Tyler points the Torchwood team in the direction of someone who can explain more about the alien invaders in Cardiff, but are they more than the team can handle?

Probably my favourite story of this first tranche of tales from Series 5, Orr introduces someone to the show who is in many ways the counter-Jack, a person whose raison d’etre prior to her encounter with Torchwood has been sexual by design, rather than nature, and who recognises her abilities as both a curse and, in some ways, a blessing (the penultimate scene with Jack being a case in point of the latter – and Jack’s reaction to the offer she makes one of the best moments for the character in recent time, something that John Barrowman and director Scott Handcock allow sufficient space for the audience to react to). Samantha Béart nails the contrasting sides to the character, and makes her instantly memorable.

There’s plenty of room for discussion of sexual identity and prejudice without it overwhelming the story, and Juno Dawson’s script ramps up the pace quite considerably after the domestic discussions of the previous story, not just in terms of the discoveries made by the team, but also the interactions of the characters. Tyler’s reaction to the alien is pretty much what you’d expect (and don’t miss the tag scene after the closing credits), while the discussions between Rhys and Gwen give the listener some clues regarding what’s going on with “Mrs Cooper” (as Mr Colchester insists on calling her).

Verdict: A strong reminder of how good Torchwood can be for those who’ve not yet sampled the audio version. 9/10

Paul Simpson