Doctor Who Big Finish Originals Torchwood
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ISSUE: 115 • SEPTEMBER 2018 WWW.BIGFINISH.COM DOCTOR WHO RAVENOUS 2 TORCHWOOD GOD AMONG US BIG FINISH ORIGINALS BLIND TERROR We make great full-cast audio dramas and audiobooks that are available to buy on CD and/or download WE LOVE STORIES! SUBSCRIBERS GET Our audio productions are based on much- MORE! loved TV series like Doctor Who, Torchwood, If you subscribe, depending on the Dark Shadows, Blake’s 7, The Avengers, The range you subscribe to, you get free Prisoner, The Omega Factor, Terrahawks, audiobooks, PDFs of scripts, extra Captain Scarlet and Survivors, as well as behind-the-scenes material, a classics such as HG Wells, Shakespeare, bonus release, downloadable audio Sherlock Holmes, The Phantom of the Opera readings of new short stories and and Dorian Gray. We also produce original discounts. creations such as Graceless, Charlotte Pollard and The Adventures of Bernice Summerfield, plus the Big Finish Originals Secure online ordering and details of range featuring seven great new series all our products can be found at: including ATA Girl and Cicero. www.bigfinish.com WWW.BIGFINISH.COM @ BIGFINISH THEBIGFINISH HIS MONTH’S Vortex front and back covers are rather T different, as I’m sure you’ll have noticed. To mark the 20th anniversary of Big Finish, we announced an online COMING SOON competition encouraging budding DOCTOR WHO: THE LEGACY OF TIME artists to put brush to paper (or whichever method they wished!), to ULY 2019 marks the 20th Chairman and executive create something special for Vortex. And here are the winning results! anniversary of Big Finish producer of Big Finish, Jason Our overall winner was Sophie J Productions producing Haigh-Ellery, says: “In July Cowdrey, whose illustration of original Doctor Who audio 1999 we released The Sirens Professor River Song adorns the adventures, and the greatest of Time. In July 2019 we’re front cover. Isn’t it gorgeous? Her celebration of all time has been releasing The Legacy of Time. attention to detail in capturing planned. The Legacy of Time is a These two decades have been Alex Kingston’s likeness, very special production being incredibly fulfilling for us plus the superb background, released to mark the occasion, at Big Finish – a chance to stood out from the crowd. and it will be the biggest Doctor work with so many great And isn’t our back cover, by Who audio crossover event EVER, and talented actors, writers, Simon Brett, rather glorious too? as the classic and new series production crews, and all of I’ve maybe said once or twice how come together. our friends at the BBC. This much I’ve loved Sheridan Smith We’ll see Professor River Song is a celebration of it all, with since her career began on TV (she meet the first lady of Big Finish lots of surprise returns and was outstanding as a young thing in – the original time-travelling references. Think of it as one Holby City), and I’ve followed her archaeologist, Professor Bernice massive Doctor Who party with interest ever since. So, it’s great to see her and the Eighth Doctor Summerfield. Kate Stewart – and everyone is invited!” reunited (and look at the Doctor’s finds herself back in the 1970s Nicholas Briggs, executive badge – he’s ready for a party!). meeting the Third Doctor and producer and writer of The Thanks to all who entered – it Jo. The Seventh Doctor and Ace Sirens of Time, adds: “The sounds like a cliché to say it was are reunited with the Counter- Legacy of Time will probably a tough task to pick a winner, but Measures team, while the Sixth go down in Big Finish history it genuinely was. There were so Doctor and Charlotte Pollard as our biggest, most exciting many good entries, covering all meet Detective Inspector Patricia release, ever! Celebrating angles of the Big Finish universe, Menzies once again. We’ll also 20 years of Doctor Who at so narrowing it down was an travel to the homeworld of the Big Finish, it expertly pulls incredibly tough decision, and Time Lords for adventures on together all the strands from the team who picked the winner Gallifrey – and there are plenty our many and varied Doctor were all unanimous in admiration more surprises in store. Who ranges.” of Sophie’s work. KENNY VORTEX | PAGE 3 KENNY SMITH PREVIEWS THE NEW SERIES OF THE TORCHWOOD SPECIAL RELEASES, OUT NEXT MONTH… VORTEX | PAGE 4 TORCHWOOD GOD AMONG US 1 CARDIFF’S FINEST ARE BACK TO DEFEND THE WORLD IN STYLE THIS OCTOBER, AS TORCHWOOD RETURNS FOR ITS SIXTH SERIES OF SPECIAL RELEASES. Above (l–r): Jonny Green and John Barrowman Us finale, with John