Captain Jack Harkness has always had his suspicions about the Committee. And now Wilson is also talking about the Committee. Apparently the world really is under the control of alien lizards. That’s what Wilson says. People have died, disasters have been staged, the suspicious have disappeared.
It’s outrageous.
Only Jack knows that Wilson is right. The Committee has arrived.
TORCHWOOD: THE CONSPIRACY
Finally, after years of waiting, Big Finish has secured a license to produce material related to the “new series” of Doctor Who and its related spinoffs. The first example of this is Torchwood, and the first release in Big Finish’s new Torchwood series (produced by James Goss) is “The Conspiracy” from David Llewellyn.
I’m not going to offer especially detailed reviews of the Torchwood releases, but I want to point out just how good of a start this is to an ongoing series. The plot is compelling even as it builds the titular conspiracy, while the rise and fall of Wilson (John Sessions) is surprisingly emotional. Sessions is fantastic throughout, even making his character’s alcoholism seem understandable, while the performance of Sarah Ovens as his daughter Kate is strong as well, if a little over the top at the conclusion. The star of the show, though, is John Barrowman, who narrates in character as Jack Harkness. He’s a capable narrator, with an appealing, easygoing tone, and he so easily recaptures his famous role it’s like he’s still recording the TV series.
I’m also a big fan of the conspiracy element. I’m a bit concerned about the scope of it – are they really going to be able to realistically deal with an alien organization that may have infiltrated every government on Earth? – but it’s set up incredibly well. I’m sure the technique of giving the details through a conspiracy nut who is later proven absolutely right has been done before, but it’s done here to great effect. I’m also a big fan of the sound design from Neil Gardner, and the score from Blair Mowat is a fantastic interpretation of the TV score. Overall, I’m very optimistic for this series based on “The Conspiracy,” one of the best Big Finish series openers in a long time.
9/10