Torchwood Soho: Parasite explores the 1950s in a modern way
By James Aggas
Fast-paced and with a lot of character exploration, Torchwood Soho: Parasite is a brilliant exploration of the world of 1950s Torchwood.
Torchwood Soho: Parasite is an audio release that I’ve been looking forward to for quite a while, ever since it was announced last year. Set during the 1950s, the series focuses on Norton Folgate, a Torchwood operative who’s appeared in many audios and has emerged as quite the manipulator. He’s also extremely lovable and brilliantly played by Samuel Barnett, so the idea of a series focused on him was extremely exciting.
But does the series live up to that promise? Definitely. Torchwood Soho: Parasite is a very confident first entry, one that feels close to the Torchwood we know while also giving us something fresh and distinctly different.
For example, rather than the one-hour episode format that most Torchwood audios use, writer and producer James Goss tells Parasite across six half-hour episodes. It’s an interesting change of format, but it works, especially at capturing the 50s style that the series is clearly going for.
However, while the 50s setting is used extremely well, there’s also a distinctly modern feel to Parasite, too. This is especially true of the amount of non-linear storytelling used in this series. This is something that actually fits the serial format well. For example, a character that’s introduced in the first episode is someone we learn much more about in later ones, as we’re treated to a lot of flashback scenes.
Trapped by their era
The series also doesn’t shy away from either the racist or sexist attitudes of the period, particularly with the characters of Gideon Lyme and Lizbeth Hayhoe. Gideon is someone who’s desperate to make his name as an investigative reporter, but the color of his skin is, at this point in history, a clear and obvious barrier to that career. However, he soon finds a little help from some unknown friends…
Lizbeth Hayhoe is Norton’s boss, although she’s certainly not the boss of Torchwood overall. That would be Rigsby, someone who’s definitely not as smart nor as effective a leader as Lizbeth could be.
Both Gideon and Lizbeth come across as “two against the world”, and both are played brilliantly. Joe Shire gives Gideon the right mix of innocence and eagerness that the character needs, while Dervla Kirwan (who’s perhaps best known to Doctor Who fans as Miss Hartigan in The Next Doctor) portrays Lizbeth’s intelligence and strong but (barely) restrained personality perfectly.
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Escalation
In story terms, Parasite starts out small, with Norton and Lizbeth trapped in Room 13 – essentially a room for certain Torchwood members to be forgotten about. But over the course of the story, we see it gradually change genre, starting as a conspiracy thriller, before turning into a bleak horror, before finally changing into more of an alien invasion story. Even in three hours, the phrase, “Well that escalated quickly” springs to mind.
But, while Parasite feels fast-paced, it never feels rushed. James Goss gives us a highly focused story, and he makes sure to give plenty of time to each of the major characters. He knows when to put them in huge danger, but he also knows when to just let the scenes breathe. The result is a three-hour story that passes extremely quickly.
Like Torchwood One, Torchwood Soho presents a unique and distinctive vision of Torchwood that still remains true to its roots. It features a fast-paced story with a large cast of distinctive characters, it captures its period setting extremely well, and it provides a great new story of one of Torchwood’s most devious members. (And that’s saying something.) If you’ve enjoyed Norton Folgate’s previous appearances, you’ll definitely love this new audio.
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Are you a fan of Norton Folgate? Intrigued by the 50s setting of Torchwood Soho? What other eras of the secret organization do you think should be explored? Let us know in the comments below.