You’d never get a Doctor Who episode about the importance of procuring proper planning permission. On the surface, it feels like Torchwood doesn’t need one either; seems like in the good old days, they’d just bring their influence to bear on a government official, who’d rush it through under the table. But that’s the point: Torchwood’s glory days are long gone and it’s up to Gwen Cooper to restore its great name.

To this end, she speaks to civil servant Roger Pugh, strong-arming him into spending a day with her on Torchwood duty. What follows is the best thing Big Finish has done (and possibly will ever do) under the Torchwood name. It’s a strong two-hander and while Eve Myles is always amazing as Gwen Cooper, we should focus on the performance of Richard Nichols as Roger. Nichols really gives the part his all, and brings out the inherent emotion in the script to create a beautiful performance, one that really speaks to any listener who’s found themselves contemplating the higher things in life.

The key point though is that this would be only half a performance if it didn’t have a fantastic script behind it. While it is very funny, which we expected from Adams, it also seems like he is digging deep into his own psyche to bring this to us and it’s very much appreciated. The best moments of the TV show generally came when the characters took a moment to ponder the somewhat unsettling menace of the universe, and this season finale has that in spades.

It’s a magnificent way to bring this first season to an end, and while it didn’t deal with the season’s ongoing conspiracy story at all, when we listened to it we didn’t really mind. It just gives us more to look forward to in season 2. Given that Guy has penned at least one more story for season 2, we feel confident that they can only get better from here.

TORCHWOOD: MORE THAN THIS / AUTHOR: GUY ADAMS / DIRECTOR: SCOTT HANDCOCK / PUBLISHER: BIG FINISH / STARRING: EVE MYLES, RICHARD NICHOLS, GUY ADAMS, TOM PRICE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW