DWN: Like any long-running franchise, the 'Torchwood' brand carries the weight of expectation on its back - how much pressure did you feel to satisfy its devotees in producing the new series for Big Finish?

JG: Massively. The Torchwood fans care enormously about that show - there was no point in just doing half-a-dozen stories that would fit nicely in the 2015 Torchwood Annual. We wanted to make something really special and make the fans as massively excited as we are.

Based on the production experience to date, how smooth a transition do you feel the show has made from TV to audio? Has having John Barrowman, Eve Myles and many of the other 'Torchwood' regulars aboard helped in this respect?

The cast have been enormously, enormously supportive. They're all tremendously busy but have made time for us, somehow. John records in a studio in Palm Springs, Gareth came in straight after finishing a gruelling theatre tour, Kai travelled halfway across the UK for the recording... the list goes on. And they're an utter delight in the studio. At every single recording the engineer spends most of their time laughing. It's that much fun.

It's really great to decide we're going to just tell stories concentrating on brilliant Torchwood characters. There are so many of them, and it makes each release feel special.

We'll of course learn more about how the Committee factors into Torchwood's ongoing history as more of Season One hits shelves. Was the lack of references to team members, events etc. aside from Gwen in 'The Conspiracy' an intentional move to allow newcomers to experience it without feeling bogged down by past continuity?

Yes. David Llewellyn did a very clever job of making it easy to get into. People are always worried that it's going to be difficult, or require complicated knowledge. We've worked hard to make sure that it's not.

The Conspiracy is just a thing that's around, ticking away in the background, nudging events here and there. It's building towards a grim conclusion... eventually.

What for you has been the most fulfilling element of working to bring Big Finish's latest endeavour to life so far?

That's totally unfair. Getting the first one recorded and announced while I was in Spain was very strange, and not the most relaxing holiday (leaping around a swimming pool in the dark trying to get enough signal to find out what Twitter was doing). Recording with Gareth was staggering - it was a truly remarkable performance, the most fun you can have with Ianto Jones. The joy of getting Eve and Kai back together and watching them recreate the magic of the Welsh Steed and Mrs Peel. And then, last week, spending a day in studio with Tracy-Ann Oberman. She turned up with a spare pair of high heels in her handbag, and the whole day was like that.

It's such a delight heading to the studios - the writers have done such great, great work. They really love the show and that makes it feel so worthwhile. Emma Reeves has written Gwen and Rhys perfectly, and Joe Lidster throws all of Cardiff at Yvonne - you almost feel sorry for her.

Looking ahead, can you tease what fans and newbies alike have to look forward to as Season One progresses and as a whole new season of adventures beckons from March 2016?

We learn of Captain Jack's unique way of interrogating robots, we meet Mr Pugh, the one man who can say No to Torchwood, and two very interesting people go monster-hunting across London and stop for ice cream.

It’s been three weeks since the Mayor of Cardiff was killed by a shop dummy and the fight is on to see who will replace him.

Yvonne Hartman is visiting the city to retrieve an invaluable alien device. She's in charge of Torchwood One, she's saving the British Empire and she doesn't care about local politics. But she is going to find herself caught up in that fight. There’s a bloodthirsty alien stalking the streets and there’s a special offer on at the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet.

It’s the 26th of March 2005 and it’s the day that everything changes.

When we presented the idea of using Yvonne, Matt Nicholls at BBC Worldwide came up with a brilliant caveat – he suggested we could have Yvonne, but not the all-powerful Queen Bee of Canary Wharf. Instead he wanted her to come thoroughly unstuck in Cardiff.

Torchwood was my first piece of writing for television and it remains my favourite series. Not just the television episodes but the books, audiobooks, radio plays, all of it. I'd have been gutted not to have been involved in some way - I'd have happily gone into the studio and made the tea!

James Goss gave me a choice of available characters but it was Yvonne who leapt out at me. She's one of my favourite characters to have appeared in Doctor Who - she has questionable beliefs but she genuinely thinks she's doing the best thing for her country. She's also incredibly funny and brilliantly performed by the magnificent Tracy-Ann Oberman.

Everyone involved's just had so much fun that we didn't want to stop, and Big Finish said, "It's okay, you don't have to". We've already got the first script in and it's a delight.

It’s wonderful to be able to commit so soon to a second series of Torchwood, this is completely down to the immense support we have received from the fans of the series. We are delighted to be continuing the adventures of Captain Jack and his team!

