February’s Torchwood release saw the reunion of Ace and Mr Colchester investigating a sabotaged mining operation, as well as a bonus Colchester short story. Here’s what we thought…

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Sabotage is the third time Mr Colchester has been paired up with Doctor Who‘s Ace – and it’s clear why. Paul Clayton and Sophie Aldred have great chemistry, and this allows the characters’ bickering always to be undercut with a sense of genuine respect. Only, this time, things are a little more serious than they have been in the past.

Ace – along with her charity, A Charitable Earth – has travelled to India to assist a group of villagers displaced from their homes by a mining operation. Colchester’s here to sort out a terrorist incident. The problem is, neither Mr Colchester nor ‘Ms McShane’ likes the sound of what the other is doing. Sabotage is built on a premise of uncertainty – frequently, events occur where the background isn’t entirely clear. Questions of allegiance are raised and genuinely kept interesting and relevant as the story goes on, and the stakes that are introduced have real consequences.

The guest cast are all good, although their jobs are complicated by a script that doesn’t allow a huge amount of depth. Still, what’s there is fine and there’s enough development that the characters have become familiar by the time the end credits roll round. Thematically, elements of colonialism, oppression, and whether violence can be justified are all raised, and the exploration of these ideas is handled well and queried often throughout the piece.

Ultimately, for fans of Ace and Mr Colchester, this story doesn’t disappoint – but it lacks the character work that so much of Torchwood is built on, and doesn’t quite live up to the highs of the pair’s first outing together, 2021’s The Red List.

Another Postcard from Mr Colchester

This release also gave fans a bonus treat in the form of a short, narrated tale from the point of view of Mr Colchester. This follows 2022’s A Postcard from Mr Colchester, and utilises the same format. Paul Clayton‘s voice lends itself gorgeously to narration, and it’s brilliant how engaging he is right from the start. Goss’s story is – much like the first ‘postcard’ – very on-the-nose and presciently satirical, but given the format this works to the episode’s favour.

Another Postcard from Mr Colchester is a delight, and fingers crossed more of these bonus shorts are produced in future. It’s also a great starting place for those who haven’t listened to the dramas to become acquainted with the character – for free! The download is available here.

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Torchwood: Sabotage is out now and available to purchase as a CD or download from bigfinish.com.