, that are really good. I especially liked the second one, "Submission", which I found rather claustrophobic...
June 26, 2020
The Devil and Miss Carew: 3.5 stars
Submission: 3.5 stars
House of the Dead: 5 stars
Submission: 3.5 stars
House of the Dead: 5 stars
August 21, 2020
The first two stories were okay but the last one was the best, that ending...
September 23, 2020
Another great Torchwood story set.
July 31, 2015
Really great set of three Torchwood stories. John Barrowman's acting weaknesses are more apparent when you can't see him interacting with others, or aren't distracted by his loveliness, but I'm glad I gave this a listen.
August 4, 2016
Fun & entertaining enough to be 4 stars. If only there were more tv episodes coming in the future. *sigh*
August 23, 2015
3 separate radio plays, all very good. Makes me realize how much I miss the show.
November 16, 2015
It was just like watching an episode on tv with all the great acting, but none of the special effects.
September 6, 2016
I enjoyed all three audio dramas in this set, but the third one was by far my favorite. Having some Ianto/Jack moments lost COE was pure genius.
April 2, 2023
“Admiral Jack Harkness?”
“I was due for a promotion”.
“I was due for a promotion”.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews