Torchwood: Empire of Shadows – Review

In the far future of the Earth Empire, Torchwood is forgotten. So it’s a surprise when Zachary Cross Flane of the Torchwood Archive finds himself summoned to the opening of the late Empress’s Library. Her son believes that the conspiracy which deposed his mother is still active and that the key to it is hidden somewhere in the library. But does Zachary want to find it?

This release contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners.

I think it’s safe to say that if Torchwood gets invited to the party, don’t attend!

Big Finish never ceases to amaze me with their delightful talent of plucking a character out with little screen time or rememberability and flesh the character out giving them a whole new lease of life, especially when it comes to Torchwood. From PC Andy Davison to Bilis Manger, Big finish seems to instinctively know how to make that character shine.

Zachary Cross Flane is no exception, seen for the first and only time in the series 2 fan favourite two-parter; The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit all the way back in 2006 as a 43rd century representative of the Torchwood Archive and acting captain on the ill-fated Walker Expedition. Fifteen years later, Big Finish revive the archivist for their 53^rdinstalment in the monthly range: Empire of Shadows.

Empire of shadows is written and produced by James Goss and directed by Scott Handcock. The story boasts a sizeable cast for a Torchwood main range story starring Shaun Parkes (Zachary Cross Flane), Amanda Shodeko (Chloe), Chandrika Chevli (The Empress), Mateo Oxley (Emperor Merdiven) and Wilf Scolding (Courtier).

Right from the start, it’s easy to hear the enthusiasm in Parkes’s voice, clearly relishing the opportunity to return to the role and show a different side to the Zachary Cross Flane we saw in 2006. Alongside her fellow archivist is a futuristic ‘synth’ named Chloe. The two characters work well together, bouncing off each other and making it easy to believe that they have been partners in crime for quite some time.

In a lot of ways Big Finish have delved into new ground with this Torchwood release, unlike any other story from the main range, having already explored the past wonderfully with the Soho adventures, the present and continuation of the current era, to finally now exploring the future protectors of the British Empire, the story feels like a new chapter in the Torchwood Main range and hopefully leading to many more adventures to come from the 43^rd century and beyond.

I can’t help but think if this had a Captain Jack-esque monologue intro, it would be something along the lines of “The 43^rd century is where everything changes, and Torchwood’s been ready for donkey’s years!”

There were some lovely nods to Torchwoods past including Zachary’s hesitation and disquiet when it comes to the ‘Ood’. Zach also mentions the Harkness protocols whilst trying to access the Torchwood Archives with a few memorable name drops to Captain Jack’s team.

As much as I thoroughly enjoyed Amanda Shodeko’s portrayal of Chloe, I can’t help but feel Big Finish may have missed a trick in not having Claire Rushbrook reprise her role as Ida Scott from the series 2 two-parter instead. Her character would fit perfectly with Zachary, as she could easily have joined the Torchwood Archive after their brush with death with the devil and the deadly Ood. Fingers crossed Ida returns in a future release!

Empire of Shadows is a real stand out Torchwood release for me, bringing with it a change of pace and a tease of what could easily be a spin-off from the original main range in my eyes. With nice twists and turns and a satisfying ending, along with a terrific cast and a nice score from Blair Mowat, Empire of Shadows gets a thumbs up from me!

Torchwood: Empire of Shadows is available now, priced from £8.99 on the Big Finish website.