A Postcard from Mr Colchester

"Straight in the bin for planet Earth."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: September 2022

Series: Torchwood Monthly 65X

Featuring: Mr Colchester

Synopsis

Mr Colchester offers a few disgruntled words on the state of the Earth, as aliens question why he bothers to protect it from invasions. But, until the world succeeds in self-destruction, he has a job to do...

Verdict

A Postcard from Mr Colchester was a fascinating little bonus Torchwood adventure! Well, I say adventure but it was essentially a voice note from Mr Colchester. That’s no bad thing and getting anything for free at Big Finish is always going to be great in my book! Who doesn’t love a freebie? It serves as a good insight into the character of Mr Colchester and whilst I don’t think this would serve well as an introduction to the character, knowing him like I do I thought this was a really good ten minutes! I was a little caught off guard with the duration as the download labelled it as seventeen minutes long but as Mr Colchester bid the listener au revoir, I suddenly realised what this release really was. With numerous trailers to follow the conclusion of the episode, this freebie is essentially a big advert for the latest releases in the Torchwood range. That’s no bad thing at all and whilst it is now confirmed that the range is concluding, I’m all for getting new listeners on board and trying to boost the popularity of Torchwood as a Big Finish series. I do think the range is hurt by the cancellation of John Barrowman but contrary to popular belief Torchwood is so much more than Captain Jack! Hearing Mr Colchester discuss the state of the world in which he lived was really good and was a fun take on real world society. The awful people being in charge and the stupid people supporting them was a powerful line and whilst at the time of release it was the Tories in charge, it felt like a dark foreshadowing of the current state of UK politics with Reform surely slated to take control at the next election. Even with national elections looming next month in the Senedd closer to home, I’m so worried that they’ll win here over Plaid Cymru which would honestly be devastating. Mr Colchester is definitely someone I’d love to confide in if the worst does happen! He’s a really enjoyable character and just a nice man that’s for sure. I certainly share a lot of similar opinions about his political stance and that made it a good listen. I wonder how people who lean differently on the political spectrum would react to this kind of adventure? I can’t seem getting on with it somehow! I liked how he recalled the invasion of the Savash and when they demanded the planet, they were pretty taken aback by Colchester saying they could have it! That was a really amusing moment. I thought the idea of the Savash scouring through news online was pretty dangerous and them labelling it as fake was pretty darn funny! They’d been reading the comments online and that certainly wouldn’t do them any good! Social media is a bit of a cess pit and it’s only gotten worse in the last four years. I really don’t think a potential alien invasion should be looking online beforehand! That wouldn’t paint the planet Earth in the best light that’s for sure! For this kind of bonus release, Mr Colchester really is a perfect character for it and that’s mostly done to the incredible voice of Paul Clayton. He’s spectacular and I could listen to him all day to be honest. He’s the kind of actor that would be perfect to read a BBC Audio kind of release with just the one actor. He’s enthralling and that helps. I’m delighted that there’s another postcard release later in the Torchwood range, but after listening to Death in Venice yesterday this is a great little addition to the range! More Mr Colchester is all good in my book. Overall, a great little bonus listen!

Rating: 8/10