Torchwood: Why I love Yvonne Hartman

Both Doctor Who and Torchwood have given us many fantastic characters over the years. In particular, Torchwood One’s boss Yvonne Hartman stands out. Here are a few reasons why.

If there’s one thing that I’m super grateful for Big Finish for doing, it’s bringing back Yvonne Hartman. The character was fantastic in her original Doctor Who episodes, but she’s possibly even better in Torchwood.

Initially, she was brought back in Joseph Lidster’s regular Torchwood audio One Rule. At first, it seemed to be a bit of a departure compared to the previous stories in the range.

After all, while she ran Torchwood as an organization, she had never appeared in the spin-off series, not even in a flashback. Would she actually work in the distinct world of Doctor Who‘s darker and more mature spinoff?

Of course, the answer was a definitive yes. One Rule was a brilliant story by Lidster, and Tracy-Ann Oberman was wonderful to hear as Hartman again. It’s not surprising that after this story was released, a new prequel series, Torchwood One, began over a year later.

Tracy-Ann Oberman as Yvonne Hartman, a character originally introduced in two episodes of Doctor Who, but now has a more fleshed out life in the Torchwood universe.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

A complex character

It’s not hard to see why. Yvonne Hartman is a great character, for two clear reasons. First, she’s wonderfully complex. When she’s introduced, she’s not exactly a villain, but she definitely isn’t a hero. She’s someone who primarily wants to protect Torchwood’s interests, and defend Britain at all cost.

That’s another interesting thing about her: she’s someone who’s less interested in saving the world than she is in putting the “Great” back into Great Britain. She even makes it clear that she wants the British Empire back, which is very old school, to say the least!

And yet, from her first scene, she comes across as so charming. She’s not out to take over the world herself, she just wants the British monarchy back in charge of everything.

As such, she’s mainly focused on running Torchwood as the best organization it can be. She describes herself as a “people person”, and that’s an accurate statement for her. Her employees mean a great deal to her, or at least, that’s how it comes across. She’s not overtly aggressive, but she will do what needs to be done to keep Britain safe.

Overall, she’s a really interesting and complex character. I think we need to thank not just Russell T Davies for creating the character in Army of Ghosts and Doomsday, but also Joseph Lidster for reviving the character in a wonderfully fresh way. But they’re not the only two people responsible for the character’s brilliance.

Tracy-Ann Oberman returned to the role in prequel story Torchwood: One Rule.

(Image credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Tracy-Ann Oberman

Another key reason Hartman is so fantastic? Tracy-Ann Oberman’s performance. She just completely embodies the character so easily. She adds a great deal of class and professionalism to the character, but she also makes her feel very human and, at times, even relatable.

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However, one word I won’t use to describe her is “vulnerable”. If there’s one thing that Oberman adds to her performance, it’s steel. There may only be a hint of it at times, but it’s always there. Whatever the situation that Hartman finds herself in, there’s a clear strength to her character, and Oberman portrays that brilliantly.

I am more than happy that the character has been so deeply explored in the Torchwood audios. Not just in prequel stories, either: one of the best decisions made in Aliens Among Us, the official fifth season of Torchwood, was the choice to bring Yvonne back from the dead. I won’t spoil how, but it doesn’t take anything away from the character’s ending in Doomsday.

It does however shake things up for Torchwood in a big way, and it’s a twist that works brilliantly. I really hope we get to hear even more of her in season six, God Among Us. Big Finish have not only continued to serve the character well. Tracy-Ann Oberman is just a joy to hear in the role. The more we get of Hartman, the better.

Are you a fan of Yvonne Hartman? What did you make of the character in her original appearance in Doctor Who? Have you checked out any of her audio stories? Let us know in the comments below.