Madam, I'm

"Torchwood is better with Adam as our leader."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: July 2021

Series: Torchwood Monthly 52

Featuring: Norton, Lizbeth

Synopsis

Torchwood, Soho, the 1950s. Disgraced agent Norton Folgate has a new boyfriend, the very lovely Adam. Brilliant scientist Lizbeth Hayhoe meets a charming stranger on the underground, the very lovely Adam. Very soon, Torchwood has a new leader – the very lovely Adam.

With people losing their lives and their souls, Lizbeth and Norton must work out what's happening to Torchwood. And why is Torchwood preparing to go to war?

Verdict

Madam, I'm was an outstanding episode to continue my way through the monthly Torchwood range! This was a stellar hour of audio drama and served as a brilliant return for Adam. The way this story basically sets up Adam from the second televised series was excellent and whilst this basically was that episode done in the 1950s with Torchwood Soho, it didn't feel repetitive in the slightest. It was just fantastic and part of the charm was getting a returning villain, even if it is (presumably) set before his on screen appearance. I have that assumption given the line at the end with the remains being sent to Torchwood Cardiff. It makes sense! I think the use of Adam is tremendous and I love how quickly he is able to exert control and establish himself in numerous positions. The way he inserted himself into both the personal and working lives of Norton and Lizbeth was audacious but incredibly impressive. Surely you'd go by a different name though? That was the one thing that seemed a little off but it was confident of him to go that route! I thought the emotional pull he had on Lizbeth in inserting himself as her nephew who was thought dead was downright cruel and that's part of the charm. It's almost Master like and that's a huge compliment. It was just mean and you could hear the mental torment she was undergoing. The line that she continued to come to the opera despite it making her cry because he liked it was packing a lot of weight. The same went for Norton because Adam was being incredibly open about their relationship and both of their sexualities. Adam seemed to be bisexual which as an alien wasn't exactly a surprise as he was not against women joining in with them if they were caught, but this was a rare time we see Norton being vulnerable. I liked that because he's usually so brash and confident. It just shows how terrible society was for anyone not confirming to the traditional and outdated views on gender and sexuality. Norton should have been able to embrace who he was and Adam was keen on showcasing that. A suggestion of a simple showcase of them holding hands at the dinner table nearly had Norton whimpering! Adam then inserting himself as the new Head of Torchwood was very good, especially with that being a position desired by Norton himself! And yet here was the new man in charge and he was very keen on making Torchwood productive. Literally. They were now building weapons as Adam was readying the organisation for a war against the approaching Kernaz! That was fun stuff and just the idea of Torchwood becoming a weapons factory was tremendous. If anyone could do it! I thought the way Lizbeth and Norton were giving themselves psychic triggers with the magazine orders was really clever and it was lovely that they were helping each other to help themselves. They confided in each other which I liked and really made them a strong partnership. The confusion of nobody at Torchwood knowing the date was excellent as well as that is something so basic, yet everyone had a completely different idea. I thought the Kernaz coming for Adam and him alone was good and kind of expected, and from their arrival being timed with Norton and Lizbeth leading the revolution, he was set aside pretty swiftly. The Kernaz were not interested in anything else on Earth. They destroyed Adam and their work was done! Overall, a magnificent audio adventure! A superb return and a sublime visit to Soho. 

Rating: 10/10