Welcome to the Traveller’s Halt. Such a lovely place…

For the last – for the time being – of the Torchwood monthly releases, James Goss gives us a seriously unsettling tale featuring one of Torchwood’s most seriously unsettling characters, Bilis Manger. He’s popped up in the audios before, in Mac Rogers’ story for Aliens Among Us, but given his time-travelling abilities, it’s hard to tell exactly where this fits in his timeline… and for reasons that become clear towards the end of the story, it’s quite important that we find this out at some point!

For much of the time, the focus is on Gareth Pierce’s Hywel Roberts, and Goss puts both actor and character through the wringer as Roberts tries to understand where, and when he is, and just what part Bilis plays in all this. It’s one of those roles that could easily be overplayed, but director Scott Handcock ensures that the hysteria is suitably restrained. Murray Melvin is as powerful as ever as the sometimes unctuous, always in command Bilis Manger, with Cara Chase making a strong impression as the elderly Grace.

There’s a definite Sapphire & Steel air to this story that’s very much about Torchwood the series, rather than Torchwood the team – and it’s one that I suspect I’ll get as much out of for different reasons on a second listen.

Verdict: Haunting and unsettling. 10/10

Paul Simpson