Night of the Fendahl (audio story)

Night of the Fendahl was the twenty-fifth story in the Torchwood - Monthly Range by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Tim Foley and featured Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper.

It saw Big Finish's first use of the Fendahl, as well as Torchwood's first association with them.

Publisher's summary
Torchwood vs Monsters!

Marco makes films. You wouldn't like them. The lighting's shoddy, the sets are cheap and the sound's appalling. But there's an audience for them. Because they're films in which bad things happen to women.

Marco's latest venture is based on real events. Events which took place in Fetch Priory many years ago. It's an anthology piece, and Marco needs one final victim. But the last victim is not who anyone is expecting.

Death has returned to Fetch Priory. And Death is no-one's victim.

Plot
Gwen Cooper arrives at a house in Fetch Priory to take the part as the lead in a horror movie production (supposedly unbeknownst to her, the film is actually an illegal pornographic murder but was not advertised as such, as a way for luring in victims). Derek Jennings introduces her to the filmcrew and they get comfortable, although they note that she seems rather "out of it". The generator for the power in the house goes out and Derek tells Ged Gently to go upstairs and fix it. Meanwhile Gwen talks with Phil Patterson but suddenly goes funny. She calms down and while she and Phil talk, she again exhibits strange behaviour.

Ged finds the generator has been sabotaged and before he can warn the others he is killed by a Fendahleen. Gwen, Derek and Phil talk and Derek reveals how they found out about Fetch Priory and the incident that took place several years ago in 1977. While they prepare to shoot the movie, Phil has a change of heart and tries to warn Gwen to leave, saying she's smart and that what they do is not good but Gwen declines, saying she is here to play the part. Marco takes Phil outside and warns him that Gwen agreed to the terms and he mustn't get attached to their victims. They then resume shooting.

On another break, Phil and Gwen chat some more and he again tries to warn her but after she rebuffs him, he angrily storms off after telling her she's a terrible mother. They resume filming, but Gwen suddenly improvises a frightening speech and the mannequins used in the film transform into Fendahleen. Derek and the crew are frightened out of their wits and try to escape while Gwen attempts to summon more Fendahleen. Derek gets trapped from gazing directly at Gwen's eyes and the others escape. Marco, however, reveals everything is going according to plan after they escape and demands they meet the Fendahl core in the house's basement. Meanwhile, Gwen, possessed by the core, taunts Derek, revealing his dark lust for violence and rape against women and transforms him into a Fendahleen. Phil calls his family and tries to speak with his daughter for help but his ex-wife cuts the line. Marco sets up and meets the Fendahl core. He reveals that he is actually descended from Dr. Fendelman and wants to become the Fendahl core, believing he is powerful enough and so deserves it. The Fendahl core reveals it gave the files from the 1977 incident to John Hartman who would give them to his daughter Yvonne who would deposit them in the Torchwood archive upon which Gwen Cooper would stumble, initiating the chain of events. The core tells Marco to come close so that he may possess it, however, it is a ruse, and it reveals that he is blinded by his sexist views and derogatory attitude towards women and he is transformed into a Fendahleen. The core orders the other Fendahleen to search for Phil.

Phil finds the car keys for the vehicle they arrived in and attempts to flee but is cornered by some Fendahleen. He manages to escape a second time, and makes it to the car, only to find the motor's dead. Gwen as the core enters the car, only to become herself again. She explains that the Fendahl preys on the weak and that it tried to prey on her and so she reversed it by using it back. She further explains how she read the case file and sickening things the men were doing at the house, luring in young women to make murder porn and then distributing said films on the black market, so she took it upon herself to use the Fendahleen to exact revenge for such disgusting acts. She then reveals Phil has been lying and that his son, who he claimed he wanted to get home to see, left him because he didn't like how he hit his wife. He begs Gwen for forgiveness and to take him back to Cardiff with her and she consents but only if he can move, which he realizes he cannot because he looked into Gwen's eyes while she was possessed by the core. She reveals that the Fendahleen will die once the sun comes up anyway, that she is going back to Cardiff to track down every buyer of their disgusting films to bring them to the police and face justice. She drives away just as the Fendahleen catch up and they transform a screaming Phil, unable to move, into a Fendahleen.

Cast

 * Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles
 * Phil - Bradley Freegard
 * Derek - Gavin Swift
 * Marco - Gerald Tyler
 * Ged - Guy Adams

Worldbuilding

 * This story serves as a sequel to TV: Image of the Fendahl, and so includes many references to that story
 * The film crew have a glowing skull (although it is a fake)
 * The filming is taking place at Fetch Priory
 * The Fendahl gains full control by taking 13 people - 12 worm like servants and 1 core. This is similar to the requirement of Duroc to take 13 lives before being unstoppable
 * It is mentioned that Fetch Priory burned down - the Fendahleen have hidden in the house since then
 * Marco is descended from Dr Fendelman
 * It is mentioned that Adam Colby is one of the owners of the land Fetch Priory was situated upon
 * The security files on the events of TV: Image of the Fendahl were stored by John Hartman, Yvonne's father.
 * Derek mentions that they had shot a film in the house in Fetch Priory in which their lead actress wore a leather bikini. Leela, the fourth Doctor's companion, was known for wearing a leather bikini and was featured in the original Fendahl story, TV: Image of the Fendahl. (TV: Meanwhile in the TARDIS 2'' )
 * Phil takes the fake skull and recites the line from Shakespeare's play Hamlet, "Alas, poor Yorick..."
 * Derek mentions that Gwen is perfect for the part of the "scientist" in their movie because of her dark hair. Thea Ransome was a scientist and had very dark hair like Gwen's before becoming the Fendahl core.

Continuity

 * Rhys calls Gwen and their daughter Anwen is mentioned. (TV: The New World et al.)