Jill Anderson has been sent to help catalogue the Torchwood Archive – but does Bilis Manger actually want or need her help?

Bilis Manger is one of those Torchwood characters that has taken on an extra life in the spin-offs from the TV show, after two appearances in the show’s first season. He’s subsequently turned up in a novel, a comic, and in the official audio continuation as well as the main range, and each time we’ve learned a little bit about him before he disappears, as is pointed out in the extras to this, leaving a trail of bodies behind him. For this audio, James Goss has added further – and given us a Bilis tale that goes in very unexpected directions.

Murray Melvin is on sparkling form as Bilis, grabbing the different opportunities of the script and going from apparent geniality to almost rapaciousness in the blink of an eye. Rosie Baker goes toe to toe with him, making Jill Anderson a really rounded character – with some nice Easter egg links to other parts of the Torchwood saga – and I really hope that there’s a way of bringing the character back. As ever with historical stories, Goss doesn’t shy away from shining a torchlight on some of the more reprehensible elements, and there are powerful scenes between Baker and both Matthew Gravelle and Laurie Kynaston as Church and Hall. Oh – and listen very carefully at the end of the episode… one of the many clever ideas from director Scott Handcock and sound designers Naomi Clarke and Peter Doggart.

Verdict: Probably my favourite Bilis tale to date – a really well put together piece of drama. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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