Torchwood is a sci-fi audio series produced by Big Finish Productions 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, a fictional secret organisation that defends Earth against extraterrestrial threats.
The series premiered on 15 September 2015 and is set to conclude in October 2027. James Goss acts as range producer, David Richardson as senior producer, with Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery serving as executive producers.
Background The original television programme Torchwood (2006–2011), an adult-oriented spin-off of the long-running British science fiction drama Doctor Who, ran for four series before entering an indefinite hiatus due to the other commitments of creator and executive producer Russell T Davies.
In January 2015, John Barrowman, who plays series lead Captain Jack Harkness, 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 in discussion of the project. Torchwood previously featured in the form of radio plays that aired on BBC Radio 4 between 2008 and 2011.
In May 2015, Big Finish Productions 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 and TV film. The project received the blessing of Davies, who had been working with Gardner and former Big Finish producer Gary Russell 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, a ninth (74–84) in August 2023–June 2024, a tenth (85–96) in July 2024–September 2025 and an eleventh and final set (97–100) between November 2025–May 2026. 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 Torchwood'''s TV debut. This was followed by the boxsets Outbreak (2016) and Believe (2018), while another, Torchwood One (2017–2024), 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.
On 6 October 2025, Big Finish announced that the Torchwood Monthly Range would cease after its one-hundredth official release in 2026 while the audio series itself would conclude with a two-volume special titled Legacy in 2027.
Premise The series follows the exploits of the agents who work for the fictional Torchwood Institute – a covert British organisation that defends Earth against supernatural and extraterrestrial 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 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 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
Actor Character Appearances Monthly Range Specials Torchwood One The Story Continues The Sins of Captain John Torchwood Soho '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24 '25 '26 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="7" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="6" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="12" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="1" colspan="7" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="2" colspan="5" colspan="5" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Rhys Williams colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="4" Tom Price Andy Davidson colspan="1" colspan="10" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Tracy-Ann Oberman Yvonne Hartman colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" Samuel Barnett Norton Folgate colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" Rowena Cooper Queen Victoria colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" James Marsters John Hart colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="8" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" Paul Clayton St John Colchester colspan="6" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Dorothy McShane colspan="6" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Tommy Pierce colspan="9" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Alexandria Riley Ng colspan="12" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Jonny Green Tyler Steele colspan="10" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Samantha Béart Orr colspan="12" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Ramon Tikaram Colin Colchester-Price colspan="12" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" colspan="12" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="4" Lizbeth Hayhoe colspan="6" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Joe Shire Gideon Lyme colspan="12" colspan="1" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4"
Notable guests Torchwood and Doctor Who
Julian Lewis Jones as Alex Hopkins Nerys Hughes as Brenda Williams Sharon Morgan as Mary Cooper Katy Manning as Jo Jones
Annette Badland as Margaret Blaine Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor Bryan Dick as Adam Smith Shaun Parkes as Zachary Cross Flane
Claire Rushbrook as Ida Scott Ronny Jhutti as Danny Bartock Silas Carson as The Ood
Other
John Sessions as George Wilson Russell T Davies as Secretary David Warner as The Committee Simon Russell Beale as M LeDuc Arthur Darvill as Frank Layton Jacqueline King as God Michael Palin as The Voice David Troughton as Rigsby
Kacey Ainsworth as Jill Kerr Denis Lawson as Casper Beacham Nathaniel Curtis as Lancelyn Green and Vijay Dan Starkey as Major Kreg Nigel Havers as The SUV Louise Jameson as Roberta Craven Omari Douglas as Neal Hart Rebecca Trehearn as Anna
Rosalie Craig as Sophie Janet Ellis as Janet Greg Austin as Armitage Wilf Scolding as Sir Reginald Dellafield Jason Watkins as Emlyn Crook Fenella Woolgar as Princess Beatrice
Production The series is produced by James Goss, with Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs serving as executive producers. Most of the series was originally directed by Scott Handcock 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 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, 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 rules.
One play is typically recorded in 1–2 days and released within 6–18 months, with post production 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 (2015–2026) 2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Special releases Specials (2016–2018)
The Sins of Captain John (2020)
Legacy (2027)
Torchwood One (2017–2024) 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 (2017–2023) 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 (2017–2018)
God Among Us (2018–2019)
Among Us (2023)
Torchwood Soho (2020–present) Series 1: Parasite (2020)
Series 2: Ashenden (2021)
Series 3: The Unbegotten (2022)
Series 4: Ascension (2024)
Awards and nominations +Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Work(s) Result BBC Audio Drama Awards 2017 Best Online Only Audio Drama "More Than This" Scribe Awards Best Audio "Broken" "Uncanny Valley" 2018 "torchwood_cascade_CDrip.tor" "The Dying Room" 2020 "Sargasso" 2021 "Tropical Beach Sounds and Other Relaxing Seascapes #4" "Save Our Souls"
Notes
References