Review by Cavan Gilbey

Norton and Andy, Andy and Norton. A double act which continues to always provide a pretty entertaining hour of sci-fi comedy antics as they bicker and fight their way through a series of bizarre occurrences. This month the pair have something of a love triangle to construct as the world ends unless the wedding bells ring in James Goss’s new outing for the pair.

Andy and Norton find themselves mysteriously teleported to the 17^th century, both unsure of how and why they’ve been shot back through time they must work together to uncover the mystery being their being there. Soon they arrive at house and become stuck in the middle of a romantic battle for the hand of Lady Catherine, who seems more interested in a different type of chemistry. But if Catherine isn’t wed by the end of the night, then it could an eternity of petticoats and randy squires for Norton and Andy.

Torchwood doesn’t often do a straight comedy story, but when they do they hit it out of the park nine times out of ten. This entry from Goss is no exception, as he draws on some classic love triangle tropes to make a story which keeps the tones light while managing to maintain a sense of danger and jeopardy. The interplay between the small cast works so well, especially Edmund, Reginald and Norton who all enter a sudden polyamorous relationship much to the chagrin of Norton; but the pay off for this by the end is genuinely really well done and demonstrates just how good Goss is at pacing these small scale mysteries in his stories.

A lot of this story is far removed from sci-fi concepts, choosing to focus on telling a comedic period drama story and it works well but I don’t think it would have been as effective had it not been Price and Barnett, who are firing on all cylinders as they bicker and effortlessly bounce of each other’s chemistry. Barnett get’s a lot of opportunities for flexing his comedic muscles, especially during a running gag about Norton having to do a Belgian accent in order to convince the suitors and Catherine that he’s an eccentric Belgian servant.

The Restoration of Catherine is a very simple story, but it never needs to be complicated because the focus is on exploring this odd couple trying to a solve a mystery. The comedy takes the main stage and I don’t think there was anything that fell that, Goss even manages to make a seriously awkward scene work well comedically when it could have so easily just been uncomfortable. One that I think I’ll find easy to re-listen to whenever I just need a hit of Torchwood.

9/10

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