Customer Reviews

Torchwood: Radio 4 drama

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A very successful spin off from the perennially popular British science fiction television series 'Dr. Who', the 'Torchwood' series has expanded to include full-cast, special effects enhanced audio book productions from BBC Audiobooks America that provide the listener with a true 'theatre of the mind' experience. "Torchwood: Lost Souls" features four actors (John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, and Freema Agyeman) who reprise their television roles in a harrowing tale of invasion from another dimension thanks to experiments at CERN (the world's largest particle accelerator) in Switzerland. Fans will appreciate "Torchwood: Lost Souls" being enhanced with the inclusion of a bonus program in the form of 'behind the scenes' interviews with series creator Russell T. Davies and members of the cast and crews. A technically flawless recording with state of the art production values, "Torchwood: Lost Souls" (with a total running time of 1 hour, 15 minutes) is a very highly recommended addition to community library audio book collections -- and a 'must' for Torchwood's legions of fans.

I bought this with the express purpose of listening to it in the car while on a road trip. It was short, but fun to take the characters I so love with me on the road. The story line is good, although some of the dialogue seems to be a bit of a Torchwood Primer (REALLY focusing on the "Jack can't die" and "everyone feels guilty" things -- if you follow Torchwood at all it falls quickly into the "yeah, we got it!" category). The interviews at the end are fun. WARNING: Gareth David-Lloyd's voice is so soothing it's almost hypnotic. Use caution when listening while driving alone.

My husband & I have been Dr. Who fans since the early 1970's... when Torchwood came out, we were hopeful that the series would live up to the DW production values and breathless in anticipation of Torchwood's release on BBC-America. Here in the States it is rare that any cast members from a television series actually narrates an audiobook they perform the video version of. We were thrilled to discover most of the cast reprising their roles in the Torchwood audiobooks. Excellent!

Shortly after Owen and Tosh's funeral, Torchwood receives yet another call from Martha Jones, bringing them this time to the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Still reeling from their own losses, they must investigate a string of disappearances deep within science's most controversial particle accelerator. But it's weirder still: the dead appear to be living in the massive tunnels of the LHC, and when it's switched on, they'll come rushing back.

This one-off radio episode cashes in on real-world fears about the controversial LHC to create a fun, exciting sci-fi horror adventure. This is the only chance the Torchwood characters have to come to terms with their losses. Though it's a bit weird to see the Torchwood team involved in something that doesn't concern the Rift, this is a worthy addition to the Torchwood canon.

If you aren't used to listening to radio drama, you may be confused by some of the conventions. The dense soundscape, using sound FX and music from the original series, might be confusing to the uninitiated. But I love radio dramas, downloading them from the BBC website at every opportunity. If this is something you're comfy with, or willing to learn to handle, then this is a particularly well-executed audio drama.

After the proper episode, there's a thirty minute radio special on the debut of Torchwood's second season on TV. I like listening to Russell T. Davies, who is smart and funny. But Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd have lousy microphone technique. This is a pretty interesting glimpse into the creative process of creating a BBC TV drama, but I'm not sure I'd want to listen to it every time I heard the audio episode.

I know audio drama isn't for everyone. But this is a particularly apt extension of the events at the end of the TV season, and a bridge into the smaller, tighter team that appears in Children of Earth. And the audio format gives the story a scope that the limits of TV can't permit, so it's easy to imagine the characters are lost in the depths of the LHC. Recommended for most Torchwood fans.

so much fun! Not only is this a good story, but the fact that the real crew act it out, it's brilliant. Audio books are a good listen, but you always have the trouble of not being sure who is speaking until "so and so said" is read out. But not here. Jack speaks and you know it because it's really John Barrowman, and so on. Add in the great writing and the inclusion of real life situations and you've got a good listen. The only bad here is that it's only an hour long. You just want it to keep going, and with how well Children of Earth *didn't* go it'd be nice if the entire season three was done in audio play instead.

Torchwood Season Two Spoilers Below


Since I had to spend a couple of hours the other day printing out reply envelopes for the wedding invitations, I decided to make the time go by faster by picking up the Torchwood audio play Lost Souls. Considering it's only about an hour long, it's a bit pricey compared to a standard audio book, but it did include some interesting interviews with cast members. The story starts with Martha Jones calling Torchwood in to investigate after the mysterious disappearances of employees at CERN, the real-life massive scientific research facility in Switzerland (I'd be happy to read more non-Torchwood stories about this place--it's basically a massive underground city employing more than 10,000 scientists in an unprecedented multinational bid to discover the fundamental particles of existence as we know it). I'd rate the story as about average, but it was set during a time period I was curious about: soon after the deaths Tosh & Owen at the end of Series Two. Martha plays the interesting role of the person the others individually turn to in order to share their grief. Like the story, the dialogue isn't stellar, but it is passable. As with the BBC audio plays I reviewed last week, having the authentic theme and background music, sound effects, and the actor's own voices makes a big difference in helping it seem like "real" Torchwood.

Fantastic little gem of a "car-trip" distraction, this is a radio play with John Barrowman, Eve Myles & Gareth David-Lloyd as the primary actors. If you enjoy "books on CD", or the old-time radio-plays, you'll adore this offering--I listened to it the first time on my way to a business meeting & found the highway miles just flew by--it's now one of my favorite driving distractions!

There just is not enough Torchwood to satisfy a fan and once again with Lost Souls, we get another goodie for the car. I love to listen on the way to work, on trips, or whatever. If you like Captain Jack, you will enjoy this.

Even taking into account that this is supposed to be shortly after the deaths of Owen and Tosh no one is in character. Jack has no panche. Ianto no snark. Martha just seems... tired. And a little Gwen is often too much and this was swimming in her. The only redeeming factor for me? The bit at the end with Ianto quoting Tennyson. (I love both Ianto and Tennyson)

I really didn't like the way this was done.It was a chore listening to it and I will never buy another one.