Barrowman has had his own input into THE MOST returning as Captain Jack where things are going. Harkness, joined by Tracy-Ann James says: “He had some FUN CAME Oberman as Yvonne Hartman, brilliant, kind, frank notes. He’s FROM HOW Paul Clayton as Mr Colchester, very good at, in the nicest way in Alexandria Riley as Ng, Samantha the world, telling you what not to THE TEAM Béart as Orr, Jonny Green as do and why you should not do it! Tyler Steele and Tom Price “He asked for some characters INTERACTED. as Sergeant Andy Davison. to be included, suggested how JAMES GOSS When producer James Goss others should develop, was was planning series six with adamant about who we’d had director and script editor, Scott enough of. He was also firm that Handcock, did they always know this time he’d like to see some ERIES FIVE, Aliens Among where things were going to go? more self-contained stories. So, Us, revealed the Welsh James reveals: “Scott and I yes, a god has come to Cardiff, but S capital had been invaded started working towards the end that’s just to allow a springboard by the alien Sorvix, escaping their of series six from the middle of for some stories, rather than home world and putting series five. Scott asked me, ‘What it getting complicated. themselves into positions of power were the Sorvix running away “One thing we all agreed including the Mayor, Ro-Jedda, from?’ and we agreed that they’d on from the last series was whilst also having to deal with run away from their religion. that the most fun came from terrorists – and the surprising And... now it’s found them.” how the team interacted, so resurrection of Yvonne Hartman. As with series five, Russell it’s much more about each God Among Us commences a T Davies, who conceived the episode finding them in a new few days after the Aliens Among original Torchwood concept, and horrible situation.” VORTEX | PAGE 5 Above (l–r): Jonny Green, Paul Clayton and Samantha Béart Inset (l–r): John Barrowman and Paul Clayton HE FIRST episode is Future Pain written by T James himself. How did he find setting up the series with this opener? James explained: “It’s odd – it has to remind everyone where we were, and set up a whole new series of challenges. I cheated and asked Scott for a shopping list of unfinished business, and then worked through it. “It’s set on a really bad day for Torchwood, and it’s about how everyone handles it. It also features the complete destruction of a car park…” VENTS CONTINUE in The Man Who Destroyed E Torchwood by Guy Adams. James reveals: “Guy those people behind their important within that world and Adams has written something webcams, the ones that work are highly regarded – but outside about a YouTube bedroom warrior from basements of their of that little bubble, they’re taking on Torchwood. It’s sort of parents’ houses, pushing nothing. But it’s very strange as imagining if someone a bit like their conspiracy theories and they claim to know ‘the truth’; video blogger @PrisonPlanet views onto the world through they make these huge claims devoted himself to taking down their social media channels. about everything, but these are Torchwood. How does he see “In that world, it’s possible made from very small places. them? How do they see him?” to be absolutely huge – I’ve “So what would someone Guy confirms: “James and I known and worked with a few like that make of Torchwood? were both wondering about vloggers who are exceptionally This is where we find out. VORTEX | PAGE 6 TORCHWOOD GOD AMONG US 1 “People like that believe they are so big, and think their voice carries so much weight, when it shouldn’t.” See No Evil by John Dorney is the third tale in the set, and James reveals: “John Dorney’s written a horror episode in which the city goes blind. Only two people can still see – one is Jack and one is Yvonne. Each goes to work saving people in very different ways. It’s great seeing the contrast between the two of them.” I FOUND WHEN IT CAME TO WRITING FOR CAPTAIN JACK, I WAS WRITING FOR JOHN BARROWMAN, RATHER THAN TORCHWOOD GOD AMONG US 1 THE CHARACTER OF JACK. JOHN DORNEY WHEN A GOD COMES TO CARDIFF, THE WORLD GOES TO HELL… Having been prolific in writing for many other ranges Torchwood are picking up the pieces and carrying on. for Big Finish, this was John’s Because they’re Torchwood and that’s what they do. first foray intoTorchwood . They’ve a city to protect from a whole new series of alien He says: “It was fun doing Torchwood, though at the start threats. Including a plague of sleep, a world gone blind, it was a bit of a struggle getting and rumours of an alien god walking among us.