Torchwood - Night of the Fendahl
Written By: Tim Foley
Big Finish - 2019
CD / digital download
Having recently revisited the Doctor Who story; The Image
of the Fendahl on DVD and then again as an audio novelisation, I’ve developed
a bit of a hankering to return to both the location of the story and its titular
monster. What I could really do with is
a sequel. However, as the Fendahl has
only ever made that one TV appearance back in 1977, that might represent
something of problem… were it not for the expanded and expansive universe of
Doctor Who spinoffs. And as Big Finish
pretty much own that territory now days, they were the obvious place to go
looking.
I recall seeing Torchwood – Night of the Fendahl
being released on CD back in the day and had mentally bookmarked it as a
possible future purchase should I have a few quid spare. And then somewhat fortuitously as I was
focussing in on it again, the digital download was serendipitously announced as
part of this year’s Big Finish Christmas sale.
And at an incredibly generous £2.99.
It was clearly meant to be.
I think it’s fair to say that sometimes Big Finish make
stories that serve the Doctor Who fanbase rather than the story itself and that
old monsters can come back for the necessity of sales rather than because there
is genuinely another story left in them that needs telling. And I also think that Torchwood is at its best
when it’s telling a very Doctor Who kind of story but from within a depth of
shadow that the main show just couldn’t venture into because of its family
audience.
And with both of those points in mind, I think it’s safe to
say that The Night of the Fendahl is a perfect sequel to the original tv
story and that it could also only have been told through the Torchwood
perspective.
Without giving too much away, a small team of film makers have decided to make a movie all about the dreadful events that occurred at Fetch Priory back in the late 1970s. They are shooting it on the actual location for authenticity and also for budgetary constraints. It’s clearly going to be an unapologetically exploitative horror film and likewise the banter between the small crew would suggest that they themselves are not the most noble and honourable of souls. Enter the movie’s soon to be next ‘victim’’ their actress and our undercover Torchwood agent; Gwen Cooper. The trouble is that Gwen, as we know her, doesn’t appear to be herself and seems to be genuinely lost within her cover story, almost as if she is being made to play out a greater role, compelled by a dark force that just might be rising again.
It’s a great set up that allows us to revisit the Fetch Priory location of the original TV story, to recreate the rituals that empowered the Fendahl last time but also through a far darker filter than previously. This really feels like it could have been a Torchwood TV episode, all be it shorter on the main cast and minus the subplot that would have taken care of them.
All in all, it was really enjoyable and it definitely ticked all the right boxes because I found myself listened to it twice within the same week.
I should probably go and read or watch something light and fluffy next but I don't suppose I will
Steve
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