Doctor Who Spin-Off Review: Torchwood – ‘One Rule’ (Audio)
By James Aggas
Long before the Battle of Canary Wharf, Yvonne Hartman had a little adventure in Cardiff in another episode of Big Finish’s audio spin-off series.
This was an episode that I was really looking forward to. Not only was it a prequel to both the whole of Torchwood, and even the Doctor Who Series 2 finale ‘Army of Ghosts’/’Doomsday,’ but it features a character we only barely got to know in the Whoniverse: Yvonne Hartman, as played by Tracy-Ann Oberman.
Hartman was already a great character in the two episodes she was in. While not exactly a villain as such, she has very, very strong views about not just her organization, but for the whole of Great Britain — and she’s perfectly happy with taking big risks towards her goals. It’s great to see her in a story that explores those ideas further, when she ends up in Cardiff to take a brief look at Torchwood 3, before getting involved in “local politics.”
There are a number of reasons why I loved hearing Yvonne’s story in Cardiff. First, it gives us a bit of a “fish out of water” story, as someone who’s more used to high-class living in London somehow ends up in the worst restaurants and cheapest night clubs in another city entirely, while also forced into a position where she has to help with the problems of others about whom she really doesn’t care.
There are also the people she has to put up with along the way. Of the several candidates running for mayor in Cardiff, possibly the worst of the lot is Barry Jackson. Sexist, homophobic, cowardly, and immensely unlikeable in so many ways, Hartman somehow ends up stuck with this loathsome character. Hearing these two personalities clash makes for great listening, especially since, while he may not exactly have hidden depths, he’s not quite as ignorant of what’s going on as he might initially appear to be.
One more reason why I loved the setting is when it’s set: 26th of March, 2005. Being set on the day of the broadcast of ‘Rose’ was a nice touch, and admittedly added a feeling of nostalgia to the story. Particularly with how it dealt with the consequences of the Auton invasion in that episode, both for Torchwood and for Cardiff in general.
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What makes the episode work more than anything is just how great a character Yvonne Hartman really is. This is partially due to great writing from Joseph Lidster, a man who’s not only written for the TV series with ‘A Day in the Death,’ but has also written some great dark character drama for Big Finish, including ‘Master’ and ‘Terror Firma.’ While the plot of the episode is small, how he fleshes out Yvonne’s character is great to listen to. We hear her passion and commitment to her job; we hear her sense of humour and intelligence; and we even hear a side to her that is absolutely terrifying. We know how dedicated she is to her vision of “Queen and country,” but hearing how far she’s willing to go still has the power to shock.
Of course, all of this great writing and development wouldn’t be half as effective if it weren’t for Tracy-Ann Oberman’s magnificent performance. Despite the fact that it’s been a decade since her appearance in Series 2, she plays the character so perfectly that it feels like no time has passed at all. If she ends up getting her own spin-off series focusing purely on her times with Torchwood 1, I certainly wouldn’t have any objections. (Hint-hint, Big Finish: a Yvonne Hartman series needs to be made, based on this single episode!)
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‘One Rule’ was a fantastic episode to listen to, and is further proof that Torchwood just might be one of Big Finish’s best ranges yet.