The Dead Line was an original BBC Radio 4 audio play. It was broadcast the week prior to series three of Torchwood.
Publisher summary
When a hospital is inundated with patients that have fallen into coma-like trances, Torchwood move in to investigate. They find that the trances were triggered by phone calls, all of which were made from a number that hadn't been active for over 30 years. Determined to find out who's been calling the unfortunate victims, Jack rings the mysterious number — two, zero, five, nine — nothing. It's a dead line. Until it calls Jack back, he answers — and falls into a deep trance. The team race against time to find the source of the 'infection' and save the patients.
Cast
References
- Rhys says that Captain Jack is similar to Captain Scarlet in that they both cannot die.
Notes
- Doña Croll (Stella Courtney) previously played Matron Casp in DW: New Earth.
- Brendan Charleson (Tyler) previously played Ivan Fletcher in TW: Day One.
- This story's plotline is reminiscent of the plotline of Stephen King's novel Cell.
Production errors
Continuity
- Rhys recalls the events of TW: Meat and Something Borrowed.
- Ianto's comments to the comatose Jack about not expecting to live very long foreshadows his fate in TW: Children of Earth.
- Rhys and Gwen discuss buying a new home; this leads into TW: Children of Earth: Day One which shows Rhys in the process of house-hunting.
Download and CD release
The story is also available as a download from the AudioGo website.
Lost Souls, Asylum, Golden Age and The Dead Line were released, both individually and together as a four-disc collected box set entitled The Radio Adventures.
Timeline
- The Dead Line occurs after BBCR: Golden Age
- The Dead Line occurs before BBCR: The Devil and Miss Carew