London in the 1920s and Sir Reggie works for Torchwood, saving the world from alien invasions. Really, he relies on the services of his loyal butler while he paints the town red. But there’s a new sensation in high society – what is the secret of The Serpentine Club and can Forster save his master from it? 

Since it began in September 2015, the monthly Torchwood audio series has followed the Earth-defending institute throughout its entire history, previously featuring adventures set as far back as the Victorian era and as far into the future as the 43rd century.  

Now a new period gets its time in the spotlight as Art Decadence takes us to London in the roaring 1920s, where the Mara – the snakelike god of beasts first seen on TV in 1982’s Doctor Who story Kinda – has taken hold.  

Torchwood’s top agent at this time is Sir Reginald Dellafield (voiced by Wilf Scolding, known for Game of Thrones and Andor). But Dellafield is a blundering buffoon, and the real talent behind the alien-hunting work is his loyal butler, A. C. Forster (Simon Kane). 

The duo have outsiders to deal with – not only wannabe footman Peter Janks (Timothy Blore), but also the supernatural power behind the mysterious Serpentine Club.  

The Mara is waiting to feed...  

Torchwood: Art Decadence is now available to own as a collector’s edition CD (+ download for just £10.99) or as a digital download only (for just £8.99), exclusively here. 

Torchwood: Art Decadence is written by Ash Darby and directed by Scott Handcock, the script editor of 2024’s Doctor Who TV series. 

Actor Wilf Scolding described his brand-new Torchwood character: “Reggie is a posh idiot who’s had everything given to him on a plate and is completely looked after by Forster. He’s very polite to Forster and on a subconscious level knows that he’d be completely useless and ruined and up the creek without a paddle without him.” 

Co-star Simon Kane added: “Forster is the butler, valet, right hand of Reggie, and he’s also probably secretly in love with him, but is incredibly repressed. He’s a veteran, very by-the-book, but very useful when it comes to protecting the Earth from aliens. He’s the Jeeves to Reggie’s Wooster, in the sense that he’s the one who actually does all the work!” 

Please note: Torchwood contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners. 

Art Decadence is the 85th release in the Torchwood monthly range. Big Finish listeners can purchase it as part of a six-release bundle including Torchwood 85 to 90, for just £60 (collector’s edition CDs + downloads) or £50 (downloads only), or a twelve-release bundle of Torchwood 85 to 96, for just £110 (collector’s edition CDs + downloads) or £96 (downloads only). 

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.