Books & Literature

Audiobook Review: Torchwood: Drive, by Big Finish

SCI-FI: Toshiko Sato, wounded and desperate, wakes up in the back of a cab. She’s got one night to save the city, and the meter’s running.

An adventure that seems at times to be stuck in first gear.
3.5

Fawsia is one of many taxi drivers in the city of Cardiff, trying to make a living while inadvertently learning the secrets of the city. It is yet another routine night until a badly wounded lady falls into her taxi and demands to be taken to a hospital. What follows is a night like no other for her that involves a lady named Toshiko Sato, a teleporter and the mysterious organisation known as Torchwood. Is there a fare big enough for an adventure like this?

The penultimate release in the current season of Torchwood monthlies sees the return of Torchwood agent Toshiko Sato, played, as she was onscreen, by the wonderful Naoko Mori. David Llewelyn has drawn on cinematic plot lines such as Die Hard With A Vengeance and Collateral to create an interesting, if not altogether riveting, adventure.

Mori is well supported in this adventure by Suzanne Packer as the non-plussed Fawsia. She bounces off Mori’s acting well and the two make a good team. She also has a number of scenes on her own where she tries to give an extra layer to the character. Taylor Jay-Davies (Lee) and Robert Wilfort (Chris) round out the cast as the villains of the piece.

Lisa Bowerman directs the story well, giving it much ebb and flow. Although, Llewlyn’s script occasionally leaves her with little to do except have two people talking. When the action picks up, she is well aided by the excellent sound design of Toby Hrycek-Robinson and Blair Mowat’s incidental score. The release includes a hefty chunk of bonus interviews with the cast and crew which allow the listener to have some light shed on the production of this release.

While recent releases have not met the same lofty heights as some of the earlier releases in this season, it appears as though Big Finish are rallying for a decent end to the season. Fans of “Tosh” will no doubt enjoy hearing her again, even if it is not under the best of conditions. An interesting, if flawed, release. 

Reviewed by Rodney Hrvatin
Twitter: @Wagnerfan74

Distributed by: Big Finish Productions
Released: February 2021
Approx RRP: $20 CD, $9 Digital Download

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