I couldn’t really imagine that the response to our Torchwood series wouldn’t be positive, so I’m very pleased not to have been proved wrong. The series has so many dedicated followers and the audios have been written, directed and produced with such love for the source material. James Goss, as producer, has brought so much enthusiasm and joy to the project. I find myself hoping every day that I’ll receive another excited email from him.

And we’re so grateful that the brilliant stars of Torchwood have come in to record and have been so bloomin’ good! Russell T Davies has been so supportive and full of encouragement too. Frankly, we had no choice but to get on with a second series as soon as possible.

Captain Jack's the poster boy, Ianto's the style, but Eve and Kai are the heart of Torchwood. Listening to the two of them back together is an utter joy. We pick up their story after Miracle Day. How has life been treating them? It's a delight to find out.

I still can’t believe that I’ve been asked to write a story for the brilliant characters of Gwen and Rhys. I’ve been lucky enough to write for Eve before, on Belonging, and I know that she has a unique gift of imbuing every syllable with the deepest meaning. Getting Eve Myles and Kai Owen, too, is basically like winning the writer lottery.

Doctor Who: Big Bang Generation
Written by Gary Russell
Read by Lisa Bowerman
Release date: 8 September 2015 (Paperback Book) (available for pre-order)
1 October 2015 (Audiobook) (available for pre-order)

“I'm an archaeologist, but probably not the one you were expecting.”

Christmas 2015, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Imagine everyone's surprise when a time portal opens up in Sydney Cove. Imagine their shock as a massive pyramid now sits beside the Harbour Bridge, inconveniently blocking Port Jackson and glowing with energy. Imagine their fear as Cyrrus 'the mobster' Globb, Professor Horace Jaanson and an alien assassin called Kik arrive to claim the glowing pyramid. Finally imagine everyone's dismay when they are followed by a bunch of con artists out to spring their greatest grift yet.

This gang consists of Legs (the sexy comedian), Dog Boy (providing protection and firepower), Shortie (handling logistics), Da Trowel (in charge of excavation and history) and their leader, Doc (busy making sure the universe isn't destroyed in an explosion that makes the Big Bang look like a damp squib).

And when someone accidentally reawakens The Ancients of the Universe - which, Doc reckons, wasn't the wisest or best-judged of actions – things get a whole lot more complicated…

It’s a testament to the great Robert Holmes and these two wonderful actors that Jago and Litefoot remain so eternally popular, and it’s such a joy to have them set foot in the world of current TV Doctor Who as they join forces with Strax for a special investigation. Justin Richards’ script is superb, packed with excitement and wit, and it’s so fun to see the mismatched duo of Jago and Litefoot become a mis-matched trio!

The Talons of Weng-Chiang was one of my favourite Doctor Who stories growing up, first in its form as a Target novelisation and then in the prized VHS I got for Christmas 1988. Spool forward nearly 30 years, and I’ve been lucky enough to encounter Jago and Litefoot in their audio incarnation already, with my turn as Mr. Tibbs in Series 9. Now it’s a joy to bring Strax face to face with the characters who in many ways defined how Doctor Who “does” Victorian London. I hope the sonic thaumaturgy of those clever coves at Big Finish will excite the ears and invigorate the imagination, as Henry Gordon Jago might have put it!

Well, how could we not? Ianto's such a brilliant character, and if we kept people on tenterhooks any longer, we'd be fools. Of course he's in it and as soon as possible. We recorded with him literally the first day after he finished a theatre tour. Did he want to put his feet up? Nope. He wanted to be Ianto.

Seeing Gareth in studio was an absolute delight. He clearly loves the part and had a great time. And can't wait to be back.

There was originally going to be a gap after the first release, but we soon realised that everyone we spoke to was being so helpful, we'd be in studio a lot earlier. Actors, writers, agents, BBC Worldwide have all been amazing. So it's coming out early.

The idea of River meeting previous Doctors was actually proposed by Steven Moffat, and it's just irresistible, isn't it? Alex embraced the idea of returning to the role, and so she will be starring in no less than two box sets next year. And yes, we are still pinching ourselves!

Ian has played Churchill in just four episode on TV, and yet it feels like it was many more. It was such a brilliant, definitive performance, and how wonderful that we will be continuing Churchill's adventures with the Doctor on audio.

It's the ultimate mash-up, and we have some great scripts lined up for these landmark stories. There is no doubt that 2016 is going to be a brilliant year for Big Finish!