Like the TV series, the dramas follow the exploits of the operatives who work for the Torchwood Institute, a fictional secret organisation that defends Earth against extraterrestrial threats.

The original television programme Torchwood (2006–2011), an adult-oriented spin-off of the long-running British science fiction drama Doctor Who, ran for four series before entering an indefinite hiatus due to the other commitments of creator and executive producer Russell T Davies.

The series follows the exploits of the agents who work for the fictional Torchwood Institute – a covert British organisation that defends Earth against supernatural and extraterrestrial threats and salvages alien technology for their own use.

Like the television series, the audio dramas primarily focus on a team of operatives based at the organisation's Cardiff division, Torchwood Three, while occasionally fixating on their associates as well as agents from other branches of the institute.

Time period-wise, each play is set at a different point in Torchwood's history, ranging from its founding in the Victorian Era to the early 21st century and beyond.

A story arc central to the series revolves around a group of aliens called the Committee, who appear to have been secretly manipulating humanity since the turn of the 20th century.

Despite their existence being perceived as a conspiracy, Torchwood have made efforts to foil their schemes, only to discover that the Committee have larger plans in